Moth
Location: Captain’s Mountain via Millmerran, Queensland, Australia
January 22, 2011 6:51 pm
We found this dead moth outside our house recently. We have never seen a moth with transparent wings. What is it? Is it usually found in our area? What does its caterpillar look like?
Signature: Mackenzie Family
Bee Hawkmoth
Dear Mackenzie Family,
You found a Bee Hawkmoth, Cephonodes kingii, a diurnal species that may be mistaken for a bee or hummingbird as it visits flowers to feed on nectar. The Brisbane Insect website has nice images of living specimens.
THANK YOU so much for getting back to us so quickly. We are guessing that the moth may have ended up on this side of the Great Dividing Range because of the cyclonic winds that have been blowing off storms towards Brisbane this month. We are about 250 km from Brisbane at the far edge of the Darling Downs. We seem to have more species of bugs this summer than ever before but there don’t seem to be any more of these bee hawk moths around.
We really appreciate you replying to us.
From Beverley Mackenzie
Hi Beverley,
Insects posted to the Brisbane Insect website often have a far greater range extending to other parts of Australia as well the islands of the South Pacific and occasionally even Asia. According to Oz Insects, Queensland is part of the range of the Bee Hawkmoth, though winds do buffet insects about and weather patterns might be responsible for range expansions.
pantry pest
Location: Maryland, January, in kitchen cabinet
January 22, 2011 4:38 pm
I just found these in some rice and other long stored grains that were in plastic bags in one of my kitchenm cabinets. It looked like a mouse had eaten through the bags, but there have been no signs of mice. I have cats so I would have known. The photo of the messed up food is what was inside the bag looked like. It smelled almost like cat urine, but there had been no cats in there. The beetles are just over 1/16 inch long. I couldn’t even tell they had segments or legs until I took the photos. Nothing seemed to be moving until I looked at one with a magnifying glass and it wiggled a little. I haven’t checked the rest of my cupboards yet. Sorry the photos aren’t great.
Signature: Maryland
Infestation in the Pantry
Dear Maryland,
It is difficult to be certain, but it appears that your Pantry Beetles are Flour Beetles in the genus Tribolium. You may compare your photos to images posted to BugGuide. A more detailed closeup image that shows the antennae would be helpful for a more certain identification.
Thanks for your help. I do believe you’re right. As I continue to go through my cabinets if I find any more with antennae intact I will definitely look closely at the antennae.
I love your site.
Mary Sue
Unecessary Carnage responses
January 22, 2011 4:47 pm
I love your witty and informative Unecessary Carnage responses.
Signature: Mary Sue Rubin
Hi Mary Sue,
It is refreshing to hear that. Few things incite more vitriol on our website than Unnecessary Carnage comments. The only possible exception is the Nasty Reader Award section.
what the heck is this ?
Location: ontario
January 22, 2011 12:42 pm
Hello bug man.
i keep finding these little bugs in my bathtub they cant seem to get out but they do jump.i have only seen them in the tub and i find it strange i have never seen these bugs before and have searched your site for clues but have found nothing.they are easily killed by water so why they are in the tub baffles me also it is winter time and freezing outside so I’m not completely sure where they are coming from.
I have attached a few photos one with the bug beside a comb to show size and another beside a small safety pin
I’m wondering if i should be calling some type of exterminator or if this is an indication of some other problem? please help!
Signature: concerned
Springtail
Dear Concerned,
Now that you know that this is a Springtail, you should be able to find a wealth of information on our site. There is no need to call an exterminator. Springtails are benign, but when they get very plentiful, they can become an annoyance. Since they feed on mold and fungus, their presence may be an indication of an underlying problem, like a leaking pipe inside the walls. According to Discover Life, “They are probably the most abundant hexapods on Earth, with up to 250,000,000 individuals per square acre.“
Hickory Tussock Moth Hatched Mid January…
Location: Albany, NY
January 19, 2011 9:29 pm
Hello. When it got cold here, we pulled back our daughter’s curtains only to see a cocoon attached. We did not move it and it became a part of our nightly ritual ”Good Night Cocoon,” etc. (My daughter is 3). My husband & I thought it had not survived and out of nowhere, middle January, it hatched tonight. Presently it’s in a tupperware with holes & some indoor plant clippings. It’s in the 20s outside and so, I can’t release it. What should I do? I have read that it doesn’t eat as an adult, is that true? Thank you for your help.
Signature: Take care, Kim
Hickory Tussock Moth
Hi Kim,
Thanks so much for writing us your sweet email with this image of an adult Hickory Tussock Moth, Lophocampa caryae. The big problem with a cocoon or chrysalis in a heated home is that often the adult will emerge indoors in winter when it cannot find a mate. This happens frequently with captive caterpillars, but in your case, this unfortunate Hickory Tussock Moth wandered into your comfortable, temperate home on its own. You are correct that many adult moths, especially Giant Silkmoths and Tiger Moths (your Hickory Tussock Moth is in the Tiger Moth family Arctiidae) do not feed as adults. You can see BugGuide for more information on the Hickory Tussock Moth.
Golden Orb Weaver?
Location: northern Illinois
January 21, 2011 12:17 pm
Hello BugMan,
Long time fan of the site. I photographed this spider in northern Illinois over the 2009 summer. She would get agitated if I got too close to her web and start wobbling back and forth and shaking her web. I think it is a Golden Orb Weaver but would like your confirmation, as it doesn’t look exactly like any of the ones listed on your site..i.e. it’s pretty fat and oval shaped, and has a striped pattern on the legs. Thanks!
Signature: Amy in Illinois
Banded Orbweaver
Hi Amy,
This is a Banded Orbweaver, Argiope trifasciata, not a Golden Orbweaver, but your error is quite understandable since they are in the same genus and share many similarities.
Excellent! She was a beauty, and of course we just observed and left her to her business. Exact location was Stillman Valley, Illinois. Thank you very much as I know you’re very busy!!!
Appreciatively,
Amy Berogan
caterpillar ID please
Location: Charlottesville Virginia
January 21, 2011 12:02 pm
I’m stumped on this one; it was found under leafy matter by my daughter last April.
Is there a significance to the underside coloring? Thanks in advance.
Signature: John
Underwing Caterpillar
Hi John,
This it the caterpillar of an Underwing Moth in the genus Catocala. Quite fortuitously, BugGuide has a posting that shows both the dorsal view and underside of a similar Underwing Caterpillar.
Underwing Caterpillar
a flying bug of some kind
Location: tacoma, washington, USA
January 21, 2011 6:06 pm
hi bugman, i have a photo of a bug that i have tentatively identified as Plathemis lydia or possibly Libellula pulchella but i’m not sure. i see a lot of blue-eyed darners around, but this is a new one that i’ve not seen before.
Signature: przxqgl
Twelve Spot Skimmer
Dear przxqgl,
We agree with your first choice, Plathemis lydia, the Common Whitetail. According to BugGuide: “Males and females have different wing patterns. Immature males have the same body pattern as females but the same wing pattern as mature males. ‘tween’ males have abdomens that are beginning to turn blue, but the adolescent body pattern still shows through the blue. Mature males have a short, stout abdomen that is completely chalky blue-white covering the adolescent pattern. Females have a short, stout abdomen with several oblique dorsolateral white or pale yellow markings against a brown ground color; each wing has three black evenly-spaced blotches.“ Because of the pictures and descriptions on BugGuide, we would say you have photographed an immature male Common Whitetail.
Correction from a Comment
This is a mature male Libellula pulchella. Twelve-spotted skimmer. 3 dark spots with 2 white patches between is a positive id.
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