rss Moth or wasp?
Location: southern West Virginia
July 18, 2011 9:38 pm
I found this bug in my bean patch early in the morning and wondered what it was. No internet search could help.
Signature: Cori
Squash Vine Borer
Hi Cori,
The Squash Vine Borer is a moth that mimics a wasp for protection since wasps sting and moths do not. The larvae bore in the stems of squash plants including zucchini and pumpkin. We are guessing that you have some squash growing near the bean patch.
Flying Bug in Whitstable UK
Location: Whitstable UK
July 2, 2011 6:33 am
Dear Bugman
My sister pictured this in their backyard in Whistable, Kent, UK and we would like to know what it is please.
Thanks
Signature: Michelle Morris
Large Red Belted Clearwing
Hi Michelle,
This is one of the Clearwing Moths in the family Sesiidae, a group which contains species that mimic wasps for protection. We believe we have correctly identified this as a Large Red Belted Clearwing, Synanthedon culiciformis, thanks to the UK Moths website. The larvae of many of the Clearwing Moths are borers in woody plants, and the UK Moths site indicates: “The species inhabits heathland and woodland, where the host tree, birch (Betula abounds, and is known from much of mainland Britain.” The UK Moths site also states: “Although generally larger than the similar Red-belted Clearwing, the sizes overlap and it is more easily distinguished by the orange-red suffusion at the base of the forewings. The moth flies earlier in the year than many other clearwings, being on the wing in May and June.” The Red Belted Clearwing is also represented on the UK Moths website.
About a weird red bug on my pumpkin stems
Location: Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
June 26, 2011 1:43 pm
Hello,
this morning I noticed a weird red bug that looked like a cross between a beetle and a wasp that was fully bright red with several black dots down its abdomen. The abdomen curled up just like a bee’s does when it’s pollinating, and its wings were pretty large and totally black. But the front of its body resembles a beetle shape. I am attaching the few pics I was able to take before it flew away. We have a small garden, but everytime it flew away and came back it went right back to the pumpkin stems at the bottom near the dirt and seemed to be stabbing the thickest part of the stem like a bee pollinates flowers.I have never seen anything like this insect before and was wondering if you could help identify it. Was wondering if it was good or bad for the pumpkin plant.
Thank you
Signature: Cheri Fazio
Squash Vine Borer
Hi Cheri,
This is a Squash Vine Borer in the family Sesiidae, the Clearwing Moths are are wasp mimics. The behavior you describe is consistent with that of a female ovipositing, or laying eggs. The larvae bore in the stems of plants in the squash family including pumpkin and melons.
lobster/butterfly?
Location: Redmond, WA
June 26, 2011 1:21 pm
Hey, I found this flying creature at work and was really curious as to what it is. It looks like a lobster crossed with a butterfly.
Signature: Joe
Douglas Fir Pitch Moth
Hi Joe,
We could have easily given you a general family name of Sesiidae, the Clearwing Wasp Moths, without any research. These Clearwings are wasp mimics, and the larvae are borers. There are numerous members in this family, and many are very poorly represented with photographs of living specimens. Pinned specimens from collections are often quite difficult to compare visually with living moths as the colors seem so much duller in museum specimens. We scoured the pages of BugGuide, eliminating possibility after possibility, until we stumbled upon the Douglas Fir Pitch Moth, Synanthedon novaroensis, which is represented on BugGuide by a single mounted specimen from Alaska. Bold Systems Taxonomy supplied additional images of pinned specimens from museums, and it was not until we searched the Moth Photographers Group website that we found a photo of a living specimen that satisfied us that we had properly identified your moth. We also located this technical paper on the Douglas Fir Pitch Moth.
Douglas Fir Pitch Moth
orange bug id?
Location: Dallas, TX
May 16, 2011 11:08 am
I found this orange and black bug on my squash plants this morning. I’m in Dallas, Texas. Can you identify it?
Thanks,
Misty
Signature: Misty
Squash Vine Borer
Hi Misty,
Though it looks like a wasp, the Squash Vine Borer, Melittia cucurbitae, is actually a moth.
Well, that will teach me for hesitating to kill an insect that looks interesting. It was quite pretty, but it’s gonna die if I see it again. Thanks very much!!!! 
Misty
Unknown moth?
Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
January 31, 2011 9:29 am
The two different species or male and female of the same species were taken in late January in our dry season at 800 meters. They were photographed at the same small pool on consecutive days at around 1 pm. The pool was formed by a depression in granite rock about 10 feet from a larger pool fed by a small waterfall. The area around is wooded but this spot is in a 75 foot clearing due to rock. I’ve looked everywhere on the web and nothing is even close. I’m guessing Arctiinae. Any suggestions?
Signature: Dave Hutchison
Clearwing Moth from Thailand
Dear Dave,
Though there is a group of Arctiids that mimic wasps, there is another family, Sesiidae, that are also wasp mimics, though the family is collectively known as Clearwings. There are many species in this family that exhibit marked sexual dimorphism, so much so that males and females look like different species. Many Sesiids have larvae that are borers in the stems and roots of woody plants. You can see many examples of North American Sesiids on BugGuide.
Clearwing Moth from Thailand
We are going to do a quick search of the internet to see if we have any luck with this species, but we have a time constraint this morning as we will be closing the offices and not responding to any additional letters while we are at our day job.
Clearwing Moth from Thailand
Bee/Beetle/Fly ????
July 5, 2010
Dear Bugman,
We were out in our garden when we saw this weird bee??? collecting pollen. We thought it was very odd and had never seen anything like it before. It has very hairy legs and was definetly collecting pollen. It has wings almost like a dragonfly and antenna like a butterfly. We really don’t know that much about bugs but do know that we have never seen anything like it…soooo we were hoping you could help us identify it. Thanks!!
Manda & Michael
Clay City, Indiana
Squash Vine Borer
Dear Manda and Michael,
This moth is a wasp mimic in the family Sesiidae, and it is the Squash Vine Borer, Melittia cucurbitae. The female wasp lays her eggs on the stems of squash and pumpkin vines, and the larvae are stem borers that can cause considerable damage to the plants.
Black and orange fly, or wasp
July 5, 2010
I saw this in my garden and can’t find anything that looks quite like this. It was on my zucchinin plants and was about an inch to inch and a quarter long and seemed to like being in the sun, the main body was bright orange and the tops of the legs were orange also, on it’s back were black stripes or long spots on it. I don’t have a good picture since I was out in the garden and only had my cell phone.
JD
Northern Illinois, US
Squash Vine Borer
Dear JD,
The Squash Vine Borer, Melittia cucurbitae, that you have photographed and submitted is actually a moth that mimics a wasp.
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