The Flashy Red Invader Destroying Your Backyard: Why You Must Declare War on This Pest Today

To stop this invader, you must learn to recognize it through its various, deceptive life stages. In the late spring and early summer, they appear as tiny, wingless black nymphs with stark white spots, moving with deceptive quickness. By mid-summer, they transform into larger nymphs, developing a striking, warning-coloration of red with black and white spots. By late summer and fall, they emerge as adults—the insects that are most likely to alert you to an infestation. Stretching about an inch long, they possess gray forewings covered in black spots, but when they take flight, they flash brilliant, unmistakable red hindwings. This is the moment to strike. They are not strong, persistent fliers, but they are notorious for their sudden, jarring launches. If you see that flash of red, you are not just looking at a bug; you are looking at the source of your garden’s slow, agonizing decline.