Weird bugs
Location: Albuquerque New mexico
April 17, 2011 1:13 am
We keep finding these weird bugs in our house by our front door we recently brought our dog in the house to live with us while he recovers from a surgery we also found a tic in the house is this maybe another type of tic? (these photos were taken with a macro lens)
Signature: chris
Tick
Dear Chris,
Your suspicions that this is a Tick are correct.
What’s this?
Location: Fanling, Hong Kong
April 17, 2011 1:22 am
Hello, I am on a trip to Hong Kong and yesterday spotted several large flying things, black in colour with a red head and red/black abdomen. They were hanging around in groups of 4 or more, and circling in flight in pairs – any idea what they are?!
Thank you
- Roo
Signature: Roowilliams
Digger Wasp
Dear Roo,
We didn’t think getting an identification on this distinctive looking Red Headed Bee would be difficult, but that identification is proving to be quite elusive. Perhaps one of our readers will supply an identification.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for your quick reply! I forgot to mention that these things are huge, around 5cm in length! I have more pictures but am still on my trip in HK and using a small netbook which is frustrating to do any photo editing on, so I will submit when I return to the UK.
Best wishes
Roo
Update: Digger Wasp not Bee
April 19, 2011
We just received a comment identifying this as a Digger Wasp, Megascolia azurea. The Siam Insect Zoo website has some photos that seem to corroborate this identification.
Unknown fly or bee?
Location: Abbeville, Louisiana
April 15, 2011 5:02 pm
Found this bug in my yard today. It is slow moving and stayed stationary a lot.
Signature: Thanks, Marcelle
Beelike Robber Fly
Hi Marcelle,
This is a Beelike Robber Fly in the genus Laphria, and it fits the description of Laphria macquarti on BugGuide which describes it as: “Yellow on first few segments of the abdomen and the tibia of the middle leg.” It is a very effective Bumble Bee mimic.
Laphria macquarti
Cowboy Ladybug?
Location: Austin, Texas
April 16, 2011 11:58 am
Hello! I found this beetle about a month ago, in mid-March, here in Austin, Texas. I was struck by its country-western look, and blogged it as a ”Cowboy Ladybug.” But do you know a more accurate title for this beautiful beetle?
Signature: Jessica
possibly Common Willow Calligrapha
Dear Jessica,
This is a Leaf Beetle in the genus Calligrapha. According to BugGuide, there are 38 species in North America. We believe your individual most closely resembles the Common Willow Calligrapha, Calligrapha multipunctata, based on photos on BugGuide.
I think my child was bitten by this bug
Location: Oklahoma City, OK, USA
April 16, 2011 3:28 pm
Hi, I think my 9 month old was bitten several times on the head by this bug… we found it on the bed skirt of his crib. Two days later, the bites have already almost completely healed, but if you happen to know what this is, and if it’s dangerous, I would sure be grateful!
April, 2011; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Thanks!
Signature: Joshua Brewer
Bloodsucking Conenose Nymph
Dear Joshua,
First of all, we need to divulge that we are artists and we do not have formal entomology backgrounds, nor science backgrounds for that matter. We believe this is an immature Blood Sucking Conenose Bug in the genus Triatoma. Interestingly BugGuide has a matching photo and it is from Oklahoma. You may also read more about Bloodsucking Conenose Bugs on BugGuide, which indicates they are also called Kissing Bugs, Big Bed Bugs, Mexican Bed Bugs or Bellows Bugs. Here is some information from BugGuide: “Generally nidicolous, occurring most often in rodent nests but also in bird nests, logs and man-made structures such as barns, coops, houses; some Neotropical spp. also in caves.” BugGuide also indicates: “Hematophagous, feeding on blood from tetrapods. Most common hosts are mammalian but avian, reptilian and amphibian hosts are recorded. The most common wild hosts are wood rats (Neotoma) but other common ones include armadillos, opossums and raccoons (possibly also skunks); synanthropic species may feed on livestock (horses, cattle, chickens), pets and humans.” More importantly for you, the: “Bite can cause severe allergic reaction in many humans. Bite and defecation into bite can transmit Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan. The most notorious vector is T. infestans, found in South America. The North American species are not normally thought to transmit the disease, though they can carry the parasite. (The North American species do not normally defecate at the site of the bite, which is what actually transmits the parasite–see Kissing bugs (Triatoma) and the skin. The CDC site says that rare vector-borne cases of Chagas disease have been noted in the so. US.” Though we do not believe you need to worry about your child contracting Chagas Disease, however, we are not medical professionals and we feel a trip to the doctor might not be a bad idea.
Daniel,
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my query. To be honest, I did not expect to receive a response with the number of emails you guys must get in a day. But to get an answer back on the same day I submitted my question… amazing!
Thanks again for your time.
- Joshua W. Brewer
Hi again Joshua,
While it is true that we are unable to respond to all the mail that we receive, since we update the website on a daily basis, we do try make a few new postings each day. This particular posting is also a public service notice of some importance and we would have been remiss to read it and then ignore it. Your gratitude is appreciated.
Mystery beetle … possibly
Location: Fayetteville, NC
April 15, 2011 3:32 pm
Hi Bugman!!
I LOVE your site and use it to identify what seems to be a never ending list of bugs I find in my garden in North Carolina. Today I came across this guy, while out gardening around 3pm, and cannot figure out what ’he’ is. It seemed to fly past me and land in an empty dog bowl where it has been resting ever since. We live in Fayetteville, NC and it is in the upper 70’s today if that helps.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Signature: Laurel Hurley
Follow up/Additional info for mystery beetle…possibly
Location: Fayetteville, NC
April 15, 2011 4:13 pm
Hi Bugman!
I just went back out to check on my little friend and he is actually stuck in the bowl. No wings on this guy and he is only about an inch long. He could have fallen from the loblolly pines in the yard, if not I have no clue why he was airborne. Thought I would add that info in case you do look into my mystery.
Thanks!
Signature: Laurel Hurley
Red Headed Ash Borer
Hi Laurel,
This is a Red Headed Ash Borer or a closely related species in the Long Horned Borer Beetle family Cerambycidae. This species does actually have wings, but the soft flying wings are concealed under the hard wing covers known as the elytra. The Red Headed Ash Borer is a wasp mimic, and many predators will not bother them after mistaking them for a stinging insect.
Hi Daniel,
Thank you so much for the identification!!! I actually thought it was a wasp at first since I had encountered a few actual wasps earlier in the day. At first glance it really does mimic well, insect evolution is so interesting.
Again, thank you for your time and knowledge!
Laurel
Big flying orange insect
Location: Las vegas, nv
April 15, 2011 8:19 pm
We currently live in las vegas nv and we have a problem with black carpenter bees but just recently we started seeing these orange furry bees similar to the carpenter bee and has been behaving as one would but they seem to be a lot more aggressive. I would liked to know if they are harmful as I have three young children any help would be great thanks.
Signature: Crystal
Valley Carpenter Bee: Unnecessary Carnage???
Dear Crystal,
This male Valley Carpenter Bee does not appear to have died of natural causes. Female Valley Carpenter Bees are large black bees that spend much of their time gathering pollen to provision a nest that is excavated in wood. We have read in Charles Hogue’s excellent book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, that they are especially attracted to telephone poles as nesting sites. The Valley Carpenter Bee exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism. The male is a beautiful golden color with green eyes. Male Valley Carpenter Bees are incapable of stinging. They do aggressively defend their territory, however, they cannot harm people, including young children, nor will they harm pets. Though female Valley Carpenter Bees might sting, they are not aggressive insects.
beetle
Location: Montgomery, AL
April 14, 2011 12:09 pm
We found this beetle. Im thinking it is a dung beetle but not sure
Signature: not sure
Female Ox Beetle
Ed. Note: We didn’t have time to research this incredible looking Scarab Beetle this morning, but we did have time to email the image to Eric Eaton who promptly responded. Here is the appropriate link on BugGuide.
Eric Eaton believes she’s an Ox Beetle
Daniel:
… Hey, I’ll be at the Bug Fair this May 14-15, hope to see you there. … The scarab looks like a female in the genus Strategus, but maybe it didn’t fully pigment before it died? Anyway, female “ox beetle” is what I’m sticking with 
Eric
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