Help! They are eating everything.
Location: Wisconsin
June 19, 2011 8:37 am
Hello, I hope you can help. I have insects all over my cherry tree, lemon balm, and geraniums. They are eating and destroying the leaves, flowers, and fruit. I have included a photo. I do not use chemicals and would like to find a natural way to get rid of them, any suggestions would be great. Thanks!
Signature: Soon to be plantless in Wisconsin
Rose Chafers
Dear Soon to be plantless in Wisconsin,
You have Rose Chafers, a native species of May Beetle that can do significant damage to many cultivated plants when they are numerous. We just learned on BugGuide that “Adults contain cantharadin, can poison chickens, other birds” meaning that one of the best means of biological control through natural predation is not an option. We would recommend hand picking the beetles and destroying them.
¶ Posted 19 June 2011 § ‡ ° Big Bug
Location: Eastern shore of Maryland
June 13, 2011 10:53 am
I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, i found a big bug its Black headed, eyes and mouth under a fake set of eyes, with horns or pinchers one top and one bottom above its mouth area, it has a black head area, the body is tanish yellow with a wood gran finish like its been antiqued.Long spinny legs, and about 2and 3/4 inch long. Id like to no if you no what it mite be.and what they feed on.
Signature: does not matter
Eastern Hercules Beetle
Dear does not matter,
You can try feeding this magnificent Eastern Hercules Beetle, Dynastes tityus, some over ripe bananas or other fruit.
¶ Posted 16 June 2011 § ‡ ° Thank you
June 13, 2011 7:17 am
Hi Bug Folks,
This morning when I went outside, we had two grapevine beetles on our screen door. I didn’t know that at the time, of course, but a quick search of What’s That Bug gave me the information I needed. I use your site several times a year, and I don’t think I’ve ever written to thank you for it.
I have three children, the oldest of whom is nine, and a brief search has rescued many a scary-looking bug from this paranoid mother. When my daughter was waking up with bites on her arms, you helped me identify the culprit (spider), and when I found small bugs on our comforter, you relieved my bedbug paranoia (carpet beetles).
When we find unknown bugs in the house, I use the site to determine how far away we take them when we show them out (just outside the door, way out in the back yard, or down the road?). I’ve even learned to tolerate the occasional house centipede.
I was a teacher/naturalist at a bird sanctuary for many years, so I’m a live-and-let-live person by nature and training, but being a mother has given me a twitchy stomping foot (That’s probably not a black widow in the corner of the bathroom, but what if it is? My babies!).
I appreciate your site and your attitude toward bugs, which helps temper those squash-and-ask-questions-later instincts.
I can tell that this site is a lot of work, and I just wanted you to know that our family appreciates it.
Yours,
Kara Laughlin
Grapevine Beetle from our archives
Dear Kara,
In our seemingly impossible task of trying to respond to the numerous emails we received during our week away from the office, the subject line generally influences which emails we read first. We never pass on the opportunity to read something that begins with a thank you and we were quite touched by your kind letter. We are happy to hear that our mission to spread appreciation and tolerance of the lower beasts has struck a harmonious chord with so many readers. We have dredged up a photo of a Grapevine Beetle from our archives to accompany this posting.
¶ Posted 16 June 2011 § ‡ ° Tagged: fanmail Brown Gas Station Bug!
Location: North Hollywood, CA
June 10, 2011 2:46 pm
Hi Bugman (bugpeople?),
I found this bug at a gas station yesterday in North Hollywood, CA. It looks big in the photo, but I’d say it was the size of a large jellybean. It was alone, sitting on the ground, and just asking to have it’s picture taken! Someone suggested it might be a Christmas beetle, but I looked that up, and it seems shinier than the bug I found.
Thanks for your knowledge!
Signature: Jeffrey Mann
Dusty June Beetle
Hi Jeffrey,
Christmas Beetles are from Australia, and that is not to say that they might be introduced to southern California like many other other Australian insects, however, we believe this is another scarab known as a Dusty June Beetle in the genus Amblonoxia. According to Charles Hogue in his wonderful book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, the Dusty June Beetle can be recognized by its “heart-shaped scutellum” which is “noticeably paler than the rest of the back.” More photos are available on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 15 June 2011 § ‡ ° Small yellow beetle
Location: Michigan
June 9, 2011 3:16 pm
Hi,
I’ve several of these fellows on my garden plants (potatoes, squash, peppers, buckwheat) – I’m assuming they are pests, but would like to know what they are for certain. They are small (about 3/8”), not furry on bottom, but the legs are barbed, yellow body, grayish head. This picture is on a small potato plant. Thanks!
Signature: Barbie
Rose Chafer
Dear Barbie,
The Rose Chafer will feed on the leaves from a large variety of plants, and if they are numerous, you may have problems with defoliation.
¶ Posted 15 June 2011 § ‡ ° Large Beetle
Location: Western Colorado
June 5, 2011 11:16 am
Found this fairly large (1 1/4”) beetle on sagebrush in Loma Colorado. Area is high desert, 5,269 in elevation. Very striking yellow and orange leg colors. Have been looking for ID on internet, but really can’t find it. Any idea what this pretty beetle is?
Signature: Sage Hen
Shining Leaf Chafer: Cotalpa species
Dear Sage Hen,
This is one of the Shining Leaf Chafers in the genus Cotalpa, but several species look quite similar. We believe it might be Cotalpa flavida which is represented on BugGuide from Utah and Nevada though on the genus page on BugGuide, it is listed as Arizona and California. Cotalpa subcribrata is listed from Colorado, however, BugGuide does not have any images of it. An Eastern Species that is reported as far west as Texas and Nebraska on BugGuide is Cotalpa lanigera, the Goldsmith Beetle, which is believed to be the Gold Bug from Edgar Allen Poe fame.
¶ Posted 05 June 2011 § ‡ ° A Garden Jewel
Location: College Station, Texas
June 1, 2011 9:23 pm
Rescued this little fellow from our pool this evening. Definitely a beetle I had not seen before. It had tiny little flesh colored ”legs” near its mouth that looke like hands. Gotta love those colors and that horn.
Signature: Texas garden jewel
Rainbow Scarab
The common name for this lovely insect is a Rainbow Scarab, though it is ingloriously classified as a Dung Beetle. The backyard swimming pool, though refreshing to humans, is a death trap to many small creatures.
¶ Posted 02 June 2011 § ‡ ° large horn beetle
Location: gueydan louisiana
May 23, 2011 12:40 pm
found this bug in la. at a gas station, never seen one before.
Is it native to america , and where does it originate from, and what does it eat?
Thank you
brittany
Signature: brittany
Male Eastern Hercules Beetle
Dear Brittany,
This is a native male Eastern Hercules Beetle, and it is the heaviest North American beetle. According to BugGuide: “larvae feed on rotting wood, adults are frugivores (some have been observed eating tree sap)” and you can probably feed it ripe fruit in captivity.
¶ Posted 23 May 2011 § ‡ ° 
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