Antlion in Austin
Location: Austin, Texas
June 20, 2011 3:49 pm
Hi Bugman!
You’ve answered my questions in the past, and it was so easy to find what this little guy was with just a few clicks on your site. My 9-yr-old was just SURE we had discovered a new specimen of bug, and insisted I take a pic as we hurried out the door to school. I’ll submit the pic, just in case you think it is worthy of posting…but he’s a pretty bland-colored guy. Maybe of the ”non-fancy” genus? 
Signature: Courtney Cavness
Antlion
Hi Courtney,
We are thrilled to post your photo of an Antlion which we find to be anything but bland, and we are also thrilled to hear that you were able to self identify it so easily.
¶ Posted 20 June 2011 § ‡ ° Possibly a Dobsonfly
Location: North Middle Tennessee
June 3, 2011 7:45 pm
Hi Daniel
This (lady?)stopped for a short visit just now. It looks like a ”Dobsonfly” to me without the large mandibles they are noted for,(maybe just the camera angle) I’m now confused. (Again) Thank you for your help and website. Everyone have a great day.
Signature: Richard
Antlion
Possibly a Dobsonfly.. UPDATE!!
Hi Daniel,
I’m sorry to bother you again but thought I might save you some time, I believe I now have an ID of my insect. After searching the internet I belive it is an ” Adult Antlion” I have seen “doodlebugs” all of my life but this is the first adult I’ve noticed. ThankYou for all you do.
Richard.
Hi Richard,
We apologize for the delay, but we know that searching the internet and finding a correct answer can be very rewarding. You are correct. We were going to respond to you this morning upon posting your photo which we still plan to do. Insect metamorphosis can be very drastic, and you must be marveling at finally seeing the adult imago of a familiar childhood insect.
¶ Posted 04 June 2011 § ‡ ° Butterfly ?
Location: Perge nr Antalya Turkey
May 30, 2011 2:07 pm
Saw this ”Butterfly” on a trip to the ancient ruins of Perge in Turkey, near Antalya. Was spotted in late may around mid day. Have tried to look it up on various site but have had no luck!
Signature: Matt
Thread-Winged Lacewing
Hi Matt,
We have, in the past, identified creatures like this as Spoon-Winged Lacewings, but a new web search has turned up the common name Thread-Winged Lacewing, Nemoptera sinuata, on a photo taken in Turkey on the TrekNature Website.
¶ Posted 30 May 2011 § ‡ ° Grossed out
Location: Lynnwood, WA
May 24, 2011 12:48 am
Holy crap, I was eating my angel food cake and spotted this thing crawling around in it. I flipped out mentally, but brought it out to my kitchen where the light was better and set it down to take pictures of it.
I went through the rest of the cake pretty thoroughly and found no evidence of other similar bugs, but I can’t shake the feeling that this thing was in here before I bought it at the grocery store.
Please help me figure out what it is, and tell me if it’s dangerous.
Signature: – Freaked Out
Lacewing Larva searches for Aphids in Angelfood Cake
Dear Freaked Out,
We do not mean in any way to minimize the trauma you felt upon encountering this lost Lacewing Larva while eating your angelfood cake, however, we chuckled none the less. The Lacewing Larva, if it was capable of feelings, would have also felt traumatized at the realization that it was no longer in a habitat conducive to hunting Aphids. Lacewing Larvae are found in gardens and among plants and they are very adept hunters that are cherished by organic gardeners because they help to control harmful insects. Lacewings are even sold in quantities, though they are not quite as popular as either Lady Bugs or Preying Mantids in the biological warfare arena. We highly doubt you found any additional Lacewing Larvae in your cake, though we feel quite certain that the entire pastry ended up in the garbage can. It is worth mentioning that many insects are contained in processed foods that are sold by reputable manufacturers and markets. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has strict guidelines that must be followed regarding the upper limit of allowable insects in food, though most people are unaware that some insects are found in the foods they purchase and that they fall within the standard. Here are some statistics on the limits that we copied from the Insects Are Food website:
“Insects are commonly found in the following foods:
Apple butter – 5 insects per 100g
Berries – 4 larvae per 500g OR 10 whole insects per 500g
Ground paprika – 75 insect fragments per 25g
Chocolate – 80 microscopic insect fragments per 100g
Canned sweet corn – 2.3mm-length larvae, cast skins or fragments
Cornmeal – 1 insect per 50g
Canned mushrooms – 20 maggots per 100g
Peanut butter – 60 fragments per 100g (136 per lb)
Tomato paste, pizza, and other sauces – 30 eggs per 100g OR 2 maggots per 100g
Wheat flour – 75 insect fragments per 50g“
¶ Posted 24 May 2011 § ‡ ° Odd Texas buggy
Location: Keller, Texas…on the sidewalk
May 13, 2011 4:54 pm
Absolutely no idea what this little weirdo is. Looks like he’s got pieces of dead ants on his back. I figured just sending a letter for this one would be a lot easier than looking through the entire website. 
This is the second time I’ve ever seen one of these, the first time being several years ago.
Signature: confused insect fan
Lacewing Larva
Dear confused insect fan,
This is the Larva of a Lacewing. They often carry the debris of their prey on their backs as a means of camouflage or protection. We love that you took one photo from the bottom, showing the insect more clearly.
Lacewing Larva
¶ Posted 14 May 2011 § ‡ ° Type of mantis?
Location: North Texas
May 9, 2011 12:28 pm
I found this bug in our backyard over the weekend. It looks like a type of mantis; however, the front legs seem to bend the opposite way. This one could fly, but not very well, or very far. I have never seen anything like it before.
Signature: Heather
Mantidfly
Hi Heather,
Your confusion over this mantis-like insect is understandable. This is some species of Mantidfly in the family Mantispidae. They are not closely related to the Preying Mantids despite the remarkable visual similarity. The pale coloration of this specimen is unlike any of the Mantidflies on BugGuide, and we are not certain if it is the actual coloration or the result of shooting conditions.
Mantidfly
Thanks for the information. And the colors in the photo are true to what I saw.
Thanks again,
Heather
¶ Posted 09 May 2011 § ‡ ° Lacy winged visitor in Tomato Patch
Location: Central Florida, Apopka
April 14, 2011 10:17 pm
While working in my garden the other day, I witnessed this critter fly across my tomato patch and light on one of the Tomato cages. I grabbed my camera to add it to my album of garden visitors and while I have excellent images, I’m unable to find out the name of my guest. The weather here in Apopka is in the mid 80’s . Typical for the first week of April. The closest body of water is approximately 500 yards across the street in a cow pasture.
Signature: Lee
Antlion
Hi Lee,
It is quite perceptive that you referred to this Antlion as a “lacy winged visitor” because Antlions are closely related to Lacewings and they are both grouped together in the Nerve Winged Insect order Neuroptera. Antlions like Lacewings are predatory. They have a feeble flight. Many Antlions have larvae known as Doodlebugs that dig pits in sandy soil. The Doodlebug buries itself at the bottom of the pit with only its massive jaws exposed and it waits for prey to stumble into the pit. We have found unsubstantiated references, including this wonderful Worsley School page, that adult Antlions feed upon nectar and pollen, or that they do not eat as adults. Most information about their predatory habits is restricted to the larval Doodlebugs.
That is just way too cool !!!!!!!! Thank You so much for your response.
I have Ant lions or Doodlebugs all around my house and I have always thought of them as a beneficial insect acting as a sentinel protecting the border of my home.
It’s photo’s like this that make me glad I pay attention to natures many eyes that are watching me as I work in the yard and outside in our world in general.
Thanks once again for sharing your knowledge on this incredible website.
Lee
Antlion Colony
As my Thanks to you for the quick ID of my Garden Visitor, I went on a “Lion Hunt” for you.
Attached are the results of the Hunt. I hope you enjoy them.
Lee
Doodlebug
Hi again Lee,
That is one impressive Antlion colony. We are surprised that you never noticed the adult Antlions before. We understand that in some areas, children are taught to capture Doodlebugs by fishing with a blade of grass or a piece of straw from a broom. The Doodlebug latches onto the grass or straw with its jaws and it can then be extracted from the pit it has dug.
Doodlebug
¶ Posted 15 April 2011 § ‡ ° Adult Green Lace Wing bite
Location: Texas
April 12, 2011 8:52 pm
I have a question about the green lacewing. I know the larvae can have a nasty bite, but I know that I was bitten by an adult. I was bitten a few years ago but I remember it clearly. I was outside when it landed on my hand. I tried to shake it off, but it crawled up to my finger and bit it. I smacked at it and it flew away. I showed my dad and he killed it while it was sitting on a wall. The bite lasted for about half an hour,was swollen and red, and felt like a very strong pinch. after that time, it only itched badly for about an hour. I need to know why an adult woul bite, and how because I have always heard they are harmless but they obviously are not. Thanks!
Signature: any way
Green Lacewing
Dear any way,
We have never heard of an adult Lacewing biting someone, but since they are predators and their young, known as Aphid Lions, are notorious little buggers that frequently bite the unwary, we do not doubt that Lacewings might bite. Thanks for providing such first hand knowledge of the short term affects of the bite of the Golden Eye, another wonderfully descriptive name.
Update: We stand corrected
October 16, 2011
Thanks to the numerous comments of our readership, we concede. It seems adult Lacewings can bite, though we maintain the bite is an annoyance and of no danger to humans.
¶ Posted 12 April 2011 § ‡ ° 
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