Stink bugs have been destroying my sunflowers. I tried a garden bug spray and it hardly deterred them. There are also these small orange bugs with black legs. Don't know what they are called. Good luck with your gardening!
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That's sad to hear. Unfortunately, they are really everywhere. There are many subspecies that have other colors as well. For example, they can also be red, orange or brown.
With your description the fire bug (Pyrrhocoris) comes to my mind. We have them everywhere here.
I hope your sunflowers can still recover and bloom in full glory.
So, did some research and believe I may have misidentified the little critters or rather I was taught in a way that isn't scientifically accurate; although, this bug can emit strong odor so it is an understandable mistake.
It appears that the two bugs I mention are actually one species (Leptoglossus phyllopus) but just at different stages (larval and adult). Interesting and, at least now, having been properly identified I can look into mitigating the problem perhaps more effectively.
https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/leaffooted-bug/
Oh wow. It is very interesting that larval and adult stages can look so different. I hope you can find a natural way of solving your problem. Good luck. :)