Chinese mantis feeds on carpenter bee
August 13, 2009
Hi bugman! I took these shots about a year ago and have been meaning to send them to you. I was sitting on my porch and saw some something moving in my mom’s garden. Then I went down to check it out and to my surprise there was this little guy eating a carpenter bee. I hope you like my pics. P.S. Love your site!
Alex Busato, age 10
Southwest PA
Chinese Mantid eats Carpenter Bee
Hi Alex,
Thanks for sending us your photos of a Chinese Mantid, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis, feeding on a Carpenter Bee. This is an excellent addition to our Food Chain section.
Chinese Mantid east Carpenter Bee
Big moth and black widow
August 14, 2009
My son and I had a Discovery Channel moment leaving the post office yesterday. This moth was alive, and the spider was working very hard to wrap it up. It would climb up, drop a line down, throw a couple of legs over the moth, go over to the other wing, and repeat. The moth was fluttering but losing the battle.
We couldn’t believe this was right in the middle of the sidewalk (yes, there was a brick column in the *middle* of the sidewalk) at the entrance to a busy post office in the middle of the day!
I was going to take video but could only manage a quick cell phone photo before a well-meaning man came up and stomped the spider.
I think this is a real black widow, but I’m having trouble positively identifying the moth. We see them all the time here in Georgia – as the summer progresses, the moths get bigger.
Can you help?
Patty and Gabriel
Powder Springs, Georgia
Black Widow captures Regal Moth
Hi Patty and Gabriel,
We are sorry to hear that this shy and retiring, though poisonous Black Widow was stomped before getting to enjoy its gargantuan meal. The moth is a very bedraggled Regal Moth or Royal Walnut Moth. Its appearance indicates that it was already at the end of its short adult life. Regal Moths do not feed as adults, and only fly long enough to mate and lay eggs, and possibly, like this specimen, provide a nutritious meal to a lucky predator.
What’s that caterpillar?
August 14, 2009
Hi –
I love your site and browse it for pleasure when I have time. One damp, overcast morning in August I found an outbreak of these caterpillars on the leaves of my red-bark dogwood shrubs. We live outside of Philadelphia, PA and have had an incredibly wet summer. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Betsy
Merion Station, PA
- Dogwood Sawfly Larvae
Hi Betsy,
These are not Caterpillars, but that is a very easy mistake to make. These are the larvae of Dogwood Sawflies in the genus Macremphytus. We are linking to a matching photo on BugGuide. Penn State Woody Ornamental Integrated Pest Management website has a wonderful explanation of the life cycle of the Dogwood Sawfly. It states: “Dogwood Sawfly, Macremphytus tarsatus, is a significant pest to dogwood (Cornus) species. Because the Dogwood Sawfly takes on several forms while in the larval stage, it may not be easy to identify. Even the first instars can devour small portions of leaves, with groups of them producing a skeletonized appearance to the leaves. However, the larger final instar can consume entire leaves, leaving only the tougher leaf midribs.”
1
Large orange caterpillar
August 13, 2009
I have found many caterpillars similar to this one but they either have a spike on the end or an eye spot on the head or something thats different than ours.
I have searched the web and am stumped. I found only one pic online but it didnt have any info. It was just someones picture.
I have never seen one like this before.
It so far eats grape leaves and lilac leaves.
Stone family.
Rural south central Wisconsin.
Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillar
Dear Stone Family,
The Caterpillar of the Pandorus Sphinx, Eumorpha pandorus, looses its caudal horn as it molts, leaving only a button as evidenced by your image. In addition to orange, some Pandorus Sphinx Caterpillars may be green or brown and they are pictured in our archives as well as on Bill Oehlke’s wonderful website.
moth ID
August 14, 2009
Mike again. I thought you’d like this pic. The larger moth is a sphinx, but what is her friend? They seemed to be a happy couple, but obviously of different species.
Mike
Edgewood, New Mexico, 7000′ pinion forest.
Five Spotted Hawkmoth and Nevada Tiger Moth, we believe
Hi Mike,
This photo of a Sphinx Moth and a Tiger Moth getting along is priceless. The Tiger Moth is probably the Nevada Tiger Moth, Grammia nevadensis, and you may read about it on BugGuide. Because of the angle of the photograph, the Sphinx may be difficult to get an exact ID from us and will probably require an expert, but it appears to be in the genus Manduca, probably the Five Spotted Hawkmoth, Manduca quinquemaculatus. That may be researched on Bill Oehlke’s awesome website.
Yes, I positively ID’d the hawk moth as a five spot. We have lot’s of them around here.
Mike
Slow Moving, Non-Flying Bug at Hummingbird Feeder
August 14, 2009
Hi! Thanks so much for this site! It’s fabulous!
This insect appeared at a hummingbird feeder and seems to have a probiscus. It was challenged by a hummingbird whilst at the feeding station and lifted up its two front arms but tucked its head and probiscus under. It appears very gentle, moves VERY slowly and likes to drink sugar water. When not feeding, it perches on the top of the feeder, hanging off the sides. It doesn’t seem to mind direct sunlight. It also appears to have bilateral eyes at the tip of an eye stalk. The probiscus curls under, like an elephant trunk. What on earth is this?
Curious Patricia
Bowling Green, OH (NW Ohio)
Wheel Bug
Dear Curious Patricia,
We love your backlit photo of a Wheel Bug.
WHAT IN THE HECK ARE YOU DOING IN MISSOURI????
August 13, 2009
Dear Bugman,
This is my favorite site ever. it’s taught me to love all little creatures. I am beginning an Entomoly course this month, ( wish me luck). ANYWAY, I was on vacation last week at the Lake of The Ozarks, in Missouri. Osage Beach area. This little guy was about to crawl acrossed my friends foot! I wrangled him, took a few pictures, ( which really ticked him off), and then released him away from where kids play and walk. I talked to the hotel, and they say they never get scorpions this time of year. Could I have BROUGHT HIM WITH ME??? Im from Arizona. He was outside when I found him though. It was about 1am, about 30 feet from the lake. THANKS!!!!
Sherri the Love Bug.
Lake Ozark, MO (Central missouri)
Striped Bark Scorpion
Hi Sherri the Love Bug,
This is a Striped Bark Scorpion, Centruroides vittatus, and according to BugGuide, it is reported from Missouri. According to BugGuide, the range is: “Populations of this scorpion encompass a large geographic range that includes southern Colorado, eastern New Mexico, several of the states in northern Mexico, Texas, western Louisiana, western Arkansas, southern Missouri, Oklahoma, and much of Kansas.” Kari J McWest is credited with the following identification description on BugGuide: “A very important clue is the ‘triangle’ on the front of the carapace; long, slender appendages, which are noticeably more elongate in males than in females; two broad stripes down back, with orange bars on each tergite (dorsal plate); hands and fifth metasoma (tail) segment are darker, especially in young and freshly molted specimens; broad stripe on the back of the tail.” BugGuide also remarks: “Venom is a mild neurotoxin, sting is quite painful. Some people might have a severe allergic reaction requiring medical attention This is the most common scorpion in the USA.”
Of course we wish you luck in your entomology class. If your class is in Arizona, we would like to propose a topic of research for you. That would be one good way to impress your instructor from the start. You will probably have to write a research paper. The Blister Beetles are in the family Meloidae and their complicated life cycles are fascinating. Additionally, Arizona probably has the greatest diversity of Blister Beetles in the U.S.
Striped Bark Scorpion
Weird bug with wings
August 13, 2009
This bug was found in the corner of an outside window . We tried to make it fly away and it did not. It has long wings and the strange looking head and feelers. Just would like to know what it is. Out of four of us, none of us had ever seen such a bug.
Wanda
Walling, TN
Male Dobsonfly: What exactly does he do with those mandibles???
Hi Wanda,
He is big. He is scary and he is perfectly harmless. He is a male Dobsonfly. From all we have read, those impressive mandibles are used somehow in the mating process. We have read that they are used by males to compete for the attention of females, perhaps in battle, and we have also heard that the male uses them to subdue the female during copulation. All this is just hearsay and one photo would say it all. Doesn’t anyone have a photo that demonstrates just why a male Dobsonfly needs those impressive mandibles? The female Dobsonfly, with her much smaller though more functional mandibles, might deliver a pinch if she is carelessly handled, but she too is harmless.
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