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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Three Lined Lema Beetle: imago, larva and eggs

yellow black striped bug
August 2, 2009
Hi,
I e-mailed you yesterday (August 1st) about a tiny yellow black striped bug I found on my plant. I found out it’s a striped cucumber beetle.
However, the tiny eggs and larvae I found on the same plant might not be from the cucumber beetle. Can you help me figuring out what the eggs/larvae are?
Thanks!
A. Smith
Sanford, NC

Striped Cucumber Beetle

Three Lined Lema Beetle

small yellow/black bug and larva
August 1, 2009
Hi Bugman!
August 1st, NC
I just found this tiny yellow/black striped bug (about 1/4 inch) on my plants (it can fly and two of them were mating) and also these tiny yellow eggs and little worms (larva?). They seem to have poop on their back. They are eating my plant. Can you tell me what bug and what kind of larva this is? Pest or not?
Thank you!
A. Smith
Sanford, NC

Striped Cucumber Beetle Larvae

Three Lined Lema Beetle Larvae

Dear A.,
We are very excited to get your photo documentation of the life stages of a Three Lined Lema Beetle, Lema trivittata.  BugGuide has numerous images of the adult, but no photos of a larva.  The larvae of the Skeletonizing Leaf Beetles have general similarities, and since the adults, eggs and larvae were all found on the same plant, circumstantial evidence indicates that they are all the same species.  Another species in the genus, Lema daturaphila, is called the Three Lined Potato Beetle, and it looks very similar.  Here is how BugGuide identifies the differences:  “Identification  Adults virtually of same appearance as L. daturaphila, but may be discriminated as follows (according to White&Day):
- median yellow band on elytra paler at sides in living specimens (of one colour in daturaphila; seems not to work with bugguide images);
- lateral black band covering 2 1/2 intervals at most (more than 2 1/2 in daturaphila);
(following characters of +/- gradual nature)
- tibiae usually yellow for more than half of their length (nearly always dark to more than 1/2 in daturaphila);
- femora often dark apically (rarely so in daturaphila)
- sternal pieces often broadly black (sometimes narrowly black in daturaphila)
The eggs of trivittata are said to have blackish tips, while those of daturaphila are dark yellow throughout.“ The fact that your eggs have black tips satisfies us that you have the Three Lined Lema Beetle, Lema trivittata, living on your plant.  We wish you had provided a name for the plant.

Three Lined Potato Beetle Eggs

Three Lined Lema Beetle Eggs

August 2, 2009
Thank you so much for identifying my mystery bug and pointing out the difference between the trivittata and daturaphila!
I guess I was wrong about the cucumber beetle :)
In my submission I actually wanted to tell you the name of the plant but I forgot what it’s called. I did a little bit of research and found the name: Iochroma cyanea ‘Purple Queen’
Unfortunately, the larvae is eating the leaves :( .
Thanks again!
Astrid Smith

Hi Again Astrid,
Iachroma cyanea is in the family Solanacea, which is consistent with the food source of the Three Lined Lema Beetle.

Posted 02 August 2009 § Leaf Beetles ‡ Comments (0) °

Fishing Spider with Egg Sac

Huge female spider with egg sac
Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 6:40 PM
Hello – We were pulling up rocks from around my garden pond to replace the liner and came across this big spider, with a baby sac. Do you know what kind it is? If you like the picture, feel free to post it. Just let me know if you do. I named her Mary Beth, the Jurassic Pregnant Pond Spider. We relocated here to a different part of the yard.
Cathy
Miamisburg, Ohio

Female Fishing Spider with Egg Sac

Female Fishing Spider with Egg Sac

Hi Cathy,
This is a female Fishing Spider in the genus Dolomedes, probably the Northern Dolomedes, Dolomedes tenebrosus.  They are generally associated with bodies of water, which makes her habitat around your pond significant.

Posted 03 July 2009 § Nursery Web Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °

Fishing Spider with Egg Sac

Large 4-inch spider under deck in MD
Thu, Jun 18, 2009 at 5:10 PM
Found her under the deck last night in central MD; body about 1-inch; almost 4-inch leg span. Lovely leg striations. Seemed shy. No web. Not hairy like a wolf spider and legs too long and skinny. What is she? Habitat? Have never seen one before. Would prefer she lives outside!!! Released her in our back woods with creek. Fisherman spider?
goodbug
ellicott city, MD

Fishing Spider carrying Egg Sac

Fishing Spider carrying Egg Sac

Dear goodbug,
What a spectacular photo you have provided for us of a female Dolomedes Fishing Spider, probably Dolomedes tenebrosus, carrying her Egg Sac.

Posted 19 June 2009 § Nursery Web Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Wheel Bug Hatchlings

Exotic looking insect
Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 11:45 AM
I saw these in my backyard and have no idea what they are. I am sending this pic because describing them would not give a clear picture as to what they are.
Eric
Pennsylvania

Wheel Bug Hatchlings

Wheel Bug Hatchlings

Hello Eric,
We just posted a letter and photo of a Wheel Bug nymph, and we mentioned that we often get sightings of Wheel Bug hatchlings in the spring.  Hours later, your photo of Wheel Bug hatchlings arrived.  Wheel Bugs are a species of Assassin Bugs and they are beneficial predators in the yard, but they can bite if provoked.  Hatchling Wheel Bugs are often described as antlike or spiderlike, and they look very different from the winged adult with the coglike structure of the thorax which resembles a wheel.

Posted 02 June 2009 § Assassin Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

Wheel Bug Hatchlings, we believe

6 legged orange butt black leggs
Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Hi, My name is Sonya and I noticed these bugs on my October Maple tree about 2-3 weeks ago. I live in the Charleston South Carolina area. There is a grouping of these small 6 black legged bugs with orange butts. They tend to stay grouped together but you can find smaller groups of 2-3 in other areas of the tree. I also noted today that there was 2 larger ones that were different colors, mostly orange and some yellow with little to no black on them, they appeared to be mating with some smaller bugs with no orange on them, just black and smaller butts. When I went out with the camera a couple of hours later, after finding this site, I couldn’t find the different ones. Also since I’ve first noted the bugs their butts have changed slightly and now appear to have small black dots in the center of the rear. They also have a small nest of sorts that is dripping stuff down the tree.

Wheel Bug Eggs and Hatchlings

Wheel Bug Eggs and Hatchlings

I hope this is descriptive enough. Thank you very much for your help. I’ve lived in SC my whole life and don’t recall ever seeing these bugs before.
Sonya in SC
South East

Wheel Bug Hatchlings

Wheel Bug Hatchlings

Hi Sonya,
These are newly hatched Hemipterans, or True Bugs.  It is often very difficult to properly identify hatchlings, but we believe these are Wheel Bugs a type of Assassin Bug.  Wheel Bugs, Arilus cristatus, are predators.  The nest you noticed are the eggs laid in a distinctive cluster by the female Wheel Bug.  The hatchlings stay together for a very short time and then they go rogue to hunt alone.  You can compare your specimens to this photo on BugGuide.  The one thing that would make us suspect these may be some other Hemipteran is that in one of your photos, the hatchlings appear to be feeding off of tree sap.  We are uncertain if perhaps immature Wheel Bugs may be attracted to certain plant juices.

Wheel Bug Hatchlings

Wheel Bug Hatchlings

Posted 11 April 2009 § Assassin Bugs ‡ Comments (0) °

Preying Mantis Oothica

what is that bug
Wed, Apr 8, 2009 at 5:56 AM
we just moved into a new home country home which is something i had promised the girls as my 5 year plan and the children love it. as the snow melted they have been discovering nature and ran accross some of these. this cocoon is about as big around as a quarter. and there is one on every bush and tree. the highest i have seen them is about five foot off the ground. teach this city girl and her children something about nature. what is this bug. i hope my picture is good enough.
maria ross
ohio

Preying Mantis Oothica

Preying Mantis Oothica

Congratulations on your move Maria,
Though we love our Los Angeles home, having a country home in Ohio, the state of our roots, would be a dream.  This is a Preying Mantis Oothica.  Come warm weather, about 200 baby Preying Mantids will emerge.  Judging by the number of Oothica you describe, you should have a healthy adult population in the Fall.  Young Mantids are often difficult to spot in the yard and garden, but flying adults with their large size are usually quite visible.

Posted 11 April 2009 § Praying Mantis ‡ Comments (0) °

Katydid Eggs

Pest on Rose Stem
Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 5:49 PM
Hello! My sister-in-law gave me this segment of a stem from her rose bush growing in California’s central valley in hopes I could identify it. Can you please hekp me? I realize the photo isn’t very good but I am reluctant to take the stem out of the baggy for fear of further spreading whatever the pest is. Thanks so much!
HHoneybee
San Joaquin Valley, California

Katydid Eggs

Katydid Eggs

Hi HHoneybee,
These are Katydid Eggs, and though Katydids eat the leaves from plants including roses, we have a difficult time considering them to be plant pests. They do not do any lasting damage to the plant and they do not spread diseases. Katydids are attractive grasshopper-like insects that are generally green, which camouflages them against the leaves they feed upon. Occasionally we find Katydids eating the blossoms of our roses, but we never kill the insects. At most, we relocate them to another plant. Adult Katydids are sometimes attracted to lights, and many species are among our most “vocal” insects, producing mating calls by a method known as stridulation. We are uncertain which species of Katydid produced the eggs in your photograph.

Thank you so much!
I have given them back to Daisy and she plans to put them back in her garden and watch them hatch.
I have a fear of bugs and I LOVE your website because you not only educate us (and fear is usually a reaction to what is not known) but also encourage a non-lethal way of dealing with them. You are doing a wonderful service with your ‘art project’!
Thanks again,
Heather
“HHoneybee”

Posted 09 February 2009 § Katydids ‡ Comments (0) °

Eucalyptus Shield Bug Hatchlings from Australia

Bug ID needed
Sun, Dec 21, 2008 at 2:34 PM
Hi, My hubby found these little guys hatching out of little silver cachou like eggs and I took macros of them, thinking they were spiders. After downloading and looking at them on the PC, we discovered they were actually little bugs. We have never seen anything like them before and would dearly love to know what they are. When I checked them again today, there were more eggs present. Hope you can help.
Lynne from Bauple, Oz
Bauple,Maryborough,Qld, Australia

Australian Stink Bug Hatchlings

Australian Stink Bug Hatchlings

Hi Lynne,
These are definitely True Bugs, and most probably Stink Bugs in the family Pentatomidae. Sadly, hatchlings can often be extremely difficult to properly identify to the species level.

Correction
Sun, Dec 28, 2008 at 5:09 PM
Hi Daniel, I am pretty sure the bugs are eucalyptus shield bugs. Here is a photo of some eucalyptus shield bug hatchlings taken in our backyard a year ago, and also a later development.
Grev
Australia, east coast

Eucalyptus Shield Bug Hatchlings

Eucalyptus Shield Bug Hatchlings

Thanks Grev,
According to both the Brisbane Insect web site and the Save Our Waterways web site, the Eucalyptus Shield Bugs in the genus Poecilometis are in the Stink Bug family Pentatomidae. The Stink Bugs of Australia web site has specific host trees mentioned for many of the species in the genus Poecilometis. Interestingly, the insects commonly called Shield Bugs in the U.S. are in the family Acanthosomatidae, not Pentatomidae.

Eucalyptus Shield Bug Nymph

Eucalyptus Shield Bug Nymph

Hullo Daniel,
Thanks for the info.
Your website is a godsend – there is so much anti-bug sentiment around (”If it moves, kill it.”) and it is good to read the messages from people whose attitudes have been changed after seeing all the beautiful creatures on your site. And, of course, to see all the amazing bugs there are in the world.
I wish you and Lisa a very happy New Year.
Kind regards,
Grev

Posted 24 December 2008 § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Male Giant Water Bug with eggs

WEIRD F%(#!N BUG THING!!! HELP!!!
Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 12:22 AM
So like dude i was in the kitchen and all of a sudden this thing just comes crawling out from under the stove, i was scared man. It’s not exactly the kindest looking bugs. I don’t know anything more than that really, i swooped it up with a dustpan and let it wander outside.
tittysprinkles
My house in Tacoma Washington

Male Giant Water Bug with Eggs

Male Giant Water Bug with Eggs

Dear tittysprinkles,
Generally we refrain from editing the letters we receive, but as so many youngsters access our website, we felt compelled to “bleep out” your subject title.  This is a male Giant Water Bug in either the genus Abedus or the genus Belostoma.  When they mate, the female cements the eggs to the back of the male and he is the primary care giver for the unhatched brood.  We are amazed that he was able to fly to your kitchen with that payload on board.  Giant Water Bugs are aquatic, but they can fly quite well and they are attracted to electric lights.  We suspect there is a body of water nearby that served as a mating habitat for your specimen.

Posted 19 November 2008 § Toe Biters ‡ Comments (0) °

Wolf Spider with Egg Sac from Spain

What is this bug?
Mon, Nov 3, 2008 at 3:03 AM
Found this bug drying out on a brick in the Mazzaron region of Spain after a rain shower. Was wondering if you could identify.
William
Mazzaron, Spain

Female Wolf Spider with Egg Sac from Spain

Female Wolf Spider with Egg Sac from Spain

Hi William,
This is a female Wolf Spider, but we are not certain of the species.  Female Wolf Spiders drag their egg sacs around with them and once the spiderlings hatch, the mother spider will carry the young on her back for several days until they disperse.  This care method probably has the advantage of distributing the spiderlings in a larger area because of the mobility of the adult.

Posted 06 November 2008 § Wolf Spiders ‡ Comments (0) °

Painted Arachnis laying Eggs

Moth
Sun, Oct 19, 2008 at 9:07 PM
This moth was laying eggs on the wall of my house in Oakland, CA. She was about 1″ long.
Laurie K.
Oakland, CA

Painted Arachnis Laying Eggs

Painted Arachnis Laying Eggs

Hi Laurie,
Your moth is a common Southern California Tiger Moth known as a Painted Arachnis.  We had eight individuals on our screen door and near our porch light on Mt Washington in Los Angeles this past week.  One female also laid eggs.  Over the years, we have observed these moths laying eggs on our walls numerous times.  The caterpillars are general feeders of the Woolly Bear type.

Posted 21 October 2008 § Tiger Moths and Arctiids ‡ Comments (0) °

Imperial Moth Eggs Hatching

praying mantis eating a wheel bug, unknown eggs
Sat, Oct 11, 2008 at 9:12 PM
HELLO BUGMAN!
… We are also including a hatching photo we took this August. The eggs were stuck to the brick wall outside our classroom and we watched daily to see what was going to happen. We’d loved to know what was coming out! Thank you so much for your help!
Always looking for bugs,
Fours and fives in PA
Southeastern PA

Imperial Moth Eggs Hatching

Imperial Moth Eggs Hatching

Dear Teacher of Fours and Fives,
We are most certain the eggs are those of an Imperial Moth.  BugGuide shows good life cycle images and your first instar caterpillar, except for being a bit lighter, looks quite close to those images.

Posted 12 October 2008 § Silkworms ‡ Comments (0) °

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