Green Bugs and Oak Pollen - Coincidence?

By now, you must have noticed little tiny, green, almost speckled bugs flying around where ever there are oak trees. If you haven't, you must not have been outside in the past week!

These tiny bugs are true bugs, and part of a very large family of plant bugs, Miridae. These bugs are likely feeding on the pollen from the oak trees. They have piercing, sucking mouthparts, but even in large amounts will cause very little to no damage to your oaks.

At this point, they are just a nuisance and we have to wait them out. When the oak trees stop pollinating, the bugs will go away, and (hopefully) so will our allergies!

*photo courtesy of Duane Westerlund