Eggs covered in Excrement

I was first drawn to this tiny pile of insect poop because it was so nicely organized. When I took a closer look, I realized that there were 6 eggs, and each was coated with poop. I couldn't get a better angle of the eggs without disturbing them, but you can kind of see the whitish part of an egg peaking out on the lower left.

I am not sure who laid the eggs, but my guess would be a Chrysomelid beetle, maybe a leafminer.

Habitat: Rural garden

comments (2)

ceiseman

Green Fly

My guess would be chrysomelid beetle too, but the leaf-mining species that lay eggs in masses would cover the whole mass with one blanket of soupy poop, not showing the individual eggs like this. Host plant would be a useful clue here (as with all signs of bugs on plants). Posted 6 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks for your input. I kick myself all the time for not documenting the host plants! Ugh, I forget half the time - mostly because my plant ID skills are pretty pathetic. But, I am determined to do better next year as I realize how crucial that info is. Posted 6 years ago