Subject: Crazy looking bug
Location: Wake county, NC
June 14, 2013 2:05 pm
This bug was on my deck in summer time, near Raleigh, NC. What in the world is he? Thanks!
Signature: Traci – NC
Wheel Bug
Hi Traci,
We love your photo of a Wheel Bug in a clothespin.
Subject: Mystery Love Bugs
Location: Andover, NJ
June 5, 2013 10:59 am
Hoping you can identify these two happy little insects for me. I photographed them this morning on a wild daisy in Andover (northern) NJ. The daisy was about 1 1/2 inches across, which gives you an idea how tiny these little insects were – I couldn’t really make them out well with the naked eye. The daisy was trail-side near a lake.
Hope you can figure it out!
Signature: Deborah Bifulco
Mating Ambush Bugs
Hi Deborah,
We apologize for the delay. We were on holiday and we are now trying to make a small dent in the 100s of identification requests that arrived during our absence from the office. These are mating Ambush Bugs. Ambush Bugs were once classified in their own family, but recent taxonomy has downgraded them to a subfamily, Phymatinae, of the Assassin Bugs. Ambush Bugs frequently stalk their prey on the blossoms of flowers.
Subject: ID of red and black ant-like insect
Location: Central Pennsylvania
May 27, 2013 9:11 pm
I found these insects hatching out of a grey paper-like cell type nest on our house siding here in central Pennsylvania today, May 27, 2013. I’m wondering if you can identify it.
Signature: Miriam Roush
Thanks for your consideration of my identification query. I have a bunch of friends on Facebook who are eagerly waiting for an answer, too, since I posted the photo there. Best wishes, Miriam Roush
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
Dear Miriam,
This is a photo of hatchling Wheel Bugs. Wheel Bugs are predatory Assassin Bugs and they are considered beneficial in the garden.
Subject: Ants
Location: Pittsburgh PA
May 20, 2013 7:26 am
I found these ants outside my back door on the bricks. This colony poped up over night.
Signature: Joe
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
Dear Joe,
We corrected what we perceived to be an overwhelming cyan cast to your photo and it accentuated the red in the abdomens of these newly hatched Wheel Bugs. You can still see their empty egg mass in the lower left quadrant. We will be flying into Pittsburgh in two weeks.
Wheel Bug Hatchlings with empty Egg Mass
Subject: bug
Location: maryland
May 18, 2013 7:37 pm
This Bug Is Black With A Red Butt, 6Legs, Its Antennas Looked Orange On The Tips No Wings Though. I’m Located In Westminster Maryland. I Found The Eggs UnderneatH My Porch Railing.
Signature: please help
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
These are newly hatched Wheel Bugs. They will soon disperse and lead a solitary life, growing into winged adult Wheel Bugs, a species of Assassin Bug with a distinctive crest.
Subject: North Texas Bug
Location: Denton, TX
May 11, 2013 10:15 pm
Saw this little guy today (May 12, 2013) at a nature preserve in Denton, TX. Could you help me identify him? Thank you! 
Signature: Kayla
Wheel Bug Nymph
Hi Kayla,
We believe this immature Assassin Bug is a Wheel Bug Nymph.
Subject: Ive never seen anything like this!
Location: Windsor, Nova Scotia, Canada
May 8, 2013 8:57 pm
I found this bug on my living room floor today. I have a 9month old daughter so luckily I keep my floors very clean as she’s crawling, so she’s playing and I see this thing dart out from under the tv heading quickly for her, I grabbed her and killed it quickly with wtv I could grab. First off it was hard to kill, kind of almost flat considering how big it is (in one photo, that is my pointer finger, I have big hands for a girl) after squishing it to the floor I picked it up in a baby wipe and had to squish it more as it was still alive, resilient thing it is as you can see after all that squishing it is still in one piece!! So, it looks like the body of a bed bug, arms of a praying mantic, I can’t see any eyes and it’s ’mouth’ as you can see it like a straw, two tiny wings on its back that look like they never fully formed, and OMG I’m so creeped out. Also before I squised it the first time it seemed to be covered in a grey layer o f fuzzy dust like a moth!! If you look on the wipe you can still kinda see the layer of dust stuff….. I live in Windsor Nova Scotia Canada, this it the weirdest creepiest thing I have ever seen and I grew up with cock roaches! I kept the dead body incase lol do I need to be worried? Can this thing harm my child? That ’mouth’ it has looks like it could do some serioud damage……Thank you!!
Signature: Krystaldawn
Masked Hunter
Dear Krystaldawn,
This is an immature Masked Hunter, a species of Assassin Bug. The “grey layer of fuzzy dust” was really a layer of dust. Masked Hunters have sticky surfaces that attract dust and help to camouflage the Masked Hunter. Masked Hunters will bite if carelessly handled, and the bite can be painful, but it is not dangerous. Masked Hunters are beneficial predators that will prey undesirable creatures in your home.
Subject: Red/black flying and it bites or stings
Location: Princeton TX a lot of trees around our house
April 28, 2013 9:37 pm
I got bit or stung by this lil guy on my back…very painful very swollen… red body black head wings and legs there are a lot of them in the house we just found please help identify this guy so I know how to get rid of them. Thanks Nicole
Signature: Nicole Russell
Black Corsair
Hi Nicole,
Your photos are quite blurry, but we can tell by the shape, coloration and your description that this is a Black Corsair, Melanolestes picipes, a species of Assassin Bug. The bite is reported to be quite painful, but not dangerous. You can get more information on the Black Corsair on BugGuide.
Black Corsair
Black Assassin Bug: Black Corsair or Masked Hunter
Flightless Female Black Corsair
Corsair bites Child
Corsair
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