Egg ID Help - Ask Extension
Hi,
I raise butterflies and found this cluster of eggs on my dill. I believe it to be some kind of beetle since they lay like this but not sure what...
Knowledgebase
Egg ID Help #144279
Asked July 30, 2013, 6:42 PM EDT
Hi,
I raise butterflies and found this cluster of eggs on my dill. I believe it to be some kind of beetle since they lay like this but not sure what. I've been told they might be green stink bugs but they are not sure. Can you help with a positive ID? They still have not hatched but look like they are getting close.
Thank you,
Karen Hofmann
Allen Park, MI
Wayne County Michigan
Expert Response
Karen,
Unfortunately, I cannot be certain whose eggs these are. Beetles generally lay eggs in the soil where butterflies generally lay them on a food plant so when the eggs hatch, the larvae have immediate food. True bugs use various sites.
The only info I found on which butterfly larvae eat dill was the Black Swallowtail, but they generally lay their eggs singly and not in a mass or rows. The Brown Marmorated Stink bug lays similar looking eggs, and they are laid in a mass or row. Also they are often laid on the underside of leaves and are light green in color. In the picture, these eggs look white.
If you catch who emerges from these eggs, I would love to know. Butterflies of course would be very small caterpillars. Maybe you could even get a picture. Please email me at <personal data hidden> . I would really appreciate it. I will continue to search for these eggs. I have a dozen books on insects, and of course, there is the internet. Hope you can find out what these are. If I find more information, I will get back to you.
Ruth Simon
Unfortunately, I cannot be certain whose eggs these are. Beetles generally lay eggs in the soil where butterflies generally lay them on a food plant so when the eggs hatch, the larvae have immediate food. True bugs use various sites.
The only info I found on which butterfly larvae eat dill was the Black Swallowtail, but they generally lay their eggs singly and not in a mass or rows. The Brown Marmorated Stink bug lays similar looking eggs, and they are laid in a mass or row. Also they are often laid on the underside of leaves and are light green in color. In the picture, these eggs look white.
If you catch who emerges from these eggs, I would love to know. Butterflies of course would be very small caterpillars. Maybe you could even get a picture. Please email me at <personal data hidden> . I would really appreciate it. I will continue to search for these eggs. I have a dozen books on insects, and of course, there is the internet. Hope you can find out what these are. If I find more information, I will get back to you.
Ruth Simon
