Black wasp with blue eyes
September 5, 2009
I found this black wasp in our chihuahua’s bed after it had apparently bitten or stung her. It was inside the house and seemed to prefer to crawl rather than fly as I had to chase it out of the bed to catch it. My initial instinct was to grab a paper towel and squish it since I did not want to be stung. My second reaction was to grab the camera. Luckily, it seems to be quite tough and only the abdomen was injured. From tip to tail, it is a little less than one half inch long. It has very tiny wings, about 3/16th of an inch long. I can not tell if it does or doesn’t have a stinger. It has striking deep blue eyes.
Tyson
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Ensign Wasp: Unnecessary Carnage
Dear Tyson,
This is an Ensign Wasp, probably Evania appendigaster. There is a photo on BugGuide that shows the same blue eyes. Since Ensign Wasps parasitize the egg capsules of cockroaches, they are quite effective in the control of what many people would agree is one of the more undesirable household intruders. We are nearly certain that Ensign Wasps are incapable of stinging. If one does a bit of math, the single Ensign Wasp that you killed might have prevented hundreds of cockroaches from infesting your house by destroying eggs. This single Ensign Wasp might then have prevented hundreds times hundreds (or tens of thousands) of Cockroaches in the second generation had the first generation all lived. Would you like us to do the math for the third generation of Cockroaches that would have been prevented from existing? Because of fear, all too often people have the inclination to kill and ask questions later, be that regarding the Unnecessary Carnage of arthropods or the irrational invasion of foreign countries. We hope the next time an Ensign Wasp finds its way into your home, which it most likely did because of the available food source for its progeny, you will allow it to search for prey without intervention.
Large redand yellow bee/wasp?
September 2, 2009
Would like to know the name of this bee-like bug that I found eating a dragonfly
Wondering999
Odenton, Maryland
European Hornet eats Dragonfly
Dear Wondering999,
The predator in your photo is a European Hornet, Vespa crabo, an introduced species, so we are tagging it as an Invasive Exotic. You can read about the species on BugGuide. The prey seems to resemble one of the Pilot Darners in the genus Coryphaeschna, but we are uncertain if the range is a far north as Maryland. We would love assistance with the Dragonfly ID. We didn’t have much luck on this Dragonfly of Maryland page.
What is this parasite on the cricket?
September 1, 2009
We found a wild cricket with the lump on its side. We were not sure if it was a growth or a parasite. Later I found another one and removed the lump. It appears to have legs and was attatched at only one point. The pictures show one with the parasite attatched. The other shows the underside of the parasite.
David and Deanna Brown
Clark County Indiana, in a garden.
Cricket with Parasite
Hi David and Deanna,
About a year ago, we posted a similar image and surmised that it might be a Tachinid Fly that had parasitized the cricket in question and linked to an online article on Tachinids parasitizing Crickets. Eric Eaton then provided us with this information: “Hi, Daniel: The object protruding from the deceased cricket is indeed a fly puparium (the rigid last larval ’skin’ enclosing a fly pupa). It could certainly be a tachinid fly, but there are also other flies that are parasitic on crickets, especially some members of the flesh fly family (Sarcophagidae). I’d personally be hard-pressed to identify even the adult fly once it emerges, though a dipterist (fly expert) could. Eric“ We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he agrees. The most common cricket parasite written about online is a Horsehair Worm.
Parasite taken from Cricket
Eric Eaton offers a suggestion: Rhopalosomatid Wasps
Daniel:
The cricket parasite is probably not a tachinid. See this:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/71173
Wish I had more time to expand on this, but I don’t at the moment.
Eric
Giant orange caterpillar
August 29, 2009
Can you identify this caterpillar? Seen in eastern PA on a canal towpath in August, length about 4″, width over .5″.
Elissa
Bethlehem PA
Argid Sawfly Larva
Dear Elissa,
Unless this is an irradiated mutant, we doubt that the Argid Sawfly Larva you found was 4 inches long. Argid Sawflies are not Caterpillars, but are non-stinging relatives of wasps. We cannot tell you the exact species, but we are linking to an image on bugguide that looks similar to your example.
Big waspy stingy looking bug
August 28, 2009
Hi ‘bugman’,
While taking my kids to a nearby beach on Lake Erie, we came across many ground burrows of these “Big waspy stingy looking bugs”, as my 8 year twins called them. I think they may be some type of Scoliid wasps, judging from the pictures on your site. We were wondering if there was any need to fear them, they seemed docile enough. They were about 2-21/2 inches long.Thanks for looking at our letter.
Joe S.
western Erie county, PA
Cicada Killer
Hi Joe,
Thanks so much for indicating in your letter that these Cicada Killers Wasps seemed docile. Female Cicada Killers are much more intent on supplying their underground burrows with paralyzed Cicadas than with stinging humans. Though a female Cicada Killer might sting a human, we have never received a substantiated report of them doing so. Male Cicada Killers that cannot sting are often aggressive about defending territory, but they are perfectly harmless. Your photos are wonderful.
Cicada Killer
KY: Black wasp with showy yellow antennae
August 26, 2009
This wasp has been around my house for the past few weeks, but its the first time I’ve ever seen this species anywhere. It looks significantly larger than the common red wasp here. Reminds me of a tarantula hawk but maybe slightly smaller. I looked through pictures of the local spider wasps but couldn’t find a match–looks more similar to that one from Australia except the wings look darker. Has very quick, jerky movement and exhibits wing shaking or flickering. It appears to be foraging for possibly other insects the way it is crawling all over these vines in the picture. It is very aggressive and has chased and pursued me hundreds of yards–so I’m lucky to have finally snapped these pictures at a safe distance. Body is completely black, Wings are black and s hiny with brown terminal ends, and the antennae are slightly mustard yellow and can curl. The passionflower with the posterior view is exactly 1″ from base to top (excluding the spikes on top of the bud) for scale, but I can’t tell if the wasp is forshortened by perspective due to its angle because it “looks” longer than that to me. It’s a different bud than the one with the side view of the wasp–I wasn’t able to find that bud again.
I’m not too crazy about this thing because of its aggressiveness, but I’d like to know more. If it is invasive or dangerous I might try to eradicate it, but if it is something rare or less dangerous that it looks, I might try to leave it be!
Jeff
Louisa, KY, USA
Spider Wasp: Entypus unifasciatus
Dear Jeff,
We are excited to be getting photos of a magnificent new species for our website. You are correct that this is a Spider Wasp in the family Pompilidae. The species is Entypus unifasciatus and it doesn’t have a common name. BugGuide has a considerable amount of information on this species.
Spider Wasp: Entypus unifasciatus
BugGuide indicates: “Life Cycle There is one generation per year. Males emerge first. By late August/early September most females are worn. By mid- to late September most female are very worn, with most of the apical area of the wing being tattered away. Life cycle probably more drawn out in far south, but there is very little difference. Most individuals do not persist into October. … Parasitoid of spiders, including wolf spiders (Lycosidae). … Females dig a burrow that ends in a terminal chamber off of the side of a mammal burrow or large crack in the ground. The serrations on the hind tibiae are used to aid the movement of soil out of the burrow entrance. The position in which the egg is laid is unknown. Larvae feed on one large spider and, as in all Pompilids that have one generation per year, overwinter as pupae.” We hope knowing a bit about this magnificent wasp will keep you from trying to eradicate it.
Spider Wasp: Entypus unifasciatus
What is this bug?
August 23, 2009
Can you please tell me what this bug is and if it is poisonous?
Belinda DiGerolamo
Carriere, MS
Cowkiller
Hi Belinda,
This is a species of Velvet Ant known commonly as a Cowkiller because of its painful sting. The female Velvet Ants are flightless wasps, and the non-stinging males have wings.
White cottony caterpillar
August 22, 2009
What is this?? My husband and I found several in our garden. We believe they are feeding on young sumac or lilac trees. We have studied caterpillars and moths/butterflies for some time and have never seen this before. Thank you for any assistance.
Donna Riedinger
New Jersey, USA
Butternut WoollyWorm
Hi Donna,
Though the Butternut WoollyWorm, Eriocampa juglandis, resembles a caterpillar and is often mistaken for a caterpillar, it is really the larva of a Sawfly. Sawflies are classified with Ants, Bees and Wasps. According to BugGuide: “Larvae feed on leaves of Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) and Butternut (Juglans cinerea). Also reported on Carya spp. (Hickory).“ The potential host trees you mention are not listed in any sources we used. According to the Auburn University website: “Fully grown larva are densely covered with white, cottony or woolly filamentous flocculence.”
Butternut WoollyWorm
sawfly larvae on hazelnut leaf
August 20, 2009
Hi WTB, I found these creepy caterpillars chomping on my contorted hazelnut. Finally determined that they are sawfly larvae but can’t find an exact match on your site. They look like they are made of green jello – yuk! Any idea what species they might be? Thanks for all your help and for maintaining such a great site!!!
Laura
Southeast PA, north of Philadelphia
Sawfly Larvae on Hazelnut
Hi Laura,
We agree that this is an Argid Sawfly in the family Argidae. According to BugGuide, the Birch Sawfly, Arge pectoralis, feeds on Hazelnut as well as birch and other trees, but the larvae have orange heads and the heads on your individuals are black. We are pretty confident the genus is Arge, but we will have to postpone exact species identification.
Sawfly Larvae on Hazelnut
wood wasp?
August 20, 2009
Found at 8700′ elevation on the summit of Robinson Peak in Washington’s Pasayten Wilderness. Ichneumon? Wood Wasp?
\Tvashtar
Summit of Robinson Peak in N central WA
Ichneumon Wasp
Hello again Tvashtar,
Your gorgeous images are monopolizing our postings today. This is not a Wood Wasp. It is a Braconid Wasp. Braconid Wasps and Ichneumons are classified together in the superfamily Ichneumonoidea of parasitic Hymenopterans. We believe your specimen is in the genus Atanycolus, but according to BugGuide: “Next to impossible to identify this genus from images alone, however it is one of the more common genera in the subfamily. Identification of images on this guide page are NOT absolute!” It might also be in the subfamily Agathidinae, also represented on BugGuide.
Correction by Eric Eaton
August 29, 2009
Daniel:
… Thanks for the prompt. I do have a couple other corrections:
The “braconid wasp” of August 20 is actually an ichneumon wasp, though I don’t know even which subfamily it belongs to. Ichneumons are a real tough group even with specimens in hand….
… I’ll keep checking for other “errors,” but you are doing a bang-up job, Daniel. Give my best to Lisa, keep in touch:-)
Eric
Cicada killer!!!
August 19, 2009
Thought you guys would like these cool pictures of a cicada killer (I think) attacking a cicada!!! I heard a weird buzz and saw them fighting so I ran and got my camera…enjoy!!!
Brian M
Baltimore, MD
European Hornet stings Cicada
Hi Brian,
Wow. What a fantastic action photo of a female Cicada Killer stinging a Cicada to feed her brood.
Correction
August 29, 2009
Hi, Daniel:
“Cicada killer stinging cicada” is actually a European hornet, Vespa crabro. They are large, pretty fearless predators on a variety of other insects. They will also raid bee hives for the honey, crushing worker bees in their massive jaws along the way.
Eric
Big Blue Flying Insect
August 17, 2009
These bugs are living in a stone wall where I work in Rhinebeck, NY (it is summer right now). They fly out and bring back grasshoppers that seem to be paralyzed when they bring them back to the wall. They disappear with them in the wall and then a few days or weeks later (not sure) they drop the shell of the grasshopper out of the wall-like the entire inside has been eaten out.aaaaaaaa
Teresa B
Rhinebeck, NY
Great Black Wasp
Dear Teresa,
This is one of two species of Thread Waist Wasps that we have trouble distinguishing from one another. We believe it is a Blue Mud Wasp, Chalybion californicum, which according to BugGuide is : “A large, active, blue-black wasp with irridescent blue wings. Frequents flowers for nectar and buildings for nest sites. Compare “Steel-Blue Cricket Hunter”, (or “Blue Mud Dauber”), Chlorion aerarium, which preys on crickets. This is about the same size as Chalybion, and is said to have a longer pedicel (narrow waist between thorax and abdomen). The body of Chalybion looks much more hairy, and more steely-blue, based on specimen photos.” The other possibility is that it is Chlorion aerarium, also depicted on BugGuide. which states: “Habitat Although generally not closely associated with humans, they are found wherever their hosts (Gryllus crickets) are found, which could include close proximity to homes (though not so much as Sceliphron and Chalybion). Chlorion is usually found in open areas such as meadows, overgrown fields, dunes, beach edges, etc., although they may not necessarily hunt in the same habitat as they nest. They are sometimes associated with the Cicada Killer where the ranges of these two wasps overlap, C. aerarium digging burrows off side of the larger wasps nest (O’Brien, 1989).
Season Late July and early August (in Michigan)
Remarks Females mass-provision several serial cells, each containing from 2 to 9 nymphs or adults of Gryllus pennsylvanicus. Prey are transported on the ground, venter-up, with the wasp’s mandibles grasping the antennae of the cricket.“ It is worth noting that the adults of both species feed on nectar and pollen, and the crickets are used as food for the brood. We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he can provide the exact identification.
Great Black Wasp
Daniel:
Ok, here are all the identifications:
The “blue mud dauber” or “Chlorion” is neither. These are two nice images of a female “great black wasp,” Sphex pensylvanicus. They hunt katydids as food for their larval offspring, as the submitter observed.
Keep up the great work!
Eric
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