Just walking around taking pictures of what's blooming today and came across this FFE on Ain't That Pretty. I've never seen Ain't That Pretty in bloom before, so what I thought was stippling was actually bugs all over the bloom. Can anyone tell me what kind of bug this is? Thanks!

Can you tap some off onto white paper and try a clearer picture? From the size and shape they could be thrips but something doesn't look quite right about them. Even if they are, they aren't necessarily thrips that harm daylilies, I've seen swarms like that on yellow daylilies and next time I looked they were all gone without doing any damage.

Thanks for the suggestion Sue. Hoping these pics will be better.

Definitely thrips of some kind. There are many different species though and they are hard to identify so I don't know what kind they are.

Thanks, Sue. After I uploaded the pictures, I Googled thrips and thought that the body looked similar. I wonder if I need to do any kind of treatment... I have seen a lot of aborted buds. Maybe due to thrips???

Aborted buds could be from thrips. They can also leave silvery streaks on leaves but that may vary by species. The ones that cause the damage here, though, are more solitary and secretive, hiding out of view for the most part. I haven't often seen them all over like yours. Trouble is they could also be "accidental" visitors attracted by the yellowy flower and then finding it wasn't right for them. If they're not there tomorrow then it's probably the latter. If they're still there I might be a bit more concerned.

You only need to do any treatment if they persist and seem to be causing unacceptable amounts of damage. Thrips can also be fungus feeders although in that case I'm not sure why they would be hanging out on a flower.

Since they're more accessible than the sneakier thrips you could try insecticidal soap. Another option, without going for "chemical" pesticides, could be spinosad. If they don't seem to be causing any damage then you don't need to do anything.

I agree. I will monitor them more closely to see if I need to take any action. Thanks for all your help, Sue.