what is this?
May 31, 2009
we were camping with our kids and found this under a rock around an old fire pit.. we went to another camp site and found 2 more there also in the fire pit.. It has 6 large legs under it and very strong pinchers. it was about 3 inches in length. we have never seen anything like this before and dont know if it is harmful or not..
cautious campers
in the adirondack region of ny state
Hellgrammite
Dear cautious campers,
This is a spectacular Hellgrammite, the larval form of a Dobsonfly. We are sorry our reply took so long, but today we are randomly selecting from among our unanswered mail.
Possible Giant Ichneumon – Megarhyssa atrata
May 31, 2009
We found a number of these bugs on the side of a tree while walking through a forest preserve in Northern Illinois (Rockford). They didn’t seem skittish and allowed us to take quite a few hi-res photos of them. There were probably eight or so of them on a single tree. We never saw them anywhere else in the park, only on one tree.
Blake
Rockford, IL
Giant Ichneumon Ovipositing
Dear Blake,
We are trying to devote a bit of time to addressing unanswered mail, and your photo of a female Megarhyssa atrata in the act of ovipositing is beautiful.
worm/nemaotode/larvae?
December 22, 2009
We’ve started seeing a number of these critters in our bathtub. They are 3-5 mm in length and are extremely fragile. I did this guy in trying to get him under the scope, so I don’t have a better pic. It has been a very wet fall here in northeast GA and I suspect the water is driving them to higher ground. They are driving the wife nuts and need to find out what they are and how to get rid of them.
Thanks!
Jim
30 miles NE of Atlanta, GA
Bathroom Fly Larva
Dear Jim,
We believe this is the larva of a Bathroom Fly or Drain Fly which is pictured on BugGuide. They are also called Moth Flies and are in the subfamily Psychodinae. The tiny mothlike adults are frequently found in bathrooms, and the larvae live in the drains.
Bird Mites?
December 22, 2009
After awaking two mornings in a row after a restless night feeling like something was crawling all over me, I took a close look at the bed sheets and found these little critters crawling everywhere.
After washing and bleaching the sheets and vacuuming and steam cleaning the carpet, they returned the next morning!
Comparing my photo to photos of ticks found on the internet, I was convinced that they were ticks. After speaking to a few local pest control companies, they were sceptical at first until they saw the photo and also believed they were ticks.
One company suggested that the behaviour wasn’t consistent with ticks. They did not attach when biting, and they only appears upstairs, even though our dogs only every stay downstairs. He suggested that they could be bird mites.
Then I came across your site, and saw Bernard from South Aftrica’s post titled “MITES CRAWLING ON SKIN IN SOUTH AFRICA”, with a picture almost identical to what I’ve seen.
Mark S.
Melbourne, Australia
Tropical Fowl Mite???
Hi Mark,
One of your photos does look identical to the Mite in Bernard’s images from South Africa, but the third image (though we are posting it second) looks like it might be another species. Possibly that individual is engorged with blood. As we indicated to Bernard, we do not have the necessary qualifications to properly identify Mites to the species level, though Bird Mites would be a strong possibility. In November 2008, we posted an image that might be a Tropical Fowl Mite, Ornithonyssus bursa, and we provided a link to an Australian Website on that Mite. Perhaps an acarologist will chime in at some point, and we would recommend that you post a comment to your own letter so that you will be informed of any further comments from our readership.
Tropical Fowl Mite??? Blood Engorged???
Springtails?
December 22, 2009
Here are some photos of what I found in my water well pressure tank. The tank has been installed on my private well for about ten years. The vinyl bag inside the tank had a leak which caused water to go from the bag into the tank which is normally only filled with air. Upon removal of the water well pressure tank I removed the bottom seal and dumped the remaining water which was dark and very smelly of stagnant water. I noticed these little guys moving around and was shocked they were alive. My water well is about 100′ deep and sealed from ground water run off to the best of my knowledge. I will have my water tested again to ensure there are no problems with water run off. I am wondering how did these little guys get inside a sealed pressure tank? I doubt they were pumped up from 100′ below ground.
I have some captured inside a bottle and have noticed in darkness they remain on top of the water but are not to active, upon exposing to sunlight they become quite active and jump like fleas do. I have never seen anything like it and am very curious as to what these little guys are. I did shoot a video but it’s very shaky at 45X holding the camera by hand. Any light you may shed on these would be very much appreciated
Thank you, Charles Senn
Olalla, Washington
Springtails
Hi Charles,
We are generally reluctant to try to give exact species identifications on Springtails, but your specimens are probably Podura aquatica as evidenced by images on BugGuide which indicates: “Range Europe, North America and Siberia Habitat Semi-aquatic. Often found floating on the surface of small bodies of standing water such as ponds, as well as on stream and pond banks.” We would not discount that they were pumped up from 100 feet below the surface. Your well does have surface water after all.
Springtails
Thank you for the prompt reply but I do disagree with your assessment
that my well has surface water as it’s sealed in 6″ steel casing welded
together all the way down to the aquifer. At the surface the well is
sealed from the ground with bentonite which is what they use around here
and it appears to be in great shape. But I would also have to assume
those guys got in there some how just not sure how. I hope you post my
response on your website and I really appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Charles Senn
Thanks for the clarification Charles. Our vision of a well is something you drop a bucket into and then crank it to the surface. Though we don’t fully understand the mechanics of your water system, we are certain you have Springtails.
Massive Moth
December 21, 2009
Found this massive moth inside under some flourescent lights, I am interested to know what it is, I have never seen such a big moth before!
?
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Emperor Gum Moth
Dear ?,
The Emperor Gum Moth, Opodiphthera eucalypti (formerly Antheraea eucalypti) is native to Australia, but it has been introduced to New Zealand in the early 20th Century. The Government of South Australia has a nice online PDF available on the species.
What are these?
May 28, 2009
Found two clumps of hundreds of these creatures outside on my patio, all moving together in the same general direction. They’re slimy, slippery…almost slug-like, but appear to be larvae of some sort.
Eric
Charlotte, North Carolina
Fungus Gnat Larvae Aggregation
Hi Eric,
We apologize for the lengthy delay. We are trying to respond to some of our long overdue unanswered requests. These are Fungus Gnat Larvae. The Hydro Gardens website has some information. You can also see a matching photo from Alaska on the Social Caterpillar website of Cortland faculty. BugGuide also has a posting discussing the aggregations of the larvae of Dark Winged Fungus Gnats in the family Sciaridae.
Fungus Gnat Larvae Aggregation
Is this a ladybug?
May 28, 2009
We found about 30 of these bugs collected around an ant victim on our deck. They remind of us ladybugs, but I do not think they are. They have a narrow head/neck from their body.
Do you know what bug this is?
Stephanie, Riley & Danielle
Marietta, GA
Immature Florida Predatory Stink Bugs
Hi Stephanie, Riley and Danielle,
We are attempting to respond to a few unanswered letters in our mailbox, and we wanted you to know that these are immature Florida Predatory Stink Bugs, Euthyrhynchus floridanus. You can research more about them on Bugguide.
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