On the outskirts of Chapel Hill, NC
Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 4:31 PM
Does anyone know what type of Moth this is???
Geo
Chapel Hill, NC
Giant Leopard Moth
Hi Geo,
We received at least four letters in as many days requesting that we identify the Giant Leopard Moth, Hypercompe scribonia, and your photo is our favorite.
Leopard printed moth?
Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 3:46 PM
Bugman,
My mother stumbled across this pretty moth(?) in our kitchen just a little while ago, hanging out on the curtain above the dryer. The rumbling of the dryer doesn’t seem to be bothering him, as he’s just sitting there calmly. He’s like an off-white color, and covered in black spots that seem to resemble the rosettes on leopards or ocelots. I’ve never seen anything like him before, so what is he? Besides pretty that is!
Sydney
Maryland, USA
Giant Leopard Moth
Hi Sydney,
In the past four days, we have received at least four letters requesting that we identify the Giant Leopard Moth, Hypercompe scribonia, a species of Tiger Moth. According to BugGuide, it it also called the Eyed Tiger Moth or Great Leopard Moth. Of all the requests, your letter was our favorite, so we will be posting it.
honey bee swarm
Mon, Jun 22, 2009 at 2:03 PM
thought you might like a picture of a nice summer honey bee swarm for your website. i walked outside this afternoon to take out the trash and found these ladies on a birdbath in my back yard. i would have liked clearer pictures but i didn’t want to stress them out any more than they already were by getting any closer than i did. they’ve been there for about 3 hours now and seem to still be growing in number, not that i mind, i think they’re fascinating, but how long do swarms generally stay in the same place during a relocation like that?
rebekah
summerville, south carolina
Honey Bee Swarm
Hi Rebekah,
We are thrilled to post your photo of a Honey Bee Swarm. The swarm will stay until the scouts find a new location, or until they feel threatened or disturbed. Last spring, a swarm settled into one of our shrubs in Southern California, and they remained for about three hours.
22 June 2009, 3:54 PM
Saturday night, 20 June, I noticed that Boris and Media Luna had laid eggs for the fifth time. Spawing 3 grew fungus and I’m not sure if spawning 4 was fertile as that happened a day before I left town for Ohio. The eggs that were laid Saturday night have hatched, and the timing is not so good. I may try to remove some hatchlings and place them in the nursery tank, but I will be out of town at Amy’s wedding all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, about the time the hatchlings will need to begin feeding. Perhaps their egg sacs will sustain them until I return.
Wasp eating large spider
Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 5:08 PM
We found this wasp eating a large spider. Unusual find… This picture was taken near Vilcabamba, Ecuador.
Kyle
South America
Spider Wasp with prey in Ecuador
Hi Kyle,
The wasp is some species of Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae. We believe the spider is a Huntsman Spider. For clarification, Spider Wasps do not eat spiders. Female Spider Wasps sting and paralyze spiders to provide food for larval wasps. According to BugGuide: “Spider wasps prey on spiders. Some species sting and paralyze their prey and then transport it to a specially constructed nest before laying an egg. Other species leave the paralyzed spider in its nest and lay an egg upon it.” Adult Spider Wasps feed on nectar from flowers.
Possible fisher spider in odd location
Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 8:16 PM
My friend sent me these pictures of a spider. We think it’s a fisher spider but we’d like confirmation since it was found in a rather atypical location — namely, on her stove in her kitchen!
She lives in southern New York state. It’s mid-June, warm, but not overly hot. There are no bodies of water really close to her home (although there’s a creek down the street).
The spider was non-agressive so she put it on a paper plate and took some photos of it. She took it in a container to work and someone identified it as “a really big spider”. Obviously, as the spider is nearly 2 1/2″ inches (legs included).
She took it to the woods near her home and released it into the wild where she got more fabulous photos of it.
Could you please confirm if it is indeed a fisher spider?
Thanks so much!
Krissy
Southern New York State
Fishing Spider
Hi Krissy,
Your identification of a Fishing Spider, Dolomedes tenebrosus, is correct. Fishing Spiders do not build snare webs, and they are a wandering mobile species. Perhaps your friend’s stove was just a warm stop on the way to a new hunting ground. We love the photo on the paper plate.
Strange Red & White Cricket (?)
Sun, Jun 21, 2009 at 9:07 AM
Hi -
I am visiting my mom in Rio Rico, AZ (about an hour south of Tucson, AZ) and we found these strange looking red, white and black crickets (?) on a bean plant this morning (06/21/09). I’ve never seen anything like them, especially their antennae. Towards the end of it there is a flattened almost circular area, and then the straight line antennae continues. They seem to be feeding on the beans in the plant, and there must be 30-40 on one plant.
Kristy
Rio Rico, AZ
Giant Mesquite Bug nymphs
Hi Kristy,
These are not crickets. Rather they are True Bugs, more specifically, Giant Mesquite Bugs, Thasus neocalifornicus, in the family Coreidae, the Leaf Footed Bugs. They are not feeding on beans, but rather the pods of Mesquite. These are colorful immature nymphs. Once they become winged adults, much of the bright coloration with distinctive markings is covered by the wings. You may read more about them on BugGuide.
Giant Mesquite Bug nymph
Two bugs found in Alabama — Need ID
Fri, Jun 19, 2009 at 9:20 PM
I was walking around tonight in my apartment complex, and I found these two bugs. Right now, it’s technically still spring, but the weather is very warm and balmy right now. The pictures are as good as I could get it. They are very slow moving, and they didn’t seem to mind posing for the pictures. The one in front (brown) is shorter. It seemed to be about 1-1.5 inches. The other one has a slight green tint to the wings and seems to be 1.5-2 inches length in the body and another 1/2 inch or so for the wings. At first when I found them, the larger one was on top of the brown one. I didn’t disturb them or harm them in any way whatsoever. I just want to know what the little things are. I would appreciate ANY help!
Amanda
Jacksonville, AL
Cicada Metamorphosis
Dear Amanda,
You have observed a Cicada metamorphosis. This is not two bugs, but one winged adult Cicada emerging from its shed larval skin. We are unable to identify your exact species, but we can tell you that this is one of the Annual Cicadas that appear in a given location yearly. It often takes three years for the nymphs to develop underground, but each year there is a new adult population.
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