Can You Identify These Bugs?

[EricSilver]

I noticed these guys yesterday under a zinnia leaf. They just sit there, as if waiting for something.

Can you identify them? Are they friend or foe?

[snowflake]

I believe they are aphids, relatively harmless insects that suck the juice out of the veins in the plant's leaves. They can just become a nuisance when they multiply and start to cover the leaves, but usually some other insects such as ladybug larvae will come by and eat them. I would not worry about them.

[EricSilver]

I googled red aphid photos and it appears that's what they are. Pretty, but not as pretty as my zinnias will be when they bloom so they must die.

Do fish find them tasty? I have large guppies and bettas in water features nearby.

[Aquaticedge]

you can try

[panZZer]

those are red ants...

[cmbdiesel]

Originally Posted by panZZer

those are red ants...

According to critterzone, them there is red aphids.

picture is about one third down the page -
http://www.critterzone.com/animal-pictures-nature/insect-aphids-plant-lice-greenflies.htm

[elchivito]

red aphids. not ants.

[JollyRoger]

Real common to the Gulf Coast. Lady bugs eat them, you can purchase lady bug larva in a some garden stores, otherwise, a general purpose insecticide dust is preferred over spray because the little bastards will track dust back to their friends. They will not kill the plant, but they will stunt it and the flowers will be of poor quality.

The other threat they pose is that they attract a wide variety of other insects because they secret a sugar-laced fluid. Some species of ants keep them corraled for milking the way we keep cows.

[jt20]

if you don't like poison, you can use a home made garlic spray from crushed garlic.

you could also just take the time to wipe them off and keep them away from the base of the plant. Its usually pretty effective.

[JollyRoger]

The most common control method here is to hose them off with a blaster nozzle, works great for shrubs, but zinnias.... ?