Flying insect
Location: Central Western Oklahoma
October 4, 2011 11:22 pm
I got swarmed by these when wearing a yellow/green safety vest, but they left me alone after I took it off. I doubt they can even bite, but I didn’t like them swarming me. The subject of the first two pictures tried landing in my ear; I stunned him when I swatted him away and thus the pictures. The one in the white background sat still enough for me to photogragh him. They’re just larger than houseflies and have many of the same attributes (flying patterns, iridescent wings, compound eyes, etc.) Any thoughts? I’ve not seen them before.
Signature: Carson in Oklahoma
Bee Fly
Dear Carson,
We are positively fascinated that you were swarmed by Bee Flies, while wearing one of those acid green safety vests. There must be some light reflectance of the vest that is similar to certain blossoms that the Bee Flies feed upon. Bee Flies are harmless. Many flowers are yellow. Here is a Bee Fly on BugGuide that is attracted to a yellow flower. We are not sure of your species, but you may search BugGuide for that identification.
Strange Pink Eyed Bug – With wings!
Location: Northern NJ – Essex County
October 3, 2011 9:29 am
Hi there,
I’m hoping you can identify the flying bug in this photo. I’ve never seen anything like this. I sent the pic to my friend who used to work in the park services and is now a science teacher and she had no idea what it was.
I took this pic on October 1st in the morning. I bug was hanging out on my friend’s car.
Thank you for any help!
Signature: Jessica L.
Picture Winged Fly
Hi Jessica,
This is a Picture Winged Fly in the family Ulidiidae, and we believe we have correctly identified it as Delphinia picta. According to BugGuide, it “Breeds in decaying organic matter, such as compost.”
1
Biological Controller
Location: Queensland, Australia
September 30, 2011 11:23 pm
Hi guys,
Thought you might like these shots of Trichopoda giacomellii, introduced into Australia from South Africa as a biological control agent for Green Stink (Potato) Bugs. Sure are pretty for assassins.
Signature: aussietrev
Introduced Tachinid Fly
Hi Trevor,
Thanks so much for thinking of us when you have another gorgeous image of some Australian bug that is underrepresented on our site. Armed with the information you provided, we tried to find additional information on this Tachinid Fly, and we learned that it is originally from Argentina, not South Africa. You can verify that both on this PDF courtesy of the CSIRO Division of Entomology and the CSIRO website. According to the Queensland Government Primary Industries and Fisherieswebsite, this Tachinid is commonly called the Green Vegetable Bug Parasitic Fly.
Green Vegetable Bug Parasitic Fly
1
What is this bug?
Location: Sacramento, California
October 1, 2011 4:16 pm
I saw this in my yard. I smashed it because it had what looked like a stinger.
As it died the stinger was going in and out. Ick. What is it?
Signature: Moorea
Robber Fly
Dear Moorea,
Robber Flies are harmless, beneficial predators, and smashing them constitutes Unnecessary Carnage in our minds. We believe this may be a member of the genus Andrenosoma based on photos posted to BugGuide. What you have mistaken for a stinger is probably the ovipositor, the organ the female uses to lay eggs.
1
Moth?
Location: Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA
September 28, 2011 1:01 am
Dear Bugman,
I was at Griffith Park in Los Angeles with my son when we spotted this winged insect. In person, the bug looked like a moth with very sharp, jagged wings. In the picture the wings appear much more translucent and less jagged than they did in person. Please help identify.
Thank you!!
Signature: Curious Bug Mama
Bee Fly: Xenox habrosus
Dear Curious Bug Mama,
At first we thought this might be a Tiger Bee Fly, Xenox tigrinus, but we learned on BugGuide that the Tiger Bee Fly is an eastern species. We believe this is its western relative, Xenox habrosus, which is represented on BugGuide with Los Angeles area postings. Daniel is doing a talk on October 15 at 2 PM at the Lummis Home along the historic Arroyo Parkway (Pasadena Freeway) to benefit the gardens. The talk is on beneficial bugs and is entitled Butterflies, Bees and Things That Go Bump In The Night. Since this talk is about local species, you photo, which is of excellent quality, will probably be included in the powerpoint presentation.
1
mass of larvae
Location: suburbs of New York City
September 23, 2011 10:04 am
Hi,
What are these? Photo attached
Thanks
Signature: Jane
Fungus Gnat Larvae aggregation
Hi Jane,
You have an aggregation of Fungus Gnat Larvae. According to BugGuide, they migrate when there is a population explosion.
Fungus Gnat Larvae
1
¶ Posted 24 September 2011 § Gnats ‡ ° Hanging Thief Robberfly with Prey
Location: Cheney Kansas
September 23, 2011 4:09 pm
I’ve been trying to get a photo of this bug for about three weeks…It is normally very evasive and won’t land anywhere near my camera.
Today it landed in front of me and let me get a photo of it.
A few minutes later it caught a bee and hung from a small redbud tree ,not only letting me take photos but also touching it get a better pic.
From looking at a Bug site it appears to be a Hanging Thief Robberfly.
Signature: Chris Harris
Hanging Thief and Prey
Hi Chris,
Thanks so much for sending us your wonderful photos of a Hanging Thief with its prey. Though it is a member of the genus Diogmites, we are uncertain of the species.
Hanging Thief
1
Here’s a Mexican Robber Fly for your files
Location: Douglas, southeast Arizona
September 23, 2011 2:44 pm
Howdy…finally got this insect identified from your website. We live 8-9 miles from the Mexican border and have these visitors quite often. Surprised that just a couple years ago they were rare in the US. They’ve all been camping out here:) Used to confuse them with the Tarantula Hawk, but not anymore! They hang out around our many Jujube (Fig) Trees in the spring and summer. Don’t bother with us at all.
Signature: Lori – Arizona
Robber Fly
Dear Lori,
Archilestris magnificus is such a gorgeous Robber Fly. On the rare occasions we receive photos of them, we immediately post them. When we first posted a photo in 2007, it created quite a stir.
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