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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Spider Wasp with Wolf Spider

Bug from Lignumvitae Key, Florida
March 15, 2010
I took this picture on a wall at Lignumvitae Key near Islamorada in the Florida Keys on March 12, 2010. The unidentified bug was pulling the dead spider behind it.
Steve Dunn
Lignumvitae Key, Florida

Spider Wasp with Prey

Hi Steve,
You lovely wasp is a Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae.  The spider is not dead, but rather paralyzed.  The spider will be place in the nest and an egg is laid on it  the wasp larva consumes the spider while it is still alive.  We aren’t sure of the genus or species, but your wasp may be in the genus Priocnessus which is pictured on Bugguide which indicates the prey are Agelenid Spiders that weave funnel webs.  The spider in your photo appears as though it may be a Funnel Web Spider.

Spider Wasp with Prey

Correction courtesy of Eric Eaton
March 17, 2010
Hi, Daniel:
Hey, I actually went over to the site without prompting the other day:-)   I only have a couple corrections, too.  Given how overextended you must be right now, I think that only two (minor) errors is amazing. (insert applause here).
The “Spider Wasp With Prey,” dated March 15 is Tachypompilus ferrugineus, and the prey is a wolf spider in the family Lycosidae.
Otherwise, terrific work!
Eric

Posted 15 March 2010 § Wolf Spiders § spider wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Chalcid Wasps in the home: What species? and What is the host insect???

Black, flightless little jumping fly with strong back legs
February 27, 2010
I have been discovering these black little bugs (1/4″ long) on our upstairs window (inside). They have heads and antenna like bees, small wings, black bodies, strong rear legs and don’t seem to want to fly. They crawl and jump with their strong rear legs (note the red muscular part). They seem to prefer hanging out on the white, vinyl part of the window. They continue to appear on this same window every so many days. I don’t know where they come from and what they are.
Doon
We live in Seattle, Washinton

Chalcid Wasps

Hi Doon,
IN our opinion, these are Small Carpenter Bees in the genus Ceratina, which is pictured on BugGuide.  They may be emerging from an indoor nest, though we are not certain if these bees nest in treated wood.  We are contacting Eric Eaton request his opinion.

Hi there,
Thanks for your prompt reply.
Carpenter Bees?!? That would be bad news, especially if they are coming into the house from a nest in the wall…wouldn’t it? I know they are not mean, but they do do damage.
I took a look at the pictures and see a definite similarity, but my little guys have these strong back legs. Did you notice the reddish bulging bit on their legs? They all have them and use them to hop, it seems.
What else could they be?
Looking forward to what Eric has to say.
Thanks, guys. What an awesome service!
Doon

Chalcid Wasp

Eric Eaton makes a correction
Hi, Daniel:
Those are not small carpenter bees.  They are parasitic wasps in the family Chalcididae, as confirmed by their swollen hind femora (“thighs”), among other characters.  They may have emerged from a cocoon or something.
Eric

I saw the update. Thanks!
I guess the real question is, how are they getting into my house and what are they doing there?
Doon

Hi again Doon,
There have been two letters from yesterday that have needed a bit more attention from us today, and yours is one. Regarding wasps in the family Chalcididae, according to BugGuide: “Most are parasites of other insects, mostly of eggs or larvae” and “They are used as pest controls because they parasitize mainly the orders that contain many common pests: Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera and Homoptera.”  Identifying the exact species is a bit beyond our capabilities, but one of our readers might be able to supply you with a response.  We would recommend that you provide a comment to our posting, and then you will be notified automatically if an expert in the Chalcids can provide you with an accurate identification in the future.  Speaking more generally, we would surmise that an insect (or insects) that was (were) parasitized by the ancestor of your generation of Chalcids entered the home and died.  Once their life cycle was completed within the body of the host species, your generation emerged and will continue to seek out the hosts if there are any remaining.  Most species that parasitize others are species specific.  The orders that were mentioned as common hosts are Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Diptera (flies), Coleoptera (beetles) and Homoptera (true bugs and relatives) and each of those orders have individuals that often enter homes.  We would also like there to be a resolution to this mystery.  We suspect your current generation of adults entered your home as larvae, transported by a host insect that had been parasitized.  The adults emerged from the corpse and are being attracted to the light of the window in an attempt to get outside if there are no further hosts to parasitize.

Posted 28 February 2010 § Parasitic Hymenopterans ‡ Comments (0) °

Sawfly Larva, we think, from India

Red-chilli like larva
February 28, 2010
The person who took this photo thinks it is a beetle larva.
Suhas
West Bengal, India

Sawfly Larva, we believe

Dear Suhas,
There are not enough anatomical features visible in this photo for us to conclusively categorize this larva.  We don’t believe it is a caterpillar or a beetle grub.  We tend to favor it being a Sawfly Larva.  Sawflies are related to bees and wasps, and many species have larvae that resemble caterpillars.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to assist in a species identification.

Dear Daniel
Thanks a lot for your prompt reply. I will certainly gather more details from the photographer and send it to you soon.
regards
Suhas

Posted 28 February 2010 § Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Pigeon Horntail

What’s That Bug?
February 28, 2010
Found this on the side of the house approximately 2 inches in length was using the long protrusion from it’s rear to poke into the little holes of the brick. Notice the stinger on it’s rear also.
KG
Defiance, Ohio

Pigeon Horntail

Dear KG,
This is a Pigeon Horntail, a type of Wood Wasp, and its behavior is highly unusual.  The protrusion is the female’s ovipositor, and she uses it to deposit eggs beneath the bark of diseased, dead or cut wood, so there is no real reason for her to be poking around your bricks.  Even more unusual is finding her in the dead of winter when there is considerable snow on the ground in Defiance, Ohio.

Ahhhh thank you very much sir, i took this photo last summer was just looking through my pics and wondered if there was a site that could tell me what this was (good name for your site btw) : ) I have a photo of another bug with a long nose i don’t know what it is, if you’re interested if not i won’t bug you. : )

Posted 28 February 2010 § Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies ‡ Comments (0) °

Sawfly Larva: What does more damage? A Sawfly Larva eating Leaves or a Crew Cutting Branches???

Found this larva in gunni euc tree need id?
February 23, 2010
While cutting gunni euc one of my workers found this worm. I need it id to know if I it is harmful. It is white had has black spots on the side. The face almost looks like it is smiling. Please help!!
Jennifer
Watsonville ca

Sawfly Larva

Hi Jennifer,
This is the larva of a Cimbicid Sawfly, a non-stinging relative of wasps and bees.  The Sawfly larva will eat some leaves, and we believe it is doing far less harm to the plant than the workers who were probably cutting branches.


Posted 26 February 2010 § Horntails, Wood Wasps and Sawflies ‡ Comments (0) °

Spider Wasp from China

Robust Orange Wasp Sichuan
February 18, 2010
Dear Daniel,
I saw this striking well built wasp last summer in Sichuan province, SW China. This is my third submitted photo so I hope you have no objection to repeated requests for identifications? (I have many more where this came from which I thought I might submit in dribs and drabs if that was ok).
Anyway I was wondering if it was a type of digger wasp or spider wasp as these groups seem to have quite robust looking species like this one which I estimate was about 3cm long.
The habitat was forest 600-900m.
Any help with ID much appreciated.
Thanks
Ed
Sichuan, China

Spider Wasp

Hi Ed,
We agree that this looks like a Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae, but there is not much easily available information on insects from China.  We may eventually be able to provide a species identification for this beauty.

Posted 18 February 2010 § spider wasps ‡ Comments (0) °

Ensign Wasp: Unnecessary Carnage

Can’t recognize that bug
February 17, 2010
Hi there,
First of all I got to say I had no idea such website existed. I found it very helpful although I dont know if I can recognized the bug I am looking for.
I moved into a new apartment last August and I have seen this bug couple of times already. Last time today, 5 minutes ago to be exact.Usually I see it flying in the kitchen or livingroom. It’s all black, it flies and has 6 legs I believe with 2 of them longer than the others. I have no idea where it comes from and how to permanently get rid of it. I’ve been seeing many bug in my life in many different locations in the world but never this. Does it cause any damage/ bites? Thank you
Kasia
Bronx, New York

Ensign Wasp dead from unknown causes

Hi Kasia,
Since your letter indicates that five minutes prior to writing to us, you saw the insect flying, and your photograph depicts an Ensign Wasp that is in no condition to fly, we are going to tag your letter as Unnecessary Carnage.  Ensign Wasps in the family Evaniidae parasitize the eggs of Cockroaches, so if the wasps are present in your home, it is a good indication that there are cockroaches as well.  The Ensign Wasp is beneficial in that it will reduce the number of cockroaches that plague you, and we would recommend allowing the Ensign Wasps to thrive.  Though they are wasps, they will not sting you nor harm you in any way.  You may search BugGuide for more information on Ensign Wasps.

Ensign Wasp

Posted 17 February 2010 § Parasitic Hymenopterans ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Velvet Ant from Australia

aussietrev Black Velvet Ant
February 16, 2010
Hi guys,
Congratulations on being near the end with the book project. It has been hot and very wet around this way and over the last couple of days I have come across several of these male wasps hunting around in the sandy soil. There has been some females too but they don’t like the camera getting close.
As an aside, I noticed the letter about the light and the funnel. One method of trapping insects is to bury a bottle with a funnel so that the lip of the funnel is at ground level. A light is suspended above it and ground dwellers walk to the light and fall into the funnel. Hope that sheds some light on it :-)
aussietrev
Burnett region. Queensland. Australia

Velvet Ant

Hi Trevor,
Welcome back.  We have missed getting submissions from you.  Your letter is a tad bit confusing.  You talk about the male wasps hunting, and the females not letting the camera get close, yet you have submitted an image of a female.  The female Velvet Ants are wingless and the males have wings.  The Brisbane Insect website has photos posted that look very similar to your image, but alas, they have only identified it to the family level of Mutillidae.  Another page on the Brisbane Insect website indicates that most species in Australia are in the genus Ephutomorpha, but that same page labels some wingless individuals as being male.  The What Bug Is That? guide to Australian insects has a nice description of Velvet Ants.

Posted 16 February 2010 § Velvet Ants ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Ichneumon from Israel

Five-eyed wasp?
February 14, 2010
Hi Bug People!
On my weekend hike in the nothwestern Negev desert, Israel, I came across this wasp. I don’t even know where to start looking for information on it. It wasn’t very active and let me take close ups.
Later, when I looked at the pictures, I noticed three extra ‘eyes’ on its head. Any ideas that might point me in the right direction would be appreciated!
It was about 2.5cm (1 inch) long, dull orange, with very long antennae. I saw no ovipositor so I’m guessing it’s a male.
Thanks!
Ben
Northwest Negev, Israel

Ichneumon

Hi again Ben,
WE are relatively certain this is an Ichneumon, a family of parasitory wasps that is nearly impossible to identify to the species or even genus level without inspection of the actual specimen by an expert. Many wasps have three simple ocelli in addition to two compound eyes.

Ichneumon

Posted 14 February 2010 § Ichneumons ‡ Comments (0) °

Paper Wasp from Australia attacks Photographer

February 12, 2010
Well, encouraged by your kind words about my photos, I decided to take my current ‘project’ to the next stage: I’ve been photographing these wasps building their nest outside our house, behind a window, and today I thought of taking some outside photos of the progress. I removed the fly screen, stepped on the windowsill, and stretched my hand out with the camera to record detailed images of the geometric components of their nest. Surprise, surprise, the wasps didn’t like it. They suddenly turned on my camera, all of them in line, pointing and shaking their whiskers towards it, and before me realising what was happening, they made their move. I broke my camera when I dropped it, and I’m now tendering about three wasp bites on my swollen arm and fingers.
I think my camera memory card is still OK, so hopefully the nest photos are still there! In the meantime, can you identify my attackers from this earlier image:
Best,
Ridou

Australian Paper Wasp

Hi Ridou,
We are so sorry to hear about your unfortunate encounter with these Paper Wasps in the genus Polistes.  We believe they may be the Australian Paper Wasp, Polistes humilis.  The Brisbane Insect Website has some amazing photographs of this species.  Paper Wasps are not normally aggressive, but they will attack and sting if the nest is threatened.

Hi Bugman,
In case you’re interested: here are two images that I managed to get from my broken camera’s memory card: they were taken at the time when I dropped my camera because of the attack by these paper wasps… The first image shows the structure of the nest they’re building, and the second shows them lining up to defend it.
Best,
Ridou

Australian Paper Wasp Nest

Hi again Ridou,
Do you know if the second nest was from the previous year?

Australian Paper Wasp Nest

Yes, it was… Esa

Posted 12 February 2010 § Paper Wasps ‡ Comments (1) ° Tagged:

Blue Flower Wasp from Australia

Is this a wasp ??
February 12, 2010
Hi , I live in Mornington , Victoria . Australia, and for the last month or so we have had these insects flying around the garden , I think that they may be some kind of wasp ? If possible could you identify them for me please and tell me if I should be wary of them ? Thanks for your help.
Ingrid
Mornington , south of Melbourne , Victoria Australia

Blue Flower Wasp

Dear Ingrid,
This beautiful wasp is Discolia soror, and the common name is listed as either the Blue Flower Wasp, Black Flower Wasp or Hairy Flower Wasp depending upon the author.  The adult feeds upon nectar, and the female lays eggs on Scarab Beetle Grubs which are parasitized by the larval wasps.

Blue Flower Wasp

Posted 12 February 2010 § Scoliid Wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Orchid Dupe Wasp from Australia

Another Australian Flying Bug
February 11, 2010
Another Australian Flying Bug
• Your letter to the bugman    Hello again, Bugman
I’ve been trying to identify this one, but I’m not sure if it’s a fly or something else.
Ridou Ridou
Sydney, Australia

Orchid Dupe Wasp from Australia

Hi again Ridou,
This is not a fly, but rather, a Hymenopteran, a member of the order that consists of Ants, Bees and Wasps.  We believe this is Brachonid, a parasitic wasp that can be identified in part through the long and slender antennae.  Braconids are quite similar to Ichneumons, another possibility.  We have not had any luck finding a matching photo, and we will continue to search.  There are some beautiful Braconids posted on the Brisbane Insect website, but none that match your specimen.

Thanks Daniel, I think you’re right. Apparently there’re about 800 species of Braconid (or Brachonid) in Australia! I found this site (this is the google cached version of it, since the actual page didn’t load) with a drawing of a similar species to mine:
74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:UmIoSwzWsWEJ:www.faunanet.gov.au/wos/factfile.cfm%3FFact_ID%3D232+Brachonid&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

Hi Ridou,
We couldn’t get your link to work, but we did find images of both Braconids and Ichneumons on the Life Unseen Website.  We now believe your wasp is an Orange Dupe Wasp, Lissopimpla excelsa, one of the Ichneumons.  One photo in particular looks identical to your specimen.  The Oz Insects website calls this species the Orchid Dupe, and indicates:  “The Orchid Dupe Wasp is a medium sized wasp with mainly orange body and dark wings. The abdomen has broad black band with four white spots on each side. The long thin antennae curl upwards at the ends. Females have a stout black ovipositor that is about half the body length. It is called the Orchid Dupe because some species of orchids mimic the odour and appearance of female Lissopimpla wasps. The male Lissopimpla wasps mistake the flowers for females pollinating the orchid.“

Posted 12 February 2010 § Ichneumons ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged: ,

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