Shieldbacked Pine Seed Bug?

   I am definitely not an entomologist as I have to seek the identities of just about every critter I find in the garden and around the Bayou.  I do, however, have an interest in insects merely because I want to know which are pests and which are helpers.  Those deemed as garden pests are not high on the list of favorites.  So, if I find an insect that is new to the gardens, I pull out the camera, photograph the critter then try to catch it.  Catching it gives me the option of disposing of it or releasing it depending on which side of the good/bad list it falls.  While I hate killing anything, some infestations must be eradicated quickly.

  It was while I was hanging clothes to dry that I spied an unusual (to me) bug near the garden fence.  First came the pictures then came the capturing.  It turned out to be a rather simple catch.  The critter sort of fell into my jar then laid on its back with its little legs flailing wildly in the air.  The search for information began.

  As near as I can tell, my critter is a Shieldbacked Pine Seed Bug.  To be honest, I did not know these even existed.  Once I identified it, the bug was taken down to the water's edge and released into the palmettoes.  I was confident that a bug that eats pine seeds would not hurt my tomatoes!  Then I read more.  It seems that the bug can be quite destructive in pine forests as it renders the seeds useless.  Well, now.  I started having second thoughts about my release of the critter.  Perhaps I should not have been so hasty.  Ponder...ponder.

  That slight regret soon was replaced with a new thought.  I am not overly fond of pine trees around the house.  Those things have a tendency to break during hurricanes and have been known to put huge holes in the roof of the Little Bayou House.  Maybe...just maybe...that bug was doing me a favor by not allowing more pine trees to grow.  As long as it does not start eating all of the acorns from the oak trees, I think it is safe to say I will not have problems.  The pine trees can go. Leave my oaks.  Little buggy can go on his way.