Roach..
Location: in my living room ( Maine)
January 30, 2012 10:19 am
This is a colony of false death head roaches. I have had them for a year. They turn out a good product. Im used to the hard case of eggs that they deposit….but now i see this crazy thing…What is it? its soft like ..skin
Signature: Happy Haunting 
False Death's Head Cockroach in captivity
Dear Happy Haunting,
We learned on the Worm Man website that False Death’s Head Cockroaches, Blaberus discoidalis, are native to Mexico and Central America and they are raised as live food for other exotic pets. In our opinion, this is a freshly laid oothica or egg case that has still not hardened.
Golden Orb identified
Location: Spring, TX
December 18, 2011 1:44 am
Dear Mr. Bugman,
Thanks to your site and past archives, I’ve think I’ve identified my backdoor friend. I’ve got lots of pictures of her, but this is my latest AND COOLEST! I’m assuming she’s laying her eggs and wrapping them in sort of protection?? I’ll attach pictures first, but would like to know if you take video clips as well? I have her in action!
Signature: Thanks, Melanie
Golden Orbweaver Laying Eggs
Hi Melanie,
Thank you for sending us your images of a Golden Orbweaver laying her eggs. She protects the clutch in a thick silken sac that helps the eggs to withstand the elements in harsher climates. Your post will go live during a brief holiday from the office.
Golden Orbweaver laying Eggs
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Look what almost burned up with the dead perennials!
Location: Naperville, IL
November 7, 2011 1:47 pm
Dear Daniel~
I am sad that bug season is coming to an end here in Illinois, but at least I can continue to see all the wonderful specimens from more temperate climes, thanks to your web site. It is the time of year when I cut down my dead perennials and prune back some shrubs, most of which end up on my burn pile. I always come across a handful of mantis egg cases in the process, and this one was inches away from the flames when I noticed it. It’s attached to a yew branch, and I also have them this fall on a lilac stem, a raspberry cane and a wire garden fence. I’ve yet to find any on an actual dead perennial, which makes me wonder if the female mantis knows the difference. Have a lovely week!
Signature: -Dori Eldridge
Mantis Oothica
Hi Dori,
We are happy to hear that this Mantis Oothica or egg case was spared the flames because you found it before it was tossed onto the bonfire.
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wheel bug, check out em eggs!
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
November 3, 2011 12:07 pm
I saw this bug just hangin out at work with me in pittsburgh layin some eggs. I thought it looked pretty wild and was happy your site identified it. First time I’ve seen this site. Pretty cool…
Signature: McZ
Wheel Bug lays Eggs
Dear McZ,
Thanks for sending us your photo. Should these Wheel Bug Eggs be allowed to remain, they will pass the winter and hatch in the spring into small red and black insects that are often mistaken for spiders.
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Looks like a spider, no wait…
Location: 30176
September 12, 2011 6:34 am
It only has six legs.
A friend of mine found this while exploring the woods in Tallapoosa, GA. He swears that it was AT LEAST four inches, if not bigger, that the torso was likely the size of a pecan. He was speaking of it as a spider, but when I looked at the picture, I realized that there aren’t eight legs. He did point out that the abdomen didn’t look like the standard spider variety.
Signature: Lucy King
Fishing Spider with Egg Sac
Hi Lucy,
Since you did not take this photo, we hope your friend has given you permission for us to publish it. This is a female Fishing Spider in the genus Dolomedes, and she is carrying her egg sac which is visible beneath her body. Spiders in the Nursery Web Spider family Pisauridae carry their egg sacs in their chelicerae or fangs until they find a suitable location for spinning a nursery web. They continue to guard the eggs and spiderlings until they die. Nursery Web Spiders, including the Fishing Spiders, are hunting spiders that do not use webs to snare prey. This photo is not critically sharp, so it is difficult to make out certain details. It is entirely possible that this individual is missing two legs, though it appears that the front two pairs of legs are being held together on both sides, creating the illusion that it only has six legs. That is a common pose for Nursery Web Spiders and this posting from our archive shows both the pose and an individual with missing legs. We believe the species is Dolomedes vittatus because of this description on BugGuide: “The two dark-colored spots in the middle of the cephalothorax are almost always more robust in D. vittatus than the more narrow ones found on D. scriptus.” These dark spots behind the head are especially prominent in this individual.
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The bugman is awesome (and I need an ID)
Location: Northeast Tennessee
September 4, 2011 11:09 pm
Hey there! Your site has already helped me identify the house centipede. I’d like to know what exactly this is… growing up on a farm I’ve encountered a lot of these. My grandma always called these ”chicken poo butterflies” because they seem to have a fondness for the stuff. I was taking pictures in her flower garden one day and I came across one.
PS along with the moth/butterfly I’ve attached a photo I took of a praying mantis egg sac (I don’t know what you call it, just that mantises lay their eggs in it, I think)last December. I thought it looked neat and wanted to know if that was actually what it was.
Signature: Easily Fascinated
Silver Spotted Skipper
Dear Easily Fascinated,
When we read your letter, we immediately imagined an insect with the description you provided, and we thought for sure you would have a photo of a Pearly Wood Nymph, a moth that truly resembles chicken droppings. This is actually a butterfly known as a Silver Spotted Skipper, Epargyreus clarus, and you may see additional photos on the Massachusetts Butterfly Club website. You have correctly identified the Preying Mantis oothica or egg case.
Preying Mantis Oothica
How big can black widows get?
Location: Sanford, NC
August 26, 2011 10:52 am
My husband was moving the basketball hoop in our yard (getting ready for the huricane), when we spotted this huge spider with an even bigger egg sack. she was the size of a dime and her sack more like a nickel. The biggest spider and sack we had ever seen. Under the hoop was also 3 other large sacks and 2 smaller black widows. We did exterminate them, as our 4 children & small dog play in that area with no shoes on. My question is: how big can black widows get? I did not know that they got this large! Thank you
Signature: Keriann
Northern Black Widow
Hi Keriann,
The red spotting on the back of this mature Widow identifies her as a Northern Black Widow based on the information contained on BugGuide. We have seen adult female Western Black Widows with abdomens nearly as large as a marble or a small grape. These are mature females that are most likely filling with eggs. While we feel badly that you have exterminated several Black Widows from your basketball court, we fully understand your concern for your children and pets. Black Widows are not an aggressive species, and they are rarely found far from their web, unless they have been disturbed. We once allowed a Western Black Widow to keep her web by our porch light. We knew she was there and we were not concerned about getting attacked. You would be much safer to fully educate the children regarding the dangers of being bitten by a Black Widow and ensuring that they learn to recognize them. If you killed three individuals in your yard, there are most likely more to be found in hidden locations and you will probably not be able to eliminate them all. We hope Hurricane Irene steered clear of your area.
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eggs on a tomato leaf
Location: Canterbury, NH, USA
August 22, 2011 10:52 am
I live in New Hampshire in the US. Today in my greenhouse I found an array of tiny pinkish-tan eggs laid on top of a plum tomato leaf. I have never seen these before – the color is wrong for squash bug eggs and as I said, they were on the top of the leaf at the top of the plant. Anyone know what laid these? I put the leaf in a jar to see what hatches, but I garden organically and like to practice preventive care, so if I can take some preemptive action soon if they’re bad guys, I’d love to.
Signature: Hilnel
Whose Eggs are These???
Dear Hilnel,
We believe these are Moth Eggs, but we are not certain of the species. The two species of Manduca typically associated with tomatoes, Tomato Hornworm and Tobacco Hornworm, lay green eggs singly on leaves. This is something else. We found a blurry photo on Our Engineered Garden that looks similar, but they are not identified. We would really love to know what you have. Would you consider allowing them to hatch in a confined location and then photographing the critters when they emerge? We would love a followup report as we continue to research this.
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