They are invading my duaghters room..please help!
Location: in bedroom beside window
March 13, 2011 2:19 pm
Hi
We are trying to figure out what these bugs are and where they are coming from. Do you have any idea?
Signature: Mom needing her daughter to sleep in her room again
Varied Carpet Beetle
Dear Mom needing…,
This is a Varied Carpet Beetle. Larvae feed on a variety of organic materials including the woolen fibers found in rugs. The rug in your photo looks like a wool rug. You should search our archives for images of the larvae. Other than the damage that the larvae do to home furnishings and museum collections, they pose no threat to your daughter. Adults feed on pollen.
Every year we get ’em
Location: North West washington (America)
March 13, 2011 5:00 pm
This lil critter likes to sit in our window sills.
He is about 1/16 inch?
They have the ability to fly but seem to rarely
seem to.
I thought they looked like lady bugs, But they
aren’t the correct color.
If you can identify and tell us if they are harmful
in any way…That would be great.
Signature: Tom & Kelly Gorham
Varied Carpet Beetle
Hi Tom & Kelly,
This is a Varied Carpet Beetle. The larvae are considered household pests and they will feed on a wide variety of organic matter in the home, including shed pet hair. Adults feed on pollen. They are attracted to the windows in their attempt to gain access to the outdoors.
Violet Blue Bug with Broad Front Legs
Location: Boon Lay, Singapore
March 13, 2011 9:55 am
Hi there, I got another bug during our macro photography session here in Singapore (see picture). This little critter looks unusual with broad, leaf-like dark front legs and it simply clings to a leaf and flower without fear of us bothering its privacy. It looks like a beetle, but maybe you would know which specific beetle is this. Thanks again.
Signature: Giovanni
Unknown True Bug Nymph
Hi Giovanni,
This is an immature True Bug, but we need to research the family and species. The front legs are quite curious. They are the opposite of the Leaf Footed Bugs in the family Coreidae which have the tibia of the hind legs modified similarly. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist us in this identification.
Unknown Insect
Location: SW Florida
March 11, 2011 7:27 pm
Haven’t seen this one before. Found in a local park. Landed only on leaves & always faced me when moving from leaf to leaf. About 2 inches long. Also flies. Head swivels like Dragonflies does. I’ve been taking nature photos for 20 years & this bug is a new one for me & I cannot find it in any of my critter I.D. books. Hope you can help, thnak you.
Signature: Susan
Bee-Like Robber Fly
Hi Susan,
This is a Robber Fly in the family Asilidae, but we are having problems with a more specific identification. We believe it is either in either the genus Mallophora or the genus Laphria, both of which mimic bees. These predatory Robber Flies are fierce hunters and they prey upon bees, wasps and other large flying insects which they attack on the wing. We are favoring Laphria, because it appears that the antennae are thicker, though the angle of your photograph makes that feature difficult to verify. There are numerous species in the genus Laphria, and we are having problems identifying all the features your specimen possesses and matching them to a specific species. The combination of yellow beard, yellow thorax, yellow markings on abdomen, and yellow hairs on the legs should be distinguishing features, and we cannot seem to find a match on BugGuide. We are going to try to contact a Robber Fly expert, Dr. Robert Cannings, to see if he is able to provide a species identification.
Bee-Like Robber Fly
Hi Daniel:
It’s good to hear from you.
The robber fly is definitely a Laphria. There are a number of species in Florida, and I’m not familiar enough with them to be able to make a reasonable guess at this one’s identity. It’s a nice photo, but I can’t see the sides of the thorax or the abdominal colour pattern well enough to run it through a key. You could try Eric Fisher who knows much more about southern US species than I do.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Regards,
Rob
Big, Black and Beautiful
Location: Queensland, Australia
March 11, 2011 6:11 pm
Hi guys,
I’m not sure of the ID on this one apart from it possibly being a Platyzosteria species. I often see wood roaches around the place but this is the first time I have ever seen one this big, if it is one, and out basking on a leaf of a sweet potato vine in my garden. Close to 2” long, and has some pretty awesome looking cerci/genitalia?
Rather beautiful don’t you think?
Signature: aussietrev
Cockroach
Hi Trevor,
Sorry for the delay, but we have a personal deadline this week that is eating into our posting time allotment. Oz Animals identifies Cockroaches in the genus Platyzosteria as Black Cockroaches.
What insect is this?
Location: Malaysia
March 10, 2011 1:32 pm
My friend found this at his house. no idea what this is. can you help identify it?
Signature: Michelle
Possibly Click Beetle
Hi Michelle,
This beetle sure has nice feathery antennae. At first we thought it might be a Click Beetle, though most Click Beetles do not have such plumose antennae. Our 10,000th posting in May 2010 was a very similar looking beetle from Hawaii. That beetle as well as your beetle might be Callirhipis cardwellensis which may be seen on Flickr.
¶ Posted 12 March 2011 § Beetles ‡ ° Bug from Central Australia
Location: Alice Springs, Central Australia, Northern Territory
March 11, 2011 4:56 am
Hello,This was found in a water trough at a preschool. It was an unusually overcast and chilly 8am. It is approx 6.5cm in length. All the children would be so glad to find out what is.
Thank you for your time
Signature: T. King
Poinciana Longicorn
Dear T. King,
We believe you have found a Poinciana Longicorn, Agrianome spinicollis, which we identified on Graeme’s Insects of Townsville, Australia website. This past December, we provided a lengthy answer to someone who submitted another photo of a Poinciana Longicorn and you may read that in our archives.
Wow,
Thank you so much for the reply. That’s definately our new friend!
I will pass on the information to the preschool teachers.
I note that it is a species usually not found in Alice Springs Northern Territory. Maybe a traveller? We have had unseasonally large amounts of rain and a high level of humidity over the last year. A factor?
I wonder if there have been any more sightings in Alice Springs?
Maybe the preschool could post a photo and letter in our local paper to see if they get a response?
If they aren’t interested, I am! I am sure they will be though.
I wonder what we shall do with him? Any suggestions? Food is an issue as well.
What a wonderful example of the sharing of knowledge and the potential for positive exchange and connection using the internet. Insects and other smaller species of animals are often neglected and misunderstood so thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this learning experience with these children, another smaller wonderful species!
Kind regards and much appreciation
Tarnya King
Hi again Tarnya,
Weather, especially rain, is often a major contributing factor to insect appearances. Additional sightings in Alice Springs are most easily researched on your end. We would urge you to release your catch.
Is this a snakefly?
Location: Sierra Nevada, 5.000 ft. elevation, near Dorrington.
March 10, 2011 7:40 pm
There were LOTS of these flying around our cabin in the Sierra last summer. In looking at your site, I noticed that, aside from the large arms by the head, it closely resembles a mantisfly. In another post, it also appears to be much like the snakefly photos, but this one is probably a bit longer at 1-3/4 inches. Not knowing what it was (and this was the first time I’d seen them up there despite our having been going to the same spot for 30+ years), we dubbed it the ”Loch Ness Fly”.
Signature: Typeaux
Snakefly
Dear Typeaux,
You are correct. This is a Snakefly. Insects are frequently prone to cyclical appearances. They won’t be seen for years and suddenly there is a population explosion.
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