Errant flyer
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
May 7, 2012 10:07 am
This little bug flew into me at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport @ 3:30 pm on Monday, April 23. The day was partly cloudy & windy in the low 80s. The bug was about 1.25 inches long. It was curious, not aggressive but sensitive to ground vibration (I dropped a screw on the concrete nearby & it reacted). After regaining its bearings, it walked off. I haven’t encountered another one since.
Signature: Jennifer McMullan
Bee Assassin
Dear Jennifer,
Should you ever again encounter a Bee Assassin, you should avoid handling it. Though they are not aggressive towards humans, they are a predatory species with piercing mouthparts that suck fluids from their prey. We have gotten reports of people being bitten by Bee Assassins if they are carelessly handled. We believe your species might be Apiomerus floridensis based on the images posted to BugGuide.
¶ Posted 09 May 2012 § ‡ ° Rainforest Bug – Glossy Orange Black
Location: Loreto, Peru
May 4, 2012 9:54 am
This interesting bug was photographed from canoe on a treetrunk about 2ft above flooded forest water level on Apr 3, 2012 in early evening. In flooded jungle surrounding Tahuayo River (a few hours upstream from Iquitos). Any help identifying would be appreciated.
Signature: Wayne Godbehere
Assassin Bug
Hi Wayne,
This is an Assassin Bug in the family Reduviidae, and its bright aposomatic (warning) coloration is so distinctive, we figured it would not be too difficult to identify. Within minutes, we matched it to photos of Calliclopius negripes, commonly called Bee Killers. Your individual is a nymph based on its undeveloped wings. The black front legs and red hind legs as well as the white antennae are very distinctive features. The first matching image we found was on FlickR, and it showed a black winged adult, but it was identified as the genus Calliclopius. Additional searching produced an image of nymphs on Michael Lustbader Photography where the species name was indicated.
Thank-you so much… I was having no luck searching for this one… I have been able to identify many of my other insect shots from the trip, but still searching for some (and still sorting through 3000 photos)….
¶ Posted 05 May 2012 § ‡ ° Assassin Bug?
Location: Phoenix, AZ
May 1, 2012 5:13 pm
A close look at this one shows it eating a nymph.
Signature: Ranger Dan
Zelus Assassin Bug
Dear Ranger Dan,
We believe your Assassin Bug is in the genus Zelus based on photos posted to BugGuide. We love getting Food Chain photos.
Night time mystery bug
Location: South Africa (Limpopo)
April 18, 2012 12:49 am
Hello bugman,
long time fan of the site as a bit of a bug fanatic, now I have something I cannot identify. I found this crawling around outside our house one night on holiday in the South African bush (Mabolingwe reserve in the Limpopo region). It looks kind of like a true bug of some description but other than that I’ve drawn a blank. This was in late December. The photos could be better as I was attempting to get photos with camera in one hand and flashlight in the other…
ps I have a flickr set of bugs from the holiday that may also interest you or your readers:
http://flic.kr/s/aHsjy3Z716
Signature: Bogzla
Metallic Assassin Bug
Dear Bogzla,
Your photos reminded us of a previous submission, and in our attempt to identify what we believed looked like an Assassin Bug, we found the Photographs of South Africa, a site devoted to nature photographs. Your insect was identified as a Metallic Assassin Bug in the genus Glymmatophora. Armed with that information, we continued to search, and located http://www.insecta.co.za/insect/imagegal/hemip/pages/image/imagepage12.html , but the images were of an insect with wings. Returning to the original site, we learned: “The females are wingless and look similar to the nymphs” and “They come out at night to feed, eating ants and possibly millipedes.” We cannot say for certain if this identification is correct because we could not find any additional photos from the genus.
Metallic Assassin Bug
¶ Posted 18 April 2012 § ‡ ° Spider-like 6 legged grey bug…what is this??
Location: Daytona Beach area, Florida
April 7, 2012 10:45 pm
2 of these bugs have popped up in our area that our family has heard of/seen. We have searched the web and have been unsuccessful in identifying it, with most searches yielding the result of a assassin bug. However, none of the pictures quite match so we were hoping you could help! Thankyou!
Signature: Zoie
Wheel Bug Nymph eats Tussock Moth Caterpillar
Hi Zoie,
You are correct that this predator is an Assassin Bug, but it is a diverse family. More specifically, this is a Wheel Bug and it is an immature specimen that has still not developed its distinctive cog-like crest. The prey in your photo is a Tussock Moth Caterpillar in the genus Orygia which you may verify on BugGuide.
Weird ant, please help!
Location: Louisburg, NC
April 4, 2012 7:30 pm
Hi! I have tons of these weird looking ants on my deck and on the wood out by my shed. If you can give me any info on what they are and if they are harmful I would greatly appreciate it! This is the first time I have seen these and they are all over my deck railing.
Signature: Janette
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
Hi Janette,
These are newly hatched Wheel Bugs, not ants, though they are frequently mistaken for ants. They are beneficial predators that will help to control the populations of insects, especially plant feeding species. Though they are not aggressive toward humans, it is possible that if they are carelessly handled, Wheel Bugs might bite. This would be more likely with the crested adult Wheel Bug, the largest Assassin Bug in North America.
¶ Posted 05 April 2012 § ‡ ° Stinging Beetle or Wasp?
Location: Central Oklahoma
March 30, 2012 10:52 pm
A friend of mine was just bitten on the hand by the bug in the picture. It was in her house, and as she was trying to shoo it out, it got her. Unfortunately, it didn’t survive the attack. Any idea what it is? Her hand is swelling somewhat rapidly… :/
Signature: Mike
Masked Hunter doesn't survive defending itself
Hi Mike,
This insect appears to be a Black Corsair, and it is neither a wasp nor a beetle, nor did your friend get stung. Black Corsairs are Assassin Bugs and they are predators equipped with piercing mouthparts for sucking fluids from their prey. Many Assassin Bugs will bite if carelessly handled. The best way to remove an unknown insect from the house is to trap it in a glass. Stemware like a martini glass works very well. Then slip a postcard under the rim and transport the insect outside. Many folks who are bitten by Assassin Bugs, spiders and other creatures succumb to the impulse to swat at a creature that they find crawling on them. That will often result in the person getting bitten. It is better to try to blow the creature off or to shake it off without applying any pressure. Unless you friend is undergoing a severe allergic reaction, the bite effects should not last more than a few hours. While we understand the impulse to kill a creature that has just bitten someone, we feel compelled to tag this letter as Unnecessary Carnage and we hope our tips will help you, your friend and our general readership to deal with accidental visitors that are sometimes capable of stinging or biting. The Black Corsair, like most Assassin Bugs, is considered beneficial predators. An exception would be the Kissing Bugs or Blood Sucking Conenose Bugs in the genus Triatoma since they will bite humans to feed on blood if there is no other warm blooded prey available.
IDK what it is
Location: Tampa
March 22, 2012 9:41 pm
It was found in tampa Florida in march on a car
Signature: Andrew W
Wheel Bug Nymph
Dear Andrew,
WE have no shortage of Wheel Bug photos in our archive, but we cannot resist adding your photo to our site because of its dramatic simplicity. Wheel Bugs are Assassin Bugs and they might bite if carelessly handled.
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