little rust-colored sucking bugs on my tomato plant

[tomatokate]

The title says it all; there are these little rust-colored bugs that look like ticks ( I know they aren't), that are sucking on one of my tomato plants, they seem to be multiplying daily. What are they, and can I get rid of them?:/

 

[Beekissed]

Not sure about a sucking bug, but potatoe bug larvae love tomato plants and they are rust colored and some have a little row of black spots.

 

[digitS']

I'm thinking, like Beekissed, that they are plump Colorado potato beetle larvae. They might look less like ticks to you as they mature. Do a google image search to see what we are talking about.

This pest can really tear up eggplants, tomatoes, and potatoes.

There are 2 ways I go with these critters. Bonide Beetle Beater, a Bt spray, works best but usually takes 2 sprayings, a week apart. Rotenone/Pyrethrin spray also works fairly well but I suspect that rotenone powder alone would do a better job. I'm not entirely comfortable with using rotenone when I don't feel that I have to.

Beetle Beater or another brand of the appropriate Bt spray is probably safer and very specific for controlling potato bugs.

Steve

 

[tomatokate]

They're much smaller than potato beetle larvae, like tiny, and aren't as fat or long as grubs. I think they are already fully grown. They are also more brownish-red than red. They aren't really eating the tomato, just turning it yellowy.

30 min. later...
They're aphids! The reason I didn't notice it before, is because they're RED aphids, and I thought aphids were only green! Thanks for your concern, anyway!