White bodied brown stripes with wings?
My wife and I have found a bug on our porch, and for the life of us we cannot figure out what it is! It almost looks kind of like a grasshopper head but the body looks like it’s from something else. I will include a picture of it, and have saved it in a glass jar. We are wondering if it is poisonus as we have a four year old child and would not want to see it bite/sting her. Any information would greatly be appreciated. Thanks,
Rob

Hi Rob,
The Round Headed Apple Tree Borer, Saperda candida, is not poisonous.

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Will you please identify this bug for us? We are split between palo verde beetle and a pine sawyer. Let us know please! If it helps, it was found on the side of my house on July 9, 2008. It has been around 90 degrees here. I am in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Thanks!!
Alisa

Hi Alisa,
Your large Prionid is Ergates spiculatus which Hogue refers to as a Pine Sawyer, but BugGuide refers to this species as the Ponderosa Pine Borer to differentiate it from other species in the genus Monochamus commonly called Pine Sawyers.

Update: from Eric Eaton (07/11/2008)
P.S. I am so-o-o-o envious of the folks that found the Ergates! I lived in Oregon for what, 27 years, and never saw ONE! Well, ok, from 0-9 years probably doesn’t count….:-)

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milkweed beetle soap opera
Hello,
This series of photos might be fun for your bug love page. I found these mating red milkweed beetles in a milkweed patch near my house in Danielsville, PA. A third milkweed beetle came along and climbed on the back of the bottom bug, pushing off the top bug. They then stood there headbutting for a couple minutes, and then all three went their separate ways. I guess you could call the third one a homewrecker. The “homewrecker” arrives and tries to push the top beetle back off the one on the bottom. There’s a standoff of sorts as the one on top from the couple refuses to back off for a few moments. But the “homewrecker” persists. The beetle on the top relents and backs off. The top beetle continues to back away from the new couple, just before the “homewrecker” decides to walk away too. … BTW, I love your site and use it all the time. I recently was able to identify a swamp milkweed leaf beetle and your site was also where I discovered the little reddish spider like creatures I had seen were wheel bug nymphs. Thanks!
Johanna

Hi Johanna,
We love your account of this sexual melodrama between Red Milkweed Beetles. We do wonder though why the victor decided to relinquish his conquest.

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Name our beetle in Japan?
Hi! We are living in Kawatana, Japan on Kyushu island. This beetle was on our front porch on the 4th of July. He was approximately 2 1/2 inches long. We’d love to identify him! We are seeing so many new insects since we’ve been here. I have used your site to identify ONE of the many types of centipedes we have here, the house centipede. Hopefully I can catch a few more on camera to send to you. They move quickly though! …Thanks for your help!
Rachel

Hi Rachel,
We are very happy your report is coming to us from Japan and not from the U.S. This is an Asian Longhorned Beetle or Starry Sky Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis. Now that you know that, you will be able to find much information online including Wikipedia which reports the Asian Longhorned Beetle, which is called the Sky Oxen in China: “is native to China and other areas of eastern Asia, where it causes widespread mortality of poplar ,willow ,elm , and maple trees.” The Amazing Insects site reports: “Asian longhorned beetles is widely distributed in China, and in Japan and Korea Once introduced into an area, people unintentionally spread the beetle by cutting or trimming an infested tree and moving the wood elsewhere. To date, the Asian longhorned beetle has been found at 26 scattered warehouse and residential sites in 14 States around the country, including Cincinnati, Ohio. The only Asian longhorned beetle infestations of living trees are at Brooklyn, NY, Amityville, NY, and three neighborhoods in the Chicago, IL area.” The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Forest Site reports: “The Asian Longhorned Beetle, also known as the Asian Cerambycid Beetle, was first discovered in the United States in 1996, when it was found attacking maple and horsechestnut trees in New York City. Recently, three Chicago area infestations have also been detected, heightening concern among forest health professionals about the threat posed by this non-native pest. This beetle, known by the scientific name Anoplophora glabripennis, is native to Japan, Korea, and southern China. In Ohio, the insect has been found associated with solid wood packing and crating materials, however, an infestation of living host trees has never been detected in the state. ” If our readership sees this beetle in the U.S. it should be reported to the local office of the US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or USDA APHIS.

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