Hello,

The green worm is a Hibiscus Sawfly, Atomacera decepta (Hymenoptera: Agridae).  The red bug is a boxelder bug nymph, Leptocoris trivittatus  (Hemiptera: Rhopalidae).

The larvae of the Hibiscus sawfly of feed on hibiscus, rose of Sharon, hollyhock, mallow and perhaps other members of the cotton family but Hibiscus appears to be the preferred host. They eat the leaf tissue between the veins which results in the leaves appearing lacy or ‘skeletonized’. The adults are small (3/16 inch), black fly-like insects that are related to bees, wasps and ants. The thorax is reddish brown on top. The argid sawflies are interesting because their antennae a split almost at the base so they appear to have four antennae instead of two! Like many “minor-crop” sawflies, there has been no detailed study of the life history of the hibiscus sawfly, but the larvae may be present from June to September with multiple generations being produced each growing season. The pale green worms have black heads and tiny black spines on each body segment. They are slightly gregarious with up to three larvae feeding on one leaf. When mature the larvae spin tough silken cocoons on or near the base of the plant. Upon emergence the new adults mate and lay the eggs of the next generation. The eggs are inserted, one at time, into a slit cut in the leaf by female’s saw-like ovipositor (hence the common name “sawfly”).

For homeowners, the best products for controlling Hibiscus sawfly are cyfluthrin (sold as Bayer Advanced Vegetable and Garden Spray), bifenthrin (sold as Ortho Bug B Gon) and carbaryl (sold as Sevin). Be sure to read and follow all instructions on the label before using any pesticide.

Boxelder bugs nymphs are bright red in color and are quite nomadic this time of year. During the summer they feed on the flowers and seedpods of female boxelder trees and to a lesser degree on silver maple and other trees and shrubs.  
Boxelder bugs invade our homes and other structures in the fall of the year looking for dry, protected sites in which to spend the winter. It is not necessary to control boxelder bug nymphs this early in the summer to keep them from invading homes in the fall. These are just the first generation nymphs. They will mature into adults and lay eggs in July. These eggs develop into the second generation adults that invade our homes in October.

Regards,

Howard