whats this?
Bugman,
Thanks for the hard work you put in to your wonderful site! My sweetie and I have been exploring a meadow in central mass -part of an audubon refuge- and have become quite fascinated with the monarch butterflies and their exploding population. Over the past few months we’ve spent a lot of time there and we’ve been working on witnessing every stage of their amazing transformation. I have a terrible attention span, however, and at one point I wandered away from the shiny chrysalis I’d been staring at and got surprised by this bug buzzing around in the tall grass. I managed to snap a few pictures of it before it flew away, but I think this was one of the creepier bug-spectacles I’ve seen yet. Please tell us whether it’s a mom offering her offspring a ride or a swarm of parasitical mites!
Andrew, Arlington Mass.
Hi Andrew,
This is neither. It is a beetle giving a ride to some Mites, a phenomenom known as Phoresy. We often get photos of Mites using Burying Beetles for transportation to a fresh carcass. This looks more like a Flower Scarab Beetle, but we will see if Eric Eaton can provide further insight. Eric quickly wrote back: “Had me fooled for a moment, too, but it IS a burying beetle, specifically Nicrophorus tomentosus, named for the yellow tomentum (fuzz) on its thorax. Eric”
NW Indiana Sugar Maple Borer?
From NW Indiana again, and saw this guy doing a backstroke in the pool. As I usually try to give everyone a fair shake, I rescued him and got a few quick pics before he headed off. Now I review the site and it looks like this guy may be a Sugar Maple Borer; if so was I too quick in releasing him? By your description this may be one of the more harmful beetles in an area and its discovery may be of some concern…
M
Hi M,
Right family, wrong species. This is a Locust Borer. Grubs bore in the wood of black locust trees and pollen and nectar feeding adults are often found on goldenrod. Adults emerge in the fall.
¶ Posted 31 August 2006 § ‡ ° Oh Bugman, ever since I found you, you’re the first one I think of when I discover somethin new !
Hello.
Gosh, ever since I moved to a more "private" place (Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania; about 20 miles outside of Philadelphia), I’m realizing that it’s not so "private". Well, with all the visitors and all. I’ve attached two pictures of an insect I’ve never seen. It moved rapidly and jerky when approached and avoided me at all costs. In my attempt to make him/her (let’s just say "it" to expedite things) "famous" by photographing it, it’s leg was snagged by a web thereby alerting the spider (which I’ve never witnessed). In my haste and attempt to deter a homicide, I spooked the spider away. Okay … so it was so I could have my "professional" photo displayed on your site. In any event, after apparently being extremely annoyed with me, it just flew away. Why did it wait so long before saying, "enough is enough"? Most importantly, what the heck is it?
Dear Anonymous,
Your photo of an American Carrion Beetle is blurry, but we don’t care because we love your letter. Carrion Beetles eat rotting flesh, so perhaps there was a dead thing nearby.
¶ Posted 29 August 2006 § ‡ ° dynastes granti
Found this guy near Morenci, AZ He measured in at 75mm. He likes apples and bananas.
We are thrilled to see and post your photo of the Southwestern Hercules Beetle. We get numerous images of his cousin, Dynastes tityus, but submissions of granti are rare.
¶ Posted 27 August 2006 § ‡ ° Burying beetles score a snake!
Thanks, again, you guys. I was stalking a zebra longwing when something big and slightly clumsy flew by and landed in the grass a few feet away. Since it was maybe 2″ long and went busily to work on the ground, I went over to see what the commotion was all about. These two burying beetles were busy pulling the tail end of this snake into a hole they were digging in the ground. Big chunks of the snake had been chewed away. (I don’t know what kind of snake this is; at less than 12″ long, it’s probably a youngster.) After ID-ing the beetle on your site, I thought you might like to see these.
Diane in Florida
Hi Diane,
Thanks for the wonderful images. We believe that this is Nicrophorus carolinus, based on a BugGuide posting.
Love Beetles
Love your site. I found the Velvet Ant on your site first. Here are some Pics. Arlington, TN (Suburb of Memphis)
Pat Taylor
Hi Pat,
Thank you for sending in your graphic image of mating June Beetles.
Mating Beetles
Hi Bugman,
Thought you might like this photo of mating beetles taken August, 2006. These two are mating a hibiscus leaf which they ‘love’ feeding on and other ‘things’<:)) I titled this ‘Dance Of Love’ in my photo gallery at BetterPhoto.com.
Sincerely,
Lorraine Cook
Philadelphia, PA.
Hi Lorraine,
The Japanese Beetles are late in Philadelphia. This pestiferous alien introduction is continuing to expand its range. They decimated my mother’s Ohio garden in July but they have died out for another year. They are especially problematic as they eat such a wide variety of plants. Recently I acquired a pamphlet from the California Department of Food and Agriculture warning of their introduction to California.
Beautiful Iridescent Green Beetle – British Columbia
I posted this last week, then realized that I should have given it a better
title to attract your attention, as you are probably swamped. The picture alone might be worth posting. This was photographed on Denman Island, BC. Can you identify this beautiful iridescent green beetle? It was a deep chrome reddish colour on its underside, like the colour on the edges of its wing covers. The beetle in the photo was about 3/4" long and pretty docile. Regards,
Mike
Hi Mike,
A catchy subject line always catches our eye. This gorgeous beetle is a Golden Burprestid, Cypriacis aurulenta. According to BugGuide, they are relatively common in the Pacific Northwest. They are also known as Jewel Beetles, a name that needs no explanation. Your photograph is gorgeous.
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¶ Posted 20 August 2006 § ‡ ° 
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