Ambush Bug Eating Honeybee
Location: Milton, VT, USA
June 25, 2011 8:56 am
I mentioned the Ambush Bug in my previous submission so I thought I would send you the photos of the one I saw that had ”ambushed” a honeybee in a Queen Anne’s Lace! The one I am holding is a second one that was in the next flower over. He/she had the coolest face I’ve ever seen on a bug (except for a cicada), kind of reminded me of a dinosaur. Anyway I hope you enjoy these, and I love this site. This site kept me from killing a pseudoscorpion I found in my closet that I thought was a tick!
Signature: Betsy
Ambush Bug eats Honey Bee
Hi Betsy,
Your letter inspired the entire editorial staff to go out and weed in the garden and observe insects on our grounds in Mt. Washington, Los Angeles. Many of the species of insects in the east that frequent Queen Anne’s Lace also visit the flowering carrots in our our garden. Pollinating insects love Queen Anne’s Lace and carrots as do predators that prey upon pollinating insects. The staff began to feel guilty that computers were abandoned and emails and comments were left unanswered so we returned to the desk, but we only felt guilty enough to post your letter and wonderful photographs before immediately heading back outside to the sun and activity.
Ambush Bug
Thanks Daniel! Your entire site today inspired me to go outside and take about 100 pictures of teeny tiny bugs! I even spotted a spider the size of a pin head that had caught one of those little iridescent flies on a milkweed, a perfectly matched green grasshopper hiding in milkweed blossoms/leaves, and lots of mating beetles! Our Queen Anne’s Lace hasn’t blossomed yet this year but I always look for the Goldenrod crab spiders and other interesting critters that reside in them on my walks.
Elisabeth
2
Cool alien looking bug
Location: Lewes, DE
June 23, 2011 11:35 am
I found this bug on a mailbox (exactly where the picture shows it) and when I slammed the lid open and shut again it hadn’t moved a bit, so I know it has a good grip, but I was scared of being stung or bitten. Are these bugs dangerous?
Signature: Sherry
Immature Wheel Bug
Dear Sherry,
This predatory immature Wheel Bug has piercing and sucking mouthparts. It is capable of biting if it is carelessly handled, though we rarely get reports of people being bitten by Wheel Bugs. The bite is reported to be painful, but not dangerous.
1
Insect identification
Location: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
June 21, 2011 3:20 pm
Greetings from Dominican Republic. A friend of mine send me your website to clarify my search of what’s that bug?
Yesterday I was at my new home and I found this small insect standing on the floor opening his legs in a curious an funny way. Can you please tell me many things on this bug. Thanks on advance.
Signature: Alejandro (Dominican Republic)
Assassin Bug
Hi Alejandro,
We do not recognize the species, but we can tell you that this insect is an Assassin Bug in the family Reduviidae. Most Assassin Bugs are predators on other insects and arthropods, hence they are considered beneficial insects. A very small percentage of Assassin Bugs, most notably the Blood Sucking Conenose Bugs in the genus Triatoma, take blood from warm blooded prey like mammals and occasionally humans. Your Assassin Bug is not a Blood Sucking Conenose. We can speculate that it is a beneficial species.
¶ Posted 21 June 2011 § ‡ ° A mysterious white bug
Location: Brossard, Québec, Canada
June 18, 2011 10:00 pm
Dear bugman,
I found this intriguing bug in my house today, near the patio door.
It was approximately 1 cm long.
I tried to blow on it (in case the white stuff covering it was mere dust) but the appearance of the bug did not change at all.
Do you have any idea of what it could be?
Thank you in advance!
Best regards,
Signature: Marie Charbonneau
Masked Hunter
Dear Marie,
Your insect is a species of Assassin Bug known as the Masked Hunter, or sometimes a Bed Bug Hunter, Reduvius personatus. The exoskeleton of the immature Masked Hunter is sticky and attracts all manner of lint and debris, effectively camouflaging the predator in its environment. Since they prey upon a variety of insects, including Bed Bugs, they are considered beneficial insects.
¶ Posted 19 June 2011 § ‡ ° This bug is strange, what is it, please?
Location: West-Central Florida.
June 2, 2011 3:46 pm
Hello bugman,
I was watering my plants and I saw whis WEIRD looking bug and I ran in the house to get my camera before it flew off. It was still there when I came back and noticed a bit more that it was at his/her home. The plant it is in, is a lilly of some sort and he/she has a home inside, with a bit of spider web around it…which I don’t know if it is it’s web….since it doesn’t have 8 legs like a spider. Me and husband are guessing it might be in a locust family. It looks like it has a very small head. I think it is an alien! LOL!
The location is West-central Florida, woodlands. The season is close to the end of spring.
Signature: is this an alien bug?
Wheel Bug
This is not an alien bug, but a native predatory species called a Wheel Bug. We have much information about Wheel Bugs in our archives. Wheel Bugs will help keep your garden free of insects that will damage your plants, and Wheel Bugs should be handled with caution. They are capable of biting if they are not handled with caution.
¶ Posted 11 June 2011 § ‡ ° bug indentification
Location: North East Ohio by a pond
May 30, 2011 9:06 pm
Do you know the name of this bug?
I found it on Memorial Day on this Siberian Iris.
Signature: Spencer Anderson
Assassin Bug
Hi Spencer,
This is a beneficial, predatory Assassin Bug in the genus Zelus. They are reported to bite if carelessly handled, and the bite is allegedly somewhat painful, though there is no lasting effect.
¶ Posted 31 May 2011 § ‡ ° What’s this bug?
Location: Cincinnati, OH
May 13, 2011 3:11 pm
Back on October 24th, we came home and saw this bug laying eggs right by our front door. This week, the eggs hatched. I’m attaching pictures of both.
Signature: maddenmama
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
Dear maddenmama,
We are really impressed that you left this unknown egg mass to hatch. These are beneficial Wheel Bug hatchlings. Wheel Bugs are important predators that will help keep your garden free of many insects that are injurious to plants. The hatchlings will soon disperse. They will also lose their red coloration. The image you provided of the female Wheel Bug depositing her eggs shows the coglike structure on the thorax which is the inspiration for the common name Wheel Bug. They have been referred to as the Stegosaurus Bug by several of our readers. Wheel Bugs are the largest Assassin Bugs in North America. They are not aggressive toward humans or pets, but if they are carelessly handled, they might bite. The bite is painful, but harmless.
Seven Months earlier: Wheel Bug lays eggs
2
¶ Posted 14 May 2011 § Eggs ‡ ° Georgia bug id needed
Location: Savannah, Georgia
May 12, 2011 6:07 pm
Greetings,
During a visit to my Dermatologist in Savannah today, he asked if I knew bugs. I asked why, to which he responded by having one of his nurses fetch a cup containing the bug in the attached photo. He explained that the patient before me had this insect in her hair, causing the doctor to almost have a seizure!
Hopefully my finger being in the pictures will help you get a sense of scale.
I’ve searched and haven’t been able to identify it, and would appreciate any leads you might have for me.
Thanks in advance…
- Marty Walsh -
Signature: – Marty Walsh
Immature Wheel Bug
Hi,
Hopefully I caught you before anyone wastes any time on my inquiry. While waiting for a reply, I started wandering around your site and found a photo of exactly my bug. http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2009/06/02/immature-wheel-bug-3/
Seems my dermatologist had a patient with a Wheel Bug nymph in her hair. Lucky patient to not get bitten!
Thanks for a great resource!
- Marty Walsh -
Dear Marty,
We are thrilled that you were able to self identify your immature Wheel Bug since our mailbox is currently clogged with identification requests and we haven’t the time to attend to them all. We are also terribly amused with your experience at the dermatologist’s office.
¶ Posted 13 May 2011 § ‡ ° 
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