Subject: Help ID these bugs
Location: Maryland
May 14, 2013 4:08 pm
We have these every year on the side of the house. They seem to like the shade. They don’t appear to an issue. There’s just alot of them. I haven’t been able to ID them.
Signature: Mike

Mayfly

Hi Mike,
You must live near a source of fresh water.  This is a Mayfly and they have aquatic larvae.  When it is time for metamorphosis to the winged adult, they often emerge in large numbers.  Mayflies to not eat as adults, and generally live a few days at most, long enough to mate and reproduce.

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Subject: What type of Mayfly is this?
Location: Columbia, MO
April 29, 2013 5:17 pm
A fly fishing buddy and I are trying to identify the name of this mayfly. Any help would be appreciated. I took this picture on my back porch in Columbia, MO on 4/29/13 at 7pm.
Signature: DocChad

Possibly Flatheaded Mayfly

Hi DocChad,
We tend to be amateur generalists here at What’s That Bug? and we are not very good at keying out difficult species.  With that said, this Mayfly appears to be very similar to this image posted to BugGuide that is identified as being in the family Heptageniidae, the Flatheaded Mayflies.

Flatheaded Mayfly, we believe.

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Subject: yellow bugs in kansas lake bathrooms
Location: kansas
August 2, 2012 5:28 am
They climb on walls and fly. They act a lot like moths but are very easy to catch.
Signature: amber

Golden Mayfly

Hi Amber,
This insect is a Mayfly in the insect order Ephemeroptera.  We believe based on its size and color, it is a Golden Mayfly in the genus Hexagenia, and it might also be called a Giant Mayfly or a Burrowing Mayfly.  According to BugGuide they are:  “Very large mayflies. Usually pale golden yellow at least when freshly emerged, i.e., subimago.”  BugGuide also notes:  “Adults emerge in evening, disperse widely, coming to lights–often far from bodies of water.”  The proximity of the bathrooms to the lakes and the lights at night are solid reasons why these Golden Mayflies are congregating at the bathrooms.  This individual is a subimago.  Mayflies are the only insects known to molt while in the winged form, and the initial molt from nymph to winged adult is called the subimago.  A second molt occurs soon after and the Mayfly is in its fully adult, reproductive form.

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Subject: Unusual N. Mississippi winged bug
Location: N. Mississippi just outside of Memphis, Tn.
July 9, 2012 5:36 pm
Love your site!! This bug was on our outside redneck fridge. I have never seen one before or since. Could you please identify?
Thank you
Stephanie Berry

Mayfly

Hi Stephanie,
We really need to know if the redneck fridge is full of beer.  This is a Mayfly, a common group of insects often found near water where the aquatic nymphs or naiads develop.  Adults are often attracted to lights.

Fridge = BEER!@
And, we have a small lake out back.
Right now I’m nursing a Copperhead bite.
Y’all come on down for some Beer and bugs!  LoL
Thanks for the info … y’all are amazing!
Stephanie Berry

Thanks for the invitation Stephanie.  We just might take you up on that offer some day.

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Subject: A bug we found on the door.
Location: Carmel, NY
July 8, 2012 11:09 am
We found this bug on the door, I have never seen anything like it. It reminds me of a centipede the way it has the tendrils on the back.
Signature: Jeremy Currier

Mayfly

Hi Jeremy,
This is a Mayfly and they are often attracted to lights.  They can appear in prodigious numbers.  They are generally found near water because the nymphs are aquatic.

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What is this bug?
Location: Huntsville, AL
April 9, 2012 5:19 pm
I was out fishing and this bug landed on my jacket. I have never seen anything like it.
Signature: Liz S

Mayfly

Hi Liz,
This interesting creature is a Mayfly in the insect order Ephemeroptera.  Mayflies do not feed as adults, and they only live a few days, long enough to mate and lay eggs.

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Unknown Bug! mars o shrimp!
Location: middle east
October 17, 2011 5:05 am
Hi there,
you guys are amazing.i’m so glad that ive found you.last week i was hanging around in my house that suddenly i saw a bug.i have no idea what is it,hope you can identify it.
Signature: MD

Exuvia of a Mayfly

Dear MD,
This is the exuvia or shed exoskeleton of a Mayfly.  The aquatic nymphs of Mayflies, known as naiads, leave the water to molt into winged subadults, and what you found is the remain of the molting process.  See this image from BugGuide that looks similar.

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Intriguing Bug… intriguing behavior
Location: Fraser Valley, BC, Canada
September 27, 2011 9:13 pm
Hello Mr. Bugman,
I have had this very interesting little bug on my window since around mid June (it is now the end of September). I just checked before I took these pictures today and he/she is very much alive still. Do you know what it is so that I can look further into why it is behaving this way? I gently picked him/her up and placed her on a plant and within an hour he/she was right back on my window. Sometimes he/she is brownish and sometimes he/she is a brilliant light green color.
Thank you tons.
C.T.
Signature: Thank you Tons. C.T.

Mayfly

Dear C.T.,
This is a Mayfly in the order Ephemeroptera.  You can see the U.C.  Berkeley website for more information on Mayflies.  We can tell you that the name Ephemeroptera is a reference to the very short life of the adult or imago that often lives for a single day.  Adult Mayflies do not feed.  We are certain that the Mayfly you photographed is not the same as the individual you noticed in June.  The light green individuals you have seen are the subimagos or subadults.  Mayflies are unusual in that they molt twice in the final winged stage of their life.  

That is awesome info!  Thank you so greatly.  I often get interesting bugs on my deck.  If I find them in the future, can I contact you again?
Thank you also for you quick response.  I was excited to see your email and surprised and how fast you got back to me.
Smiles,
Cheryl

We have many contributors who send us multiple identification requests, but we cannot guarantee that our small staff will be able to respond to every request.

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