Q: What are these little gray buggers on my sunflower leaves?
A:Β They are lace bugs, small plant bugs that suck plant sap from the leaves. They are often found on the underside of leaves. The grayish ones are the adults and the smaller, blackish ones are the nymphs. The smallest black spots are their frass (poop). On sunflowers, we just let them be because they might damage the leaves but the flowers are unaffected and the plants seem to tolerate them to some extent. Other plants are not as tolerant. If you wanted an organic solution you could try insecticidal soap, horticultural oil, or a pyrethroid such as PyGanic.
Peter L. Warren is the urban horticulture agent for the Pima County Cooperative Extension and the University of Arizona. Questions may be emailed to plwarren@cals.arizona.edu
