Help identifying bug, It’s driving us crazy!
Location: Palmdale, California
May 15, 2011 12:50 am
Hello, I see these bugs mostly downstairs in my house. In the kitchen and sometimes the bathrooms. I have also seen them in my den/dining room and crawling on walls and once on the ceiling. I live in the Antelope Valley of California, also known as the High Desert. There are tons of mountains around. The climate right now varies from cold to hot although it is spring. Winters get as cold as 20 degrees, and summers 110.
Signature: Driven crazy
Earwig
Dear Driven crazy,
You have Earwigs. They will not harm you or your home, but they may eat young seedlings and tender plants in the garden.
4
May 15, 2011
When I promised an aquarium update this weekend, I had no inkling that the news would be so sad. Yesterday I realized that Lefty and Digitalis did not look well, and I took all their remaining fry and all the fry from the growout aquarium, 26 in all, to Tropical Imports to cash in for store credit. The decision to remove the remaining 8 fry that were still in the aquarium with Lefty and Digitalis was instigated by my desire to major tank maintenance. The decision to remove all the fry from the growout aquarium was instigated by my horror at watching Boris grab one in his mouth and spit it out. Since Boris and Medea Luna were moved from their aquarium in a Drastic Measure for a Desperate Situation, I realized they seemed agitated by the offspring of Lefty and Digitalis. I had already moved 17 or 18 of the most beautiful and largest fry to the 40 tall aquarium after thoroughly cleaning it and letting it season for a week. Once I was sure that two fry survived the move and were fine, I decided to use that aquarium to grow some fry to a larger size. With Lefty and Digitalis in apparent distress, I changed some water and turned on the filter. I was in the habit of shutting off the filter whenever they had small fry to keep the fry from being sucked into the filter. I added an air stone and Lefty started acting more normal. Digitalis was keeping to the back of the aquarium, but both ate live worms this morning. I thought to move the couple to the 40 tall aquarium with their fledglings, but the couple seemed to be doing better. A half hour after eating, Digitalis was up-side-down at the top of the aquarium. I reverted again to Drastic Measures for a Desperate Situation and quickly moved both Lefty and Digitalis, but alas, Digitalis was dead within minutes. Lefty seems to be doing well 12 hours later. I have doubts about my caretaker abilities and can’t help but to wonder if Digitalis might have survived if I made the move the night before. Digitalis’ symptoms included a ragged tail, but I never know if that is just rough play. Both Lefty and Digitalis seemed to open their mouths wide and shake slightly. Things didn’t seem quite right, but they did not seem dire. Now I have thoroughly cleaned that aquarium and I’m not sure what to do. Watch for additional updates. I would like to illustrate this posting with a photo from last spring of Digitalis with a brood of fry. Interestingly, though I took photos yesterday, they do not appear to be on the camera. Seems the very old digital camera I have been using has died as well.
Digitalis with Fry March 16, 2010
Update: May 22, 2011
I found the photos on the camera. It is bittersweet, but I do have a last photo of Digitalis with Lefty taken the evening before she expired.
Digitalis (left) and Lefty on their last afternoon together
Weird water caterpillers with tails?
Location: Ypsilanti, Michigan 49198
May 15, 2011 9:05 pm
So my friend has a ”backyard pond” that gets cleaned at the begining of spring every year and that’s really about it. Its more like a cement hole with water. There is no fish or plants just water. Anyway, his 15 year old sun was cleaning the ”pond” out today and found these things that look like worm/caterpillars with a long thin tail. They wriggle in the water and swim slowly about. The smaller ones were close to the top of the 3 foot deep pond but the bigger ones started to come up when he had removed half the water. Can you help us identify them?
Signature: Shellin and Damon
Rattailed Maggots
Dear Shellin and Damon,
These are Rat-Tailed Maggots, the larva of the Drone Fly. They are often found in stagnant water and the “tail” is actually a breathing tube.
Purple Shamrocks
Location: North Augusta, SC
May 15, 2011 3:50 pm
These bugs were found clustered on a burgundy oxalis. Are they harmful to plants?
They dispersed quickly when I brushed them off.
Signature: Phillip
Grasshopper Hatchlings
Dear Phillip,
These look like newly hatched Grasshoppers. We cannot be certain of the species. Grasshoppers feed on plants, and their presence in such numbers on your purple shamrocks indicates that the eggs may have been laid in the flower pot, however, it does not appear that they are feeding on the shamrock. The plant is in the genus Oxalis and the plant contains oxalic acid, which may deter insects from feeding upon it.
5
Caterpillar emergence
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
May 15, 2011 9:35 am
I need to know the emergence dates of the following moth species. They have been stored in my garage since last fall. All but the Polyphemus were hand-reared. I live in Pittsburgh, PA. The moths are Promethea, Royal Walnut and Polyphemus. Thanks!
Signature: June
Hickory Horned Devil: early instar
Dear June,
We don’t believe we can predict with accuracy the exact emergence dates for the Giant Silkmoths you have listed because emergence is not something that can be calculated by counting days, weeks or months. Temperature and other climactic conditions are significant factors. However, we can use historical sighting information on adults of the species to try to predict emergence dates. Since Giant Silkmoths don’t feed as adults, their average longevity would be about a week, during which time they mate and reproduce, if they are lucky, though many individuals provide food for other creatures and never manage to mate. One of our favorite yearly activities involves tracking the northern emergence patterns of the Luna Moth which began in Texas in late February this year. Our most northern reports thus far this year have been from Virginia and Iowa, and we expect to begin hearing from Main and possibly Canada by late May or early June. Later in the year, reports of a second brood will come again from the southernmost portions of the range in Texas and Florida. We don’t really track the other Giant Silkmoths the way we do the Luna Moth. Starting with the Promethea Moth, according to BugGuide: “One brooad flies June to July northward. Two broods southward, flying March to May and July to August.” The data page on BugGuide with information on sighting in specific states has sightings in March, June and July in Ohio and May and July in Pennsylvania. The March sighting might have been a cocoon since various stages of the metamorphosis are not aggregated in the data presentation. We would predict a June hatching for your moths. Regarding the Royal Walnut Moth or Regal Moth, the adult of the Hickory Horned Devil you have provided as an illustration, BugGuide indicates: “Adults fly from late May to September” however, that is information spread out over the entire range. The data page on the Regal Moth on BugGuide indicates sightings from June through September in Pennsylvania and July and August for Ohio, but that information would include adults and caterpillars, and we always get Hickory Horned Devil sightings in September. Our best guess is that you can expect emergence of the Royal Walnut Moth from the pupa in June, or possibly as late as July. Regarding the Polyphemus Moth, BugGuide indicates: “In southern United States, adults fly April-May and July-August (2 broods); in northern part of range, adults fly from May to July (1 brood).“ According to the data page, sightings in Ohio run March to September exempting May and those for Pennsylvania are from May to August. Based on that information, we might expect your Polyphemus Moths to hatch the soonest, possibly beginning now and into June.
Thanks, Daniel! I have been successful in the past with the Promethea as far as mating and collecting eggs. I would like to try the same with the other moth species. I’m thinking it might be best for me to attach the cocoons to the inside of the metal hardware cloth cage that I have used for the Promethea and wait to see when each emerges.
Thanks for your efforts in researching my questions. I appreciate it very much.
June
Insect identification
Location: Southern Ca
May 14, 2011 1:24 pm
These little bugs walk/crawl but they also jump. Naked eye they look dark and can see two little antenna at the head. Sorry the pix are not as lit up as I would have liked. I live in the high desert of San Bernardino County in Southern Ca. I planted a Marijuana plant in my back yard with Promix potting soiless mix. These little critters are swarming around the mix. I put some dish liquid soap in with my nutrient solution when watering and it seemed to knock them down a lot but not gone. I have found them inside my home as well (this morning there were approx 7 of them in my bathroom sink). Can you tell me what they are and if they are harmful to Marijuna plants? And what is the best defense if they are? Thanks Bugman!!
Signature: Outlaw
Thrips, possibly
Dear Outlaw,
We believe you have Thrips. Despite your awesome photomicroscopy, we still find the anatomy of this critter a bit confusing and we do not have the necessary experience to identify this insect with certainty, however, we feel that based on the information we do have, that Thrips seems like the likeliest candidate. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable will be able to provide a definitive identification. Here is a link to the Thrips order Thysanoptera on BugGuide. BugGuide notes: “The word thrips is singular and plural; there is no such word as “thrip” (in other words, “I saw a thrips” is an example of correct usage). The word thrips itself is said to be from a Greek word, meaning “wood louse” or woodworm, referring to their abundance in dead branches, where they feed on fungus.” BugGuide offers this assistance with identification: “Thrips are tiny insects, only a few mm in length at most. Thrips may or may not have wings. When wings are present, they are narrow with few or no veins and fringed with long hairs. Thrips have asymmetrical mouthparts (no right mandible) suitable for piercing and sucking. Antennae of thrips have four to nine segments and are relatively short. Tarsi of thrips have one or two segments with one or two claws and are bladder-like at the end.”
Thrips, we believe
¶ Posted 15 May 2011 § Thrips ‡ ° no response needed
May 14, 2011 3:57 pm
I only recently found this site and i makes me feel alot better about being a bug person. there aren’t many people who appreciate those smaller creatures and often fear them. i was helping out at Outdoor School (a local outdoors education camp) in the water ecology section and half the kids had never even seen a mayfly before. But seeing their eyes light up when they learned to idenify a dragonfly nymph or what a stonefly was made up for it. Thank you for having this amazing website and thankyou to all you fellow bug lovers for helping educate those who don’t uderstand insects.
Signature: Bugbite
Dear Bugbite,
Thanks for your kind email.
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