Huge Black Fly for ID …
Location: Applewood, Golden, Colorado
July 24, 2011 7:36 pm
Hi,
Great site you have here! My daughter and I caught this huge black fly in our back yard today, and she would like to know what kind it is.
It is very large (as far as houseflies go), and has a tan / grey area on its back, and also leg joints of the same color.
I tried to get a good picture of its eyes as well, as thet are quite stunning, with horizontal stripes accross them. I could not get an image that did them justice.
Thank you for your time,
Charley and Hannah
Golden, Colorado
Signature: Charley and Hannah
Western Horse Fly
Dear Charley and Hannah,
You have captured a female Western Horse Fly, Tabanus punctifer. The female can be differentiated from the male by the spacing between the eyes. There is space between the eyes of the female but the males eyes meet in the middle. Female Western Horse Flies are blood suckers that feed on warm blooded animals. If livestock and game are not available, they will bite humans.
Daniel,
Thank you so much for the speedy reply. It really made Hannah’s day!
Here is the drawing that she made to save for her bug journal.
We catch, study and release a lot of Swallow Tail Butterflies in our back yard too (see second pic). Is there a similar trick to determining the sex of that species?
Thanks again,
Charley
Hannah draws a Horse Fly
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carnivorous menace
Location: San Francisco, CA
July 24, 2011 1:58 pm
I woke to find this little guy biting my arm. It raised a small welt that faded in an hour or so. I hope not to meet any more, but I’m curious who I’m dealing with. I had a look through the catalog here, but didn’t spot this fellow. (I’m just glad it’s not a bedbug.) Do you recognize it?
Signature: Breakfast Buffet
Aphid Wolf
Dear Breakfast Buffet,
The larval Lacewing deserves its common name Aphid Wolf. This predator is a welcome addition to the garden where it will devour countless Aphids. Here is a photo from a posting in our archives showing an Aphid Wolf feasting on its preferred meal, Aphids. We have frequently gotten reports from people regarding the sensation of the bite from an Aphid Wolf, and just last week, Daniel had his own first hand experience that is worth reporting. While driving to work in the morning, Daniel felt a slight pinch on his right wrist, and looked down to find a tiny Aphid Wolf biting down. The sensation of the pinch was far greater than one would expect from such a tiny creature. Since Daniel knew that this was a harmless creature, he decided to allow the Aphid Wolf to ride until the destination was reached where it could be released, and in the course of the remaining ten minute drive, the beast bit a second time. Both bites left tiny welts, and the faint burning sensation lasted until the next day. We frequently have to inform our readership that insects might sting and bite, but they are not aggressive. This Aphid Wolf was not provoked, and it bit nonetheless. The sensation was easily felt and the side effects of an itchy welt lasted 24 hours, considerably less than the bite of a mosquito which is far more annoying. Aphid Wolves are amazing creatures, and in some of our older postings, we have used an alternate name of Aphid Lion.
Aphid Wolf
Thanks, Daniel! I’ve delivered the aphid wolf to a friend who’s having an aphid problem. 
Unidentified Red Beetle
Location: Chicago IL, July 24 2011, 4pm
July 24, 2011 2:12 pm
I found this one crawling on my leg in the garden and I’ve never seen it before…so I grabbed my cam and snapped as many shots as I could…I couldnt find any other bugs online to match this one, a rather small beetle too, no longer than a fingernail
Signature: Meg C
Lily Leaf Beetle
Hi Meg,
This is a Lily Leaf Beetle, Lilioceris lilii, a Eurasian species that has become established in Canada and the Northern states. Adults and larvae feed on the leaves of many cultivated plants in the lily family.
Correction: July 28, 2011
We just received a comment bringing to our attention that what we misidentified as a Lily Leaf Beetle (see BugGuide) is actually the same Blister Beetle that confused us earlier in the month. It is actually Rhyphonemognatha rufa which may also be found on Bugguide.
Unidentified beetle
Location: Mariepskop, Mpumalanga, South Africa
July 24, 2011 2:44 pm
An interesting beetle that i cannot identify
Signature: Peter Sharland
Unknown South African Scarab Beetle
Dear Peter,
Some parts of the world, like Australia, Great Britain and North America have numerous internet resources for insect identification, while places like South Africa have a dearth of internet resources for insects, which is ironic as there are so many magnificent African species that are sold as mounted specimens. Though our research on this Scarab Beetle has drawn a blank, we did find an Field Guide to Insects of South Africa that you might consider purchasing if you have other questions about the natural world in South Africa. Sadly, our limited office space does not allow us the luxury of a comprehensive library for guide books for insects from around the world, and we must limit our research to the internet. All we can offer at the moment is that this is a Scarab Beetle. We are not sure of the identity of the other romantic couple in your photograph, though they appear to be Carrion Beetles.
Shortly after posting, we did one last ditch effort and we believe this may be a Flower Scarab in the genus Leucocelis, based on photos posted to the Beetles of Africa website. A photo of Leucocelis haemorrhoidalis from the Flower Beetles website looks very close.
Fashionable fly
Location: Northeastern Louisiana
July 23, 2011 5:34 pm
Dear Bugman,
I found this cute fly in my pool skimmer in the summer of 2010. It was so cute. It’s hairy and is black with beautiful turquoise stripes on the tail section. This is the only image I have. I tried to find out what kind of fly it was searching and searching photo files, but never found it. Hope you can help.
Signature: BugBunny
Hairy Maggot Blow Fly, maybe
Hi again BugBunny,
Generally, Flies with this type of hair pattern are Tachinid Flies, and we began our search there, but we were quickly sidetracked to the Hairy Maggot Blow Fly, Chrysomya rufifacies, on BugGuide. We wish your photo included a view of the head as that might provided a more conclusive identification. While we believe the identification is correct, we cannot be certain.
Flaming red velvet ant
Location: western North Carolina
July 24, 2011 7:48 pm
Hi Bugman,
Our family are huge fans of your site and use it often to find out about all sorts of insects.
This one had us truly stumped. We had never seen anything like it in western North Carolina. She (as we found out here) obviously looked very dangerous so we were careful not to touch when we scooted her gently into the jar to photograph her.
Wow am I glad we did! I logged in here ready to ask ”What’s that bug?” And found the article on the top five and discovered this velvet ant aka cowkiller. Now we don’t know what to do with it.
We have 3 small children and, of course, their safety is all we really care about. How do we handle getting rid of her carefully?
Signature: Emily – concerned mom
Cowkiller
Hi Emily,
We are thrilled to read that you heeded the warning sign of aposomatic coloration and that you were able to quickly self identify this magnificent Dasymutilla occidentalis, commonly called a Cow Killer, using our website. In our opinion, you should release her, but how far from the home might be a dilemma for you. Though your children are young, we hope that they were included in the research process and that you instructed them that they might get stung if they try to pick up a Velvet Ant of any species. The habitat of the Cow Killer, according to BugGuide, includes “Meadows, old fields, edges of forests” so you might consider releasing her in some open space nearby that would suit her needs. The life cycle of the Cow Killer is quite interesting. According to BugGuide, the female Cow Killer: “Invades the nest of bumble bees, especially Bombus fraternus. Female searches for bumble bee nests, digs down and deposits one egg near brood chamber. Larva of the Dasymutilla enters the bumble bee brood chamber, kills those larvae, and feeds on them. Larva pupates in the bumble bee brood chamber.“ We have always been intrigued by the origin of the name Cow Killer, and back in 2010, a comment from 22AGS was posted to our site that provided this anecdote: “In south Georgia in the early ’60s, farmers used to tell me that this wasp got its name by getting into the cloven hoofs of cows and stinging them there. The cow would then run madly off and sometimes be injured or fall, breaking it’s leg. Thus the name, as the lame cow would then have to be put down.“ That posting later inspired this comic that was created by one of our readers.
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black butterfly
Location: Eau Claire, Wis.
July 24, 2011 5:03 pm
I had quite a few minutes in my garden today, July 24, 2011, with this beauty. It was very large as far as butterflies go in West Central Wis. perhaps four or five inches. While it was very interested in my garden it also seemed interested in me and for a while, as I hoped and waited, it seemed it would land on me, circling around. Flitting from plant to plant, it never stayed long on one. Although it has a ragged wing it seemed to be doing fine. Lovely blue spots one the top of wings with one orange spot each in the center on the inner edge. The undersides, however, have yellow spots. When it landed it liked to have its wings outstretched. I hope it visits again.
Signature: gail from Wisconsin
Black Swallowtail
Hi Gail,
There are several large dark swallowtail butterflies in your area, and this individual is a female Black Swallowtail, Papilio polyxenes. The male does not hae the blue markings on the hind wings which you can see in this photo from our archives.
A garden feast
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 23, 2011 6:11 pm
We moved into our current home late last summer, and were disappointed to see all of the apples on our apple tree eaten, or on the ground full of holes.
The same thing is happening this year, and on top of that, many of the flowers we planted are being eaten! Oh the humanity!
Please help identify this culprit…Definitely not a helpful bug.
Signature: Vince S.
Japanese Beetle
Hi Vince,
You are being plagued by one of the most well known invasive exotic species to have been introduced to North America, the Japanese Beetle. The beetle is so well known because it was originally introduced to North America on nursery stock that entered the U.S. in New Jersey. Since that time, it has spread across the country and despite all attempts to eradicate it, the Japanese Beetle populations show no sign of being under control. Numerous products are on the market, including Japanese Beetle traps. Because Japanese Beetles are relatively indiscriminate eaters, they will consume hundreds of different cultivated plants. When the hoards have defoliated one plant, they will just move to another species. They are especially fond of roses, much to the chagrin of many home gardeners. Regarding your apples, we are not fully convinced that the Japanese Beetles are feeding upon them, and if they are, we suspect they are only doing peripheral damage. While they will feed on the leaves of the apple tree, the damage you describe does not sound like Japanese Beetle damage. We suspect birds might be picking at your apples while the beetles feed on the foliage. It is also worth noting, that according to BugGuide: “Adult females lay eggs in soil June through early fall. Grubs feed on roots until hibernating underground (4-8″ deep) as third instar larvae when cool weather comes.“ It looks like there is mating activity going on in your photo of the apple tree.
Japanese Beetles
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