Hi bugman,
My fiancé and I moved into our new home in December. We’re in a very rural, wooded Central Pennsylvania . All of a sudden, within the past five days…these spiders have emerged and they are EVERYWHERE. They seem to be aggressive, but I haven’t gotten too close. They are all over my plants, flowers, deck , and outbuildings. Do you know what they are?
Thanks!!!
Jennifer

Well Jennifer,
They aren’t spiders, but Assassin Bugs. They are immature and will grow wings. They are beneficial in the garden since they ravenously eat many garden pests, however, if mishandled, they will give you a painful bite. Treat them with respect and they will not bother you and your garden will be pest free.

I found this bug on an egg plant leaf outside late last night it is approx 1 1/2 in long and 1/2 in thick we put it into a clear container with a small worm/caterpillar and this morning we watched it suck it dry. it looks like a giant stink bug with a snout like a butterfly for sucking and horned back.

(ed. note: The only way we were able to access these images was to rephotograph them from our computer screen, so the quality is poor.
You have a Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus, a member of the Assasin Bug Family Reduviidae. These large true bugs can be recognized by the cog like wheel on their backs. They are friends of gardeners since they eagerly feed on many garden pests, like the caterpillar you put in the jar. Those sucking mouthparts can deliver a painful bite if the bug is carelessly handled.

Help with identifying these bugs would be appreciated. They are on a neighbor’s pecan tree. I’ve looked at web sites that discuss pecan pests and nothing looked like this. In the first email I forgot to state that we are in the Dallas/Ft.Worth Texas area.

Dear Ft. Worth,
We checked with out resident expert at the Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles, and he agreed that you have Assassin Bug Nymphs, newly hatched. You are not finding them on the pecan pest site because they are not pests. They are predators who will help rid the trees of aphids and other destructive insects. They are beneficial, though when they are grown, they can inflict a painful bite to humans if carelessly handled.

Daniel,
A million thanks for the quick response. You are providing a wonderful service with a great web site. Keep up the fantastic work!
Richard L Parker

My daugter found a bug about 5/16" long and 1/4" wide. It is blue (like a torguoise), 6 legs, semi hard shell looking. Don’t have a photo. They found it in their bathroom which is on the upper floor of a 3 story apartment bldg, all cement. Wish you cuold help identify. They still have it in a baggy. It is now dead. Maybe I can get a photo and email it this week.

I’m guessing you have a Masked Hunter, Reduvius personatus, a type of Assassin Bug from the family Reduviidae. These are True Bugs and they they are predatory. They are often found indoors where they prey on Bedbugs, but they are fully capable of delivering a painful bite to people who carelessly handle them. They get their common name because they have the habit of accumulating lint on their heads and bodies, and hence become masked. It looks like your daughter’s specimen has accumulated turquoise lint, possibly from a carpet.

I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR RESPONDING. I have just never seen anything like it in all my years, but it makes sense. thanks again.

I found your site today and I really enjoyed it. Reading about many of the "lil critters" reminded me of something i saw on a show on tv once. Now, first off, i saw this a long time ago, and do not remember the story exactly, but i think i can give a fairly good idea of what i saw.This program was telling the story of a couple who was having some sort of problem, with the wife waking up, in near convulsions, and requiring several hospitalizations. The story ended up saying that it was traced back to an insect. I do not remember the actual name, but i believe they called them kissing bugs, and i "think" the area it happened in was Washington state, but i am not sure. They said something to the effect that the bugs would crawl out at night, and go up on their bed. Then they for some reason either bit/left a toxic substance on the woman, who had major reactions to it. I am curious if you have any idea if this was actually a possibly true occurrence, or if this was simply made-up hype that i am poorly remembering.
BTW, very nice site. excellent info, and nice, easy to navigate site layout. Keep up the good work!
frank in oklahoma.
P.S. I enjoyed reading some of the references to our lovely little oklahoma scorpions and centipedes.The scorpions here are not really that bad, mostly small, 2-5 inch (tail included) tan or dark ones. Stings are somewhat painful, roughly like being stuck with a needle. The centipedes are abit worse though, as I have had painful encounters with both sets of critters One thing I learned a year or two ago that you might find interesting. Scorpions actually have 2 venoms, or at least some species do. It is based on a salt molecule. One is for defense and one is for killing. the defense one, is actually the more painful of the two, and is used more commonly, as the killing venom is more "taxing" for the scorpion to produce. I’ll see if i can find the link to the report i saw this info in.found one link, i have a better one, but will have to look around to find it.

Hi Frank,
Thank you for the nice letter. The story about the Kissing Bugs is true. They are true bugs and members of the Assassin Bug family Reduviidae. In Los Angeles we have a species called the Western Cone-Nose Bug, Triatoma protracta. According to Hogue, our favorite expert, "The Western Cone-nose Bug can be readily recognized by its medium size (5/8 to 3/4 in. long) and solid blackish or dark brown color. The abdomen has flared sides and is compressed in the center. This bug has a bad reputation, rightfully earned. It belongs to a group of bugs called Kissing Bugs (from their habit of biting sleeping persons about the lips; they are also known as Bellows Bugs, Walpai Tigers (in Arizona), Cross Bugs, Big Bedbugs, China Bedbugs, or Sacred Bugs). The normal food of kissing bugs is the blood of vertebrate animals, including humans: among the many species in the American tropics are some that act as vectors of Chagas’ Disease, a serious malady caused by a trypanosome protozoan similar to that which causes African Sleeping Sickness. … The bug’s saliva contains substances foreign to the human system and capable of causing a serious allergic reaction. The symptoms range from simple itching, severe swelling, joint pain, nausea, chills, and dizziness to anaphylactic shock. Persons exhibiting severe allergic symptoms after a bite by one of these bugs are advised to consult a physician immediately and also to capture the bug and keep it alive for diagnosis. It should be emphasized, however, that the bug’s bite causes little or no reaction in most individuals; like the sting of the Honey Bee, it is not to be unduly feared except by a few especially sensitive individuals."

Found in bathroom and bedroom
My fiance found these while I was at work… And saved them to show me..but I have no idea what they are.. The body is about .50" Picture is taken through a drinking glass. Help us identify this bug. Looks like some kind of overgrown dust mite.

It isn’t a dust mite, but rather a Hemipteran or True Bug. It appears to be a Masked Hunter, Reduvius personatus which according to Borror and DeLong in An Introduction to the Study of Insects, is a brownish black bug that is often found in houses; it feeds on bed bugs but will also bite man. It has a habit of accumulating lint on its head, and thus becomes masked."