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Mesquite Borer with Phoretic Mites

bug identification
Location:  Central Texas
August 12, 2010 11:58 am
Could you please identify this bug. I live in central Texas. 100 degree weather right now. Was on our wood pile
Nina F

locust borer mites nina 2 300x236 Mesquite Borer with Phoretic Mites

Mesquite Borer with Phoretic Mites

Hi Nina,
We wish your photos were not so blurry and that they had more detail.  This looks like a Locust Borer, Megacyllene robiniae, and it appears to be covered with Mites.  We suspect they are Phoretic Mites and not Parasitic Mites.  Phoretic Mites are opportunistic, and they use other insects for transportation purposes.  We have never seen such a large quantity of Phoretic Mites on any insect other than a Carrion Beetle.  Was the wood in your wood pile black locust?  Knowing that would add evidence to our assumption that the beetle in your photo is a Locust Borer.

locust borer mites nina 300x192 Mesquite Borer with Phoretic Mites

Mesquite Borer with Phoretic Mites

Update: Nina provided us with a comment that the wood pile is 90% mesquite and 10% oak, and that made a huge difference.  Her borer is a Mesquite Borer, Placosternus difficilis, which looks very similar to the Locust Borer.  BugGuide even provides a visual comparison.

Posted 16 August 2010 § Longhorn Beetles ‡ Comments (2) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Velvet Mite from Mexico

velvety red something
Location:  Lake Chapala, Mexico
August 10, 2010 7:32 am
Hi I encountered this little guy near Lake Chapala in Mexico this past weekend. About 1 cm long, bright red, and fuzzy. Any idea what it might be? THANKS
David Nunez

velvet mite mexico david 300x250 Velvet Mite from Mexico

Velvet Mite

Hi David,
We are amused that your photo was labeled “ask-an-entomologist” because we are merely amateurs with art degrees.  As a point of clarification, you should really ask an acarologist who specializes in mites and ticks because you sighted a Velvet Mite in the family Trombidiidae.  Velvet Mites are not a threat to humans.  According to BugGuide:  “Larvae are parasitic on insects. Adults eat insect eggs.“  Velvet Mites are common in arid climates and they often emerge in great numbers after rains.

Thanks, that was fast! And you’re more of an entomologist than I am- haha.  Thats actually all the info I need. Congrats on the website.
David A. Nuñez

Posted 10 August 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °

Bumble Flower Beetle and Phoretic Mites

What is this brown beetle that keeps burrowing into my garden?
May 19, 2010
I have a garden in my backyard, organic, and a few times now I’ve caught this type of beetle trying to burrow its way down into my soil. It’s a flying beetle, though it doesn’t seem to be that graceful (the first time I saw it it flew in past me and landed upside down in the dirt, then situated itself and commenced the burrowing). It’s about the size of the nail on my thumb and blends in pretty well with the dirt. The garden that it seems to prefer is one that contains asparagus, green onions, carrots, and radishes. I really just want to know whether or not this beetle can be harmful to my garden; if it isn’t then I have no problem with sharing the space! If it’s terrorizing the roots of my plants, however, we may have some issues. The images that I’m attaching, just to clarify, are not of a dead bug. This beetle plays dead when poked. This particular fella continued what he was doing a few minutes after our photoshoot.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time!
Jamie
Ohio, USA

bumble flower beetle jamie 295x300 Bumble Flower Beetle and Phoretic Mites

Bumble Flower Beetle

Hi Jamie,
This is a Bumble Flower Beetle, Euphoria inda, and we identified it on BugGuide which indicates:  “Larvae usually reported to live in decaying wood, vegetation, and especially, dung (5). Eggs deposited in summer near these food sources. Larvae feed and overwinter, or perhaps pupae overwinter. Adults emerge in early summer. Males often seen searching for newly-emerged females.“  Your organic garden probably has rich organic soil that can provide a food source for the young.  The Texas Beetle Information website provides this interesting information:  “You know that the sun MUST be out for them to fly…  Can be the same temp but no sun, no beetles…  They drop to the ground and dig in as soon as it gets cloudy…“  The Beetles of Eastern North America website also has some good information.  Your second image of the underside has what appears to be a parasitic infestation, possibly a Tachinid Fly.  The Pacific Horticulture Website has an excellent article on Tachinid Flies.  We will check with Eric Eaton to see if he has a theory on the parasite.

bumble flower beetle jamie 2 300x286 Bumble Flower Beetle and Phoretic Mites

Bumble Flower Beetle with Phoretic Mites

Daniel:
I don’t see a fly anywhere in this picture.  I see what *could* be mites, but this also looks like a DEAD beetle.  I can’t draw any conclusions.
Eric

I thought they looked like fly larvae.  Thanks Eric.
Daniel

Ah, well, if so then Phoridae would be a better candidate than tachinids I think.  Still, image is wa-a-a-a-y out of focus, can’t tell if beetle is alive or not….:

Here is the link to the letter Eric,
She described the beetle as still moving.
Daniel

Ok, then mites (phoretic, not parasitic) are the most likely candidates for the tiny objects on the underside of the beetle.
Eric

Posted 20 May 2010 § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Harvestman

SO CALIFORNIAN SPIDER
May 2, 2010
We came across this spider, hiking Hollenbeck Canyon, in Jamul, CA. I have not seen it on any of of many hikes. Can you identify it? My husband, the Eagle Scout, claims it’s some sort of a stink-spider?? I can’t find it in photos, anywhere. … thanks!
Sharon
Jamul, CA

harvestman mites sharon 300x288 Harvestman

Harvestman with Mites

Hi Sharon,
This is not a spider, but rather, a member of the order Opiliones, known as Harvestmen or Daddy Long Legs.  We are intrigued by your husband’s name “Stink Spider” and we have our own recollection of Harvestmen releasing a foul odor.  When we researched that idea, we found the CritterZone website which states:  “When disturbed, they emit a foul odor from their scent glands. To would be predators, this is a clear warning that harvestmen taste terrible. “  Unlike spiders, Harvestmen do not have venom, and many species are scavengers that feed on dead invertebrates and decaying fruits and vegetables, though other species use their crushing mouthparts to feed on invertebrate prey.  The red spots are Parasitic Mites, probably in the genus Leptus and according to BugGuide: “The larvae are generalist parasites of terrestrial arthropods. A number of species in this genus are described as parasites of North American harvestmen.”

Posted 03 May 2010 § Opiliones and Harvestmen ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Velvet Mite

Red, Very tiny 2 – 3 mm size, and very active.
April 23, 2010
This is a very tiny bug, she have red vivid color, and never stop, always in action, running somewhere. If you touch with a stick or sometling like that, for exeample, with a match, she is suddenly stops and fold the legs, for a while stay put like a death.
Arti…
Turkey, Istanbul

mite turkey arti 300x178 Velvet Mite

Running Mite

Hi Arti,
Wow, your photos are gorgeous and so full of detail.  This is a Mite, but alas, we are not experts in Mites, so we cannot tell you anything specific about this Mite.  Many mites like Dust Mites, Food InfestingMites, and Parasitic Mites have bad reputations, but we are confident that this is a predatory species that will not cause you any grief.  Perhaps an acarologist can provide a more concrete response.

mite turkey 2 arti 300x236 Velvet Mite

Running Mite

Hi,
Thank you very much for information :) I found an information from my macro photography group, this was a Velvet mite.
sorry for my poor english :)

Thanks Arti,
It is quite small for a Velvet Mite, but thanks for providing that information.

Posted 24 April 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) °
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Tropical Fowl Mite

Please help me identify this bug
April 16, 2010
I have taken microscopic photos of these small specs that were picked up with clear tape from ceiling in room and where they fell on bunk bed below. There appears to be clusters on the ceiling. There’s a cable hole in wall where there are dark speckles, and dark cluster around the hole. Exterior of house is pigeon poop we are continuously cleaning off. Please help me identify these things so we know how to prevent or clean. I don’t think they’re bed bugs? Could they be some kind of dust mite? Thank you
sz
ocean beach, california

tropical fowl mite sz 300x230 Tropical Fowl Mite

Tropical Fowl Mite

Dear sz,
This is a mite in the genus Ornithonyssus, and BugGuide has a very good photograph of a specimen found in San Diego County.  Our guess is that it is a Tropical Fowl Mite, Ornithonyssus bursa, which is profiled on the Featured Creatures website.  The site indicates:  “The tropical fowl mite, commonly found on birds, has become a pest to man in areas of high bird populations or where birds are allowed to roost on roofs, around the eaves of homes, and office buildings. Nesting birds are the worst offenders. After the birds abandon their nests, the mites move into the building through windows, doors, and vents and bite the occupants” and “The bite is irritating to man and some individuals react to the bite with prolonged itching and painful dermatitis. Several to many reports are received each year of mites invading homes. The mites are usually the tropical fowl mite found in the central and southern areas of the state. The northern fowl mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago), a close relative, is also found in Florida.“  Your visitors may also be a closely related species, the Northern Fowl Mite, Ornithonyssus sylviarum. According to Charles Hogue in his book, Insects of the Los Angeles Basin, both species “infest the nests of urban birds, such as House Sparrows and pigeons, and may invade homes and buildings in droves.”

tropical fowl mite 2 sz 300x206 Tropical Fowl Mite

Tropical Fowl Mite

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PROMPT REPLY!  Have a great weekend, sz

Posted 17 April 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Mites in Telephone: Culture Mites

mites in phone?
January 21, 2010
First, let me say I know all about delusionary parasitosis. what I’m about to describe differs in that I have no sensation of anything “crawling on me…”
I enjoy insects of all kinds. they do not creep me out at all.
So here’s my question; I have an old fashion telephone, the kind with a handset and the curly wire. If I look into the earpiece I see several pale colored creatures that I’m guessing are mites. they move slower than spider mites and are slightly smaller. It takes a magnifying glass to see them well. There are also afew in the cradle where the phone rests, but they are mostly concentrated in the ‘vents’ of the earpiece. Again, I have never found one on me, and there is no itching. The only other place I’ve seen one of these was walking across the page of a library book. I know what a psocid looks like, it’s not the same. Please tell me what these are, why they are in my phone, and can they effect me or cats. I’m keeping the phone in a plastic bag until I find answers.
thanks
darn! it won’t let me submit my question without a pic…so, sorry, but this pic has nothing to do with my question. It’s obviously just some nice bees in a cactus flower. no need to id.
just wondering
north california

Dear just wondering,
Without a photo, it is difficult to say.  We suspect probably book lice.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/18966/bgimage

culture mite michal Mites in Telephone: Culture Mites

Culture Mite

Thank you, but it turned out to be Acarus siro …the phone was on the floor, and there was a piece of kibble cat food in the carpet just COVERED with ‘em.
I vaccumed really well, spritzed the carpet with isopropel, and put the phone in the freezer.
My question now is; how long should the phone stay in the freezer? will over night kill them completely?
I love your website. Thanks for all your necessary and educational (and fun!) writing.

Thanks for the followup.  We are posting your letter with a photo from our archives of a Culture Mite, Acarus siro.  We posted this image in 2005.  Regarding freezing, we believe the longer the better.

Posted 23 January 2010 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

Possibly Tropical Fowl Mites from Australia

Bird Mites?
December 22, 2009
After awaking two mornings in a row after a restless night feeling like something was crawling all over me, I took a close look at the bed sheets and found these little critters crawling everywhere.
After washing and bleaching the sheets and vacuuming and steam cleaning the carpet, they returned the next morning!
Comparing my photo to photos of ticks found on the internet, I was convinced that they were ticks. After speaking to a few local pest control companies, they were sceptical at first until they saw the photo and also believed they were ticks.
One company suggested that the behaviour wasn’t consistent with ticks. They did not attach when biting, and they only appears upstairs, even though our dogs only every stay downstairs. He suggested that they could be bird mites.
Then I came across your site, and saw Bernard from South Aftrica’s post titled “MITES CRAWLING ON SKIN IN SOUTH AFRICA”, with a picture almost identical to what I’ve seen.
Mark S.
Melbourne, Australia

Tropical Fowl Mite???

Tropical Fowl Mite???

Hi Mark,
One of your photos does look identical to the Mite in Bernard’s images from South Africa, but the third image (though we are posting it second) looks like it might be another species.  Possibly that individual is engorged with blood.  As we indicated to Bernard, we do not have the necessary qualifications to properly identify Mites to the species level, though Bird Mites would be a strong possibility.  In November 2008, we posted an image that might be a Tropical Fowl Mite, Ornithonyssus bursa, and we provided a link to an Australian Website on that Mite.  Perhaps an acarologist will chime in at some point, and we would recommend that you post a comment to your own letter so that you will be informed of any further comments from our readership.

Tropical Fowl Mite??? Blood Engorged???

Tropical Fowl Mite??? Blood Engorged???

Posted 22 December 2009 § ‡ Comments (0) ° Tagged:

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