Standoff on the Kitchen Sink
Location:Tennessee
March 2, 2011
Hi Daniel and Lisa,
Hope this finds you both well.
This afternoon there was a little drama in my kitchen…Lady Bird Beetle is still there, the Paper Wasp has left the building (well…the area).
My question is, was it the pungent odor of the “Ladybug,” or just no real interest on the part of the wasp that caused an end to the standoff? They danced around and around for nearly two hours without moving more than an inch in any direction.
Spring is springing up here in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. YES!!! Even the moths have begun their nightly flights.
More later, to be sure,
R.G. Marion
Lady Beetle and Paper Wasp
Hi R.G.,
It is nice to hear from you again. While this meeting may appear confrontational, we suspect it is just a matter of a chance meeting. Paper Wasps are nectar feeders that feed their larvae chewed and regurgitated insects, but the usual prey includes soft bodied insects like Caterpillars.
5
what are they???
Scarab Beetles
what are they???
Location: temora nsw
March 2, 2011 5:37 am
i found the beatles in my font yard already dead. i have never see them before and would like to know what they are. its summer and was very hot that week around 40
Signature: melissa harris
NOT Green Fiddler Beetle, rather Chlorobapta frontalis
Dear Melissa,
We believe at least one of your beetles is a Green Fiddler Beetle, Eupoecila australasiae, which is a highly variable species. In some individuals, the markings are green and in others they are yellow. There is also some variation in the degree of the markings. Your individual does not appear to have any markings on the pronotum, the foremost part of the thorax, and this is a characteristic we have not found in other images posted online. The Brisbane Insect Website has some nice images of a yellow marked individual. Oz Animals has an image of a yellow marked individual with significantly different markings than your individual. Climate Watch indicates that they have dark brown or black legs, and one of your beetles has distinctly yellow legs. You never sent an image of the dorsal surface of the second beetle you found, so we are curious what it looks like. We wonder perhaps if this is a similar but less well documented member of the same genus. Our searching did turn up another species in the genus, Eupoecila inscripta, which is pictured on FlickR, but it is a very different beetle. We will tag this posting as a Mystery since we are uncertain if both beetles represent the same species. Perhaps one of our more knowledgeable readers will be able to assist.
Scarab Beetle
Correction courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Melissa:
The beetles in the posted images closely resemble Chlorobapta frontalis (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae). Melissa’s image does show a greenish margin around the front of the pronotum, although it is difficult to make out, but other markings on the rest of the dorsal surface are slightly different. The underside looks quite similar. The differences could be due variability in the species, or this may be a related species. There is one other Chlorobapta species in NSW, C. besti, but I was unable to find any images or descriptions. I can’t be certain about the species, but I believe that Chlorobapta is probably the correct genus. Regards. Karl
Hector the Bug
Location: St John, US Virgin Islands
March 1, 2011 10:38 pm
Hello Bugman,
We found Hector here in our apartment in the US Virgin Islands in February 2011. He appears to be some sort of beetle, but that’s as far as we got. We couldn’t find any images online that resembled him. He played dead for a little while and then cooperatively posed for some photos before we set him free. Do you know what he is?
Signature: Jonathan & Katie
Weevil
Dear Jonathan & Katie,
Hector is a species of Weevil, a very large group of Beetles. We had no luck web searching Weevils and Virgin Islands, so we tried nearby Puerto Rico where we happened upon Alfredo Colón’s Wildlife website with 154 images of Weevils, including the first image pictured, a Citrus Root Weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus, which is the closest match there. BugGuide indicates that the species has “color highly variable (morphs from gray to yellow to orange to black)“. The Texas Department of Agriculture has an online fact sheet that indicates: “Diaprepes abbreviatus is a root weevil native to the Caribbean where at least 16 additional species within the genus are known. Diaprepes abbreviatus has a wide host range, attacking about 270 different plants including citrus, sugarcane, vegetables, potatoes, woody field-grown ornamentals, sweet potatoes, papaya, guava, mahogany, containerized ornamentals, and non-cultivated wild plants.“ We believe Hector may be a Citrus Root Weevil, or possibly another member of the genus.
Weevil
¶ Posted 02 March 2011 § Weevils ‡ ° Please ID this bug..
Net-Winged Beetle
Please ID this bug..
Location: Singapore
February 23, 2011 8:08 pm
Can you ID this insect?
Thanks and regards,
Glen
Net-Winged Beetle
Hi Glen,
This sure looks like a Net-Winged Beetle in the family Lycidae to us. We absolutely love your rapid series of photos depicting this individual about to take flight.
Net-Winged Beetle
What beetle is this
Location: Okavango, Botswana, Africa
February 27, 2011 12:55 pm
Hi,
Please can you help me identify this bug.
Thanks
Jules
Signature: Jules
Flower Chafer
Hi Jules,
Back in December 2009, we identified this Flower Chafer in the subfamily Cetoniinae as Dicranorrhina derbyana.
Unidentified black/white beetle
Location: southern california high desert
February 25, 2011 12:01 am
Hello I stepped outside for a smoke when I came across this beetle its was around 3 am and I found it to be quite striking so I snapped a few photos with my cell phone. I use the image as my phone background and when people as what kind of bug it is I would like to be able answer them so thanks in advance.
Signature: Gabe
Weevil
Hi Gabe,
This is some species of Weevil. We will attempt to provide a more specific identification for you.
¶ Posted 25 February 2011 § Weevils ‡ ° What is this bug
Location: Salt lake city ut
February 21, 2011 9:59 pm
Tell me what this bug is thay have just started apering around my house
Signature: Just want to know what kind of bug it is
Red Headed Ash Borer
This is a Red Headed Ash Borer.
Is this a Cerambycid in the San Bernardino Mtns?
Location: San Bernardino Mountains near Lake Arrowhead approx.5800’ elevation
February 22, 2011 12:08 am
Hello, several of my neighbors have found this insect in their homes this winter. Since many residents are worried about another bark beetle outbreak, they would like to know if this beetle will damage their trees.
Signature: Gina Richmond
Cedar Tree Borer
Dear Gina,
You are correct. This is a Cerambycid or Longicorn beetle. We do not recognize the species and browsing through BugGuide did not prove fruitful. This photo taken from a screen shot is quite amusing to us, but we have no idea of scale. How large is this Longicorn? Hopefully, we will be able to provide you with a species identification. Longicorns do have larvae that are wood borers, but very few species do considerable damage to trees.
Identification courtesy of Karl
Hi Daniel and Gina:
Your longicorn looks like a Cedar Tree Borer (Semanotus ligneus ligneous). This beetle sparked a very length discussion when it was posted on WTB? by Kathie Jones on February 5, 2007. Based on that exchange, you may want to check your new cedar furniture if you have any. Regards. Karl
Thanks Karl,
This is most curious. Since the insect is being reported from several different homes, we wonder if there has been a range expansion, or if the Cedar Tree Borer may be a newly introduced species in California. It would also probably require an expert viewing the actual specimen to determine if this really is a Cedar Tree Borer or some look-alike.
Comment from Brian, an entomologist
Daniel
Make me wonder what is going on with this one???????
I agree it is most likely Semanotusbut to get it to species level by the photo would be hard to do. Better photo would be great.
Semanotus ligneus does occur in California but I have never seen one so red in color and the placement of the spots on the elytra does not seem just right.
This genus does include some exotics and it may be worthwhile for them to submit it to the state or an extension service. Better safe than sorry. Far as I know the USA only has two species for this genus.
I would not guess cedar furniture but firewood since it is found in more than one home. Most likely wood from the surrounding area. Juniperus maybe? but that not a common species used for firewood.
Well thanks for peaking my interest. Hope its a native and not an exotic
As always keep up the great work!
Brian
Thanks so much for the information! I will forward this to the neighbors who have encountered the Cedar Tree Borer in their homes. I will check back to this site often as I really enjoy learning more about insects- what a great website,
All the best,
Gina Richmond
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