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Monthly Archives October 2010

Termite Alate

once a year
Location: lafayette, CA 94549
October 26, 2010 11:40 pm
Hi Bugman,
Love this site,,, but couldn’t find anything quite like I’ve experienced for the past 2 years… I live in Lafayette California, just over the Berkeley Hills and after the October rains (last year and now) I had an infestation in the house of some bugs… Quite a few, and concentrated in various areas.
I can only think they’re termites based on all the research I’ve done but there’s no picture that look quite like these guys… They’re not pale…. they’re not RED,,,, They are about 6mm & dark dark brown. I find them in the sink, the carpet, the bathroom floor… etc… This year there are less than last, , , but the storm this year was more mild… (?!?)
And its not just what they LOOK like, but how they act… the pictures I have show a part of the situation – – they appear to travel in pairs and one puts its abdomen up in the air (attracting a mate?) then when they pair up it’s like a choo-choo train trip with one attached to the others back end! This morning I found (and captured) 4 in my sink, put them in a zip lock bag … and they just move around in there (for ~ 2 days, then die). No apparent ability to escape.
Last year I panicked and asked a termite guy to come out , , , he found no evidence of mud-tunnels or anything else, but still offered to do a multi thousand dollar preventative job. . .
Yikes, , , now that I zoom in on my pictures, I wonder if I should have taken him up on the deal… abdomen looks bigger than I thought (to me it looked flat!)…
Thanks for your help!
(but help fast??)
Signature: Alex

termite alate alex 300x206 Termite Alate

Termite Alate

Hi Alex,
Thanks for your compliments, but as we have stated numerous times in the past, we are artists, not scientists, and we have no background in entomology, nor do we endorse extermination, but there are always exceptions, and that would include a situation where an infestation of Termites is compromising the structure of a home.  You definitely have photographed a Termite, and we believe we have found a match on BugGuide that also shows the posture that you have also photographed and described.  The species is not identified.  The same person also submitted an image of a winged Termite Alate, and there is a robust dialog regarding the image posted to BugGuide and the possibility that it is a Subterranean Termite.  There is also a dark colored winged Alate image on BugGuide that is identified as belonging to the family Rhinotermitidae.  BugGuide has other images, many from California, that show black individuals that are identified as Subterranean Termites.  It is the nymphs and workers of the Termite colony that are light colored and sometimes called White Ants.  This does not appear to be the Western Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes hesperus, which Charles Hogue profiles in Insects of the Los Angeles Basin where he indicates:  “In Los Angeles and much of the west, this is the species that causes the greatest damage.”  We believe you may be correct that the image may be illustrating the act of dispersing pheromones to attract a mate.  The newly matured reproductive individuals are known as Alates and they are winged.  They usually swarm after a rain, and the fact that you find them each year indicates there is most likely a colony in your home.  Subterranean Termites nest in the ground, so we would suspect they are probably in your crawl space, and if you find them in the kitchen and bathroom, there may be water damage to the wood in those areas of the home that are providing food for the colony.  It is important to stress that not all Termites are destructive to homes, and that in nature, Termites play an important role in breaking down rotting wood that becomes incorporated into the soil.

termite alate alex 2 300x204 Termite Alate

Termite Alate

Incredible feedback and I agree with everything you’re pointing out (not to mention, learning a ton!).
I am suspicious of a woodpile that’s just outside our house (about 3-4′ away) but certainly wonder how they’d be getting into the house unless they’re in the crawlspace…
Regardless, I would find some of the mud-tunneling areas outside the house – but would I find them even in the crawlspace? or would those possibly not be evident since it’s usually dark down there anyway… I read that they like the moisture so that mud tunnel job helps them retain that!
Thanks again!
Alex

Posted 27 October 2010 § Termites ‡ Comments (1) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tarantula Hawk

Florida-sized bug in California
Location: San Diego, CA
October 27, 2010 1:47 am
I came across this huge thing in an average suburban neighborhood in San Diego, CA on a cool, wet day. I’m a 33 yr old native and have never seen anything like this of this size. It was about 2” in size. What is it?
Signature: Jessica

tarantula hawk jessica 300x224 Tarantula Hawk

Tarantula Hawk

Hi Jessica,
Your insect is unmistakably a Tarantula Hawk, one of the Spider Wasps in the genera Pepsis or Hemipepsis.

Posted 27 October 2010 § spider wasps ‡ Comments (0) °

Chalcidoid Wasp

Baffling wasp
Location: Kickapoo State Park, Illinois
October 26, 2010 4:14 pm
I have a strange wasp I found at a local state park last week. Unlike most wasps, it did not have a tapering abdomen. I wondered if it was a queen of some sort, but I couldn’t find any matching images for a queen wasp. Any ideas?
Signature: Josh

chalcidoid wasp josh 300x197 Chalcidoid Wasp

Chalcidoid Wasp

Hi Josh,
We did not recognize this distinctive wasp, so first we tried Sawflies as a possibility.  We quickly abandoned that venture and explored the Parasitic Hymenopterans on BugGuide where we found Leucospis affinis pictured.  BugGuide indicates “One of the largest of the Chalcidoids in the U.S., and the only one exhibiting wing-folding as part of its mimetic morphology” and “Parasitic on Megachilid bees.“  The family Leucospidae page on BugGuide states:  “Usually black and yellow. They are stout insects, they fold wings longitudinally at rest and look a little like small yellowjackets. The ovipositor is long and curves forward and upward over the abdomen, ending over the posterior part of the thorax. Like the Chalcidids they have the hind femora greatly swollen and toothed on the ventral side.“  It is difficult to be certain because of the camera angle, but your photo does appear to show the ovipositor curved over the abdomen.

When I zoom in on the full-size shot, I can definitely see the ovipositor as shown on BugGuide. Thanks!
-Josh

Posted 26 October 2010 § Parasitic Hymenopterans ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Rainbow Scarab

unknown Iridescent beetle…
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
October 26, 2010 5:27 pm
so i found this beetle floating in the pool. It’s color attracted my eye immediately! After I rescued ”him”, he flew away before I had a chance to get a shot. Two days later I found another one in the pool again. so I grabbed my camera first! This second beetle was exactly the same as the first, except for the horn. I assume the one with the horn is male and without female? Think you might be able to shed some light?
Signature: Honey

rainbow scarab deborah 300x176 Rainbow Scarab

Rainbow Scarab

No problem;). I know the basics already, rainbow scarab/dung beetle.  But I would like the specific identification when you do have a moment.
Thanks
Honey

Hi Honey,
This is a female Rainbow Scarab, Phanaeus vindex.

Posted 26 October 2010 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Hobo Spider

Tegenaria something…
Location: Idaho Falls, Idaho
October 26, 2010 7:23 pm
First off, I love your site and check it religiously to see the variety of ”bugs” that people find out there.
Second, I’ve searched your site and found that you don’t have any pics of the infamous hobo spider. I’m hoping to be the first to provide one, though I understand you can’t really make a positive ID without physically examining the spider itself. I didn’t really feel qualified or equipped to do that…
I found this spider in late September hanging out and apparently eating flies in a shoebox I was using to store fishing equipment in my garage. I may be very lucky that I didn’t just stick my fingers in the box to grab something without looking around first, although the spider seemed to be more interested in getting away from me than anything else. I figure its body was about 1/2 inch long – including the legs, it was about an inch in diameter. I’m sorry, but it was moving around too quickly for me to run in and get a ruler or something else to give the photo scale.
Unfortunately, the poor spider didn’t survive our encounter. I’m perfectly happy to live and let live outside, but when it comes to any spider that has the possibility of being a hobo in any part of my house, my policy is, ”photograph and squish first, ask questions later”.
Again, thanks for keeping up your great website!
Signature: Jason

hobo spider jason 300x196 Hobo Spider

Hobo Spider

Hi Jason,
Thanks for your kind words.  This really does appear to be a Hobo Spider, Tegenaria agrestis, and you are correct that we do not have any photos of Hobos in our archive.  You are also correct that we are often very reluctant to identify questionable species.  Though we try to convey tolerance on our website, we fully understand why you decided you did not want a Hobo Spider reproducing in your home, and we are not tagging your letter as Unnecessary Carnage.  Perhaps one of our readers will weigh in, or compare your photo to the images on BugGuide, and confirm that this is actually a Hobo Spider.

Posted 26 October 2010 § Funnel Web Spiders ‡ Comments (1) °

Med Fly

weird fly
Location: Los Angeles, CA
October 25, 2010 11:59 pm
Fly on my car, what kind is it? Thanks
Signature: P Krueger

medfly la 300x213 Med Fly

Mediterranean Fruit Fly

Dear P.,
Bar none, the Mediterranean Fruit Fly, or Med Fly, Ceratitis capitata, is probably the single most notorious Invasive Exotic species in North America, except for perhaps the Gypsy Moth and the Japanese Beetle.  We lived in Los Angeles in the mid 1980s when convoys of helicopters flew over the city spraying malathion in a feeble attempt to eradicate the pest that was expected to decimate the citrus crop in California.  For such a famous insect, your photos are the first submissions of the Med Fly that we have ever posted.  You can read BugGuide for more information.

Thanks for getting back to me.  I’m originally from the mid-west and knew nothing of this fly.  Thank you!

medfly la 2 300x224 Med Fly

Mediterranean Fruit Fly

Posted 26 October 2010 § Fruit Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Orbweaver from Rwanda

We live in Rwanda and saw this on a walk in Kibuye. Is it a golden orb weaver? It was BIG!
Location: Kibuye, along Lake Kivu, Rwanda
October 26, 2010 4:57 am
Hello,
We saw this yellow and black orb weaver on a walk near Lake Kivu in Rwanda. It’s abdomen was about the size of a small chicken egg. The silk on the web was golden coloured. The whole spider and legs would have nicely spanned an opened hand. It was beautiful. Our kids were fascinated (as were we!) I wish we could have gotten better scale for you. The web was between two hedges, about 5 feet off the ground. The spider was eating something at the time, so we enjoyed observing for a while. Sorry about the dark and blurry photos. We’ve tried searching online, but haven’t quite found much like it! We’d appreciate your help!
Signature: The Jelsma family in Rwanda

orbweaver rwanda 300x221 Orbweaver from Rwanda

Orbweaver

Dear Jelsma family,
Based on the color of the silk and the size of the spider, we suspect this Orbweaver is one of the Golden Silk Spiders in the genus Nephila, but its coloration and markings are unfamiliar to us.  We will attempt a proper identification, but we will post the image and letter first in the event our readership is able to provide any clues.

Thanks so much for your quick reply! What a beautiful spider!
I took some video of it, with my hand as near as I felt gutsy enough to put it! (With the kids in the background saying: “No, mom, No mom…NOOooo…” Just to show some scale. It is one of the largest spiders we’ve seen here, as well as one of the most beautiful!
Thanks Daniel!
Jocelyn Jelsma

Posted 26 October 2010 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Ants Attack Mantis

ants swarming over mantis
Location: Albuquerque, NM
October 25, 2010 8:51 pm
Hi,
Thanks for identifying the blister beetle picture I sent in a few weeks ago. Today I found a mantis being swarmed by ants on the north side of Albuquerque, NM. The mantis was struggling and flopping around a bit but I couldn’t tell if the ants were biting it or not. Is this a common occurrence? I found one flickr image of ants feeding on a dead and somewhat dismembered mantis in Spain, but no other information. I also didn’t find any example of this type of observation on your site. My hypothesis is that the mantis was sluggish from the cold morning and overpowered by the ants. Thanks very much!
Signature: Matt

ants attack mantis matt 300x215 Ants Attack Mantis

Ants Attack Mantis

Hi Matt,
We suspect that this Mantis may have been injured, though perhaps you are correct that it was just sluggish from the cool weather.  Ants often forage in hoards and they will not hesitate to begin gathering food for the colony from a still living creature.  We wish your photo had a higher resolution and that we were able to ascertain the identity of the ant species.  They look very small and perhaps they are nonnative.  Invasive Ant species like the Argentine Ants in Southern California and the Gulf States are severely affecting biodiversity by replacing native species and we cannot underestimate the long term effects they may have on sensitive ecosystems.

ants attack mantis matt 2 300x289 Ants Attack Mantis

Ants Attack Mantis

Hi Daniel,
Thanks for getting back to me. I’ve attached the full resolution pictures in case the ants can be identified. By the way, is the mantis a Mediterranean Mantis? Thanks!
Matt

On a second look at mantis pictures, it looks more like a California Mantid, Stagmomantis californica. Is this right?
Matt

ants swarming mantis matt cu 300x206 Ants Attack Mantis

Ants Attack Mantis

Thanks Matt.  We are inclined to agree that this does appear to be a California Mantis, or possibly the closely related Stagmomantis limbata which is profiled on BugGuide.  At any rate, the Mantis is a female.

2

Posted 26 October 2010 § Ants § Preying Mantis ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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