facinating instead of creepy bug
Sat, Apr 11, 2009 at 3:25 AM
Hey Bugman,
today I was in my garden, enjoying the first spring sun. When I walked near our pond, I came across this creature of wich I send the photo’s. When I tried to grab it, he kept falling on his back..but got up immidiatly with his 2 long legs. Was pretty cool to see, after like the 5th time he fell on his back, he just flew away.. I’ve never seen a bug like this, but I hope you can help me identify it.
Greetingz Joël ps. excuse my bad English, I’m a Dutchguy.
Joël
The Netherlands Budel-Schoot, near water.
Water Boatman
Dear Joël the Dutchguy,
Your fascinating insect is a Water Boatman in the family Notonectidae The reason it was rather clumsy on land is that it is an aquatic insect that also flies quite well in the event its water habitat dries up or becomes otherwise unlivable. Water Boatman swim up-side-down, with their bellies up. The long oarlike legs propel them quickly through the water in a somewhat bobbing fashion. Water Boatman are predators with piercing/sucking mouthparts. You are lucky you were not bitten as the bite of a Water Boatman is quite painful, but otherwise harmless. You can read more about North American Water Boatmen on BugGuide.
Orange bug with striped legs
Sat, Apr 11, 2009 at 6:45 AM I have found several orange bugs about 1/4″ in length in my house. They appear to have wings and 6 legs with yellow/black stripes on them. They have 2 antennas well. I found them crawling on the edges of doors. Any info you can provide would be great. Thanks!
Lauren
Ellicott City, Maryland
Assassin Bug: Unnecessary Carnage
Hi Lauren,
This is an Assassin Bug, Pselliopus barberi, and the species has no common name. It appears as though your specimen was squashed in a tissue, and this was an example of Unnecessary Carnage, since this insect is a beneficial predator thay will not harm your home. If mishandled, it may bite.
6 legged orange butt black leggs
Fri, Apr 10, 2009 at 9:05 AM
Hi, My name is Sonya and I noticed these bugs on my October Maple tree about 2-3 weeks ago. I live in the Charleston South Carolina area. There is a grouping of these small 6 black legged bugs with orange butts. They tend to stay grouped together but you can find smaller groups of 2-3 in other areas of the tree. I also noted today that there was 2 larger ones that were different colors, mostly orange and some yellow with little to no black on them, they appeared to be mating with some smaller bugs with no orange on them, just black and smaller butts. When I went out with the camera a couple of hours later, after finding this site, I couldn’t find the different ones. Also since I’ve first noted the bugs their butts have changed slightly and now appear to have small black dots in the center of the rear. They also have a small nest of sorts that is dripping stuff down the tree.
Wheel Bug Eggs and Hatchlings
I hope this is descriptive enough. Thank you very much for your help. I’ve lived in SC my whole life and don’t recall ever seeing these bugs before.
Sonya in SC
South East
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
Hi Sonya,
These are newly hatched Hemipterans, or True Bugs. It is often very difficult to properly identify hatchlings, but we believe these are Wheel Bugs a type of Assassin Bug. Wheel Bugs, Arilus cristatus, are predators. The nest you noticed are the eggs laid in a distinctive cluster by the female Wheel Bug. The hatchlings stay together for a very short time and then they go rogue to hunt alone. You can compare your specimens to this photo on BugGuide. The one thing that would make us suspect these may be some other Hemipteran is that in one of your photos, the hatchlings appear to be feeding off of tree sap. We are uncertain if perhaps immature Wheel Bugs may be attracted to certain plant juices.
Wheel Bug Hatchlings
Large unidentified beetle
Thu, Apr 2, 2009 at 4:58 PM
Please help me identify this insect. I was standing on my porch @ 8 oclock pm when I heard what I thought was a small bird fly past my head and land on my screen door.It is aprox. 2 inches long see attached picture.Sorry for the poor quality pics.Thank you
Insect Identification
Jackson ,NJ 08527
Toe-Biter
People often mistake the Toe-Biter for a beetle, but the Electric Light Bug or Giant Water Bug is actually an aquatic True Bug.
6 legged bug with distintive red pattern on the back
Sun, Mar 29, 2009 at 2:34 AM
I’ve never seen this bug. My parents don’t recognize it.
The bug’s body is 7 (+/-1)mm long and has a well defined red pattern on the back.
I’ve found 2 in the kitchen at spring start. The weather was dry, cold and windy for 2 days after 15 days of (beautiful) warm spring days.
thanks for the help !
Francisco
Northern Portugal
Stink Bug from Portugal
Sun, Mar 29, 2009 at 3:45 AM
Found it !
The photos matches almost exactly the Eurydema ornatum
http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/heteroptera/Pentatomidae/Eurydema_ornatum.html
The links on your site where precious.
Many thanks.
Francisco
Hi Francisco,
We are quite pleased that you were able to properly identify your Stink Bug using our site and links. This is relevant right now because for some reason, our less than ideal internet provider, Time Warner, is far from consistent with our service. It has taken us over a half an hour to do this one posting. We hope our readership will bear with us since we cannot answer our mail as this is taking way too much time right now.
Same colours as the German flag!
Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 12:41 AM
Hi,
My backyard has heaps of these bugs. They tend to hide behind bark. I have never seen them fly. I always have a seed bell hanging from a tree to attract mostly rainbow lorrikeets. The bugs swarm over the bell when the birds have gone. What are they and most importantly are they a danger to plant and tree life ?
Regards Henry Janten
Deer Park Victoria Australia
Harlequin Bug from Australia
Dear Henry,
We didn’t have any luck identifying your True Bug in the order Hemiptera on the Brisbane Insect website. The behavior you describe is similar to North American Boxelder Bugs in the family Rhopalidae, the Scentless Plant Bugs. Other good candidates are the family Lygaeidae, the Seed Bugs or Largidae, the Bordered Plant Bugs. Hopefully one of our readers will write in with an identification.
Update: Unidentified True Bug from Australia
Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 9:20 AM
Daniel:
I believe this beautiful true bug is in the genus Dindymus (Pyrrhocoridae), probably D. versicolour . The common name in Australia is Harlequin Bug (sometimes Fire Bug), although that name also seems to be applied to several related species. They are considered a plant pest, particularly on fruit trees. As the species name suggests, they show considerable variation on color. Another possibility might be D. ventralis. Regards.
Karl
http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_s/b_1393.htm
Thanks Karl,
Seems we overlooked the Fire Bug on the Brisbane Insect Website because of the coloration not matching the photo we received.
Tarantula Eating Man Killer
Mon, Mar 23, 2009 at 1:15 AM
I am currently serving in a mission for my church in Kisumu, Kenya. One night during the time just before the rainy season (March) my companion and I were playing Rook when we heard a knocking at the door. We came out to inspect, but saw no one. So this happened several times and we finally got curious enough to investigate. We thought maybe it was some kids, but we were wrong. We saw this little thing on our porch. I was about to kill it when my companion suggested we take some pictures. I went to get the Rook card for scale and when I bent down to put the card next to the bug, it flew right at my face. I dodged it, more surprised than scared, and it flew into the door (And it made the knocking sound we were hearing) and fell on its back. While it was still dazed I took the card, set it next to the bug and took the picture. I have been wondering what it was. I swear that this thing is the biggest bug in the world! Besides maybe a tarantula. But this thing feeds on them! Well I don’t know for sure, but I think it could.
Elder Collyer
Kisumu Kenya
Giant Water Bug
Dear Elder,
This is a Giant Water Bug in the family Belostomatidae. In the U.S. they are also known as Electric Light Bugs since they are attracted to lights, and Toe-Biters because of the painful bite. They are aquatic predators that do not eat tarantulas. They are adept at flying as well as swimming, but are clumsy on the ground. They are found around the world and are eaten in Thailand.
Scorpionfly from Australia – Accomplished Hunters
Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 6:38 PM
Hi again,
I took these shots of our local scorpionfly. Unlike other versions ours is an accomplished hunter of live prey. Check out those talon like hind legs. The assassin and related bugs such as the pod sucking bug (Riptortus serripes) seem to be a favoured target.
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Scorpionfly or Hanging Fly
Hi Trevor,
Thanks so much for sending and identifying this unusual looking Scorpionfly and its prey. According to the Brisbane Insect Website, there is only one species of Scorpionfly from the order Mecoptera in Australia. It is Harpobittacus tillyardi in the family Bittacidae, and it is sometimes called a Hanging Fly.
Scorpionfly captures Pod Sucking Bug
The detail photo of the Pod Sucking Bug is a nice addition. According to the Brisbane Insect Website, the Pod Sucking Bug, Riptortus serripes, is a Broad Headed Bug in the family Alydidae. Immature Pod Sucking Bugs are ant mimics. Now that spring has arrived in the northern hemisphere, and our weather is warming, our southern readers in the U.S. are starting to send letters our way. Mail volume is increasing and we had to go back a few days to post your wonderful submission. More and more mail will go unanswered as the volume continues to increase.
Pod Sucking Bug captured by Scorpionfly
Red and black shelled bug
Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:11 PM
We live in San Antonio, Texas. Since early March, we have been noticing these strange bugs crawling around near our back porch and in our back garden. They’ve been hanging out on our nascent basil bush, though they don’t seem to have actually nibbled a the basil yet. (Perhaps they don’t like pesto?) Does anyone know what these pesky creatures might be called? What environmentally responsible steps can we take to remove them from our premises?
Aaron
San Antonio, Texas
Red Shouldered Bugs
Dear Aaron,
The most puzzling aspect of your photo of mating Red Shouldered Bugs, Jadera haematoloma, is that the female does not appear to have fully developed wings. This indicates that she is still an immature nymph. Red Shouldered Bugs may be a nuisance when they appear in large aggregations, but they will not harm the plants in your garden. According to BugGuide, it is found in: “yards and gardens, often in large aggregations to feed on seeds that have dropped to the ground from trees overhead ” and “”J. haematoloma feeds on a variety of plants but prefers balloonvine (Cardiospermum spp.; Sapindaceae) which grows in southern Florida. Additional hosts include other Sapindaceae, Ficus spp. (Moraceae) and Althaea spp. (Malvaceae). In some areas the bugs are observed feeding so often on goldenrain tree seeds ( Koelreuteria spp.; Sapindaceae), that they are referred to as ‘goldenrain tree bugs’.” – Frank Mead and Thomas Fasulo, University of Florida .” The species is also known as the Golden Rain Tree Bug because of its association with that plant. We do not offer extermination advice, especially with regards to benign species. We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he has an opinion on the underage female involved in mating activity.
Update: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:39:27 -0700 (PDT)
Hi, Daniel:
Many members of the “true bugs” suborder Heteroptera exhibit what scientists call “polymorphism” when it comes to wing growth. Some individuals or populations will have shortened or otherwise non-functional wings while others will be fully-winged. I’ve never heard of Jadera displaying that phenomenon, but I’m also not surprised by it.
Eric
P.S. Did I tell you I’m blogging now? Feel free to link to anything there that you might find useful, or even reprint it on WTB:
http://bugeric.blogspot.com
flying bug, big eyes, scary face
Tue, Mar 17, 2009 at 6:58 PM
i was outside, in michigan, today, st pattys day, saw what i thought was a bat… swooping under the streetlight. this bug flew to the ground, and i captured it. large back and wings, 6 legs, including 2 arm looking ones in the front. looks like a stinger in front of its face, below its mouth. 2 huge black eyes. very scary looking. please help. its still alive, captured.
included is a picture of it next to a pack of cigarettes so you can get an idea of the size.
thanks for helping!
davison, michigan
Toe-Biter
Though we have no shortage of Giant Water Bug or Toe-Biter images on our site, your vivid description is a welcome addition to our archives. Thanks for the great letter.
What kind of but is this?
Sat, Mar 14, 2009 at 6:32 AM
I was in Puerto Maldonado, Peru recently and came across this giant insect. A friend of mine there, a local, said that it was a cockroach. Though it sort of looks like one, I’m not convinced.
nate
Peruvian Amazon, Puerto Maldonado
Giant Water Bug
Dear Nate,
People often write to us wanting to get buts identified. This is actually a Giant Water Bug in the family Belostomatidae. The family is well represented around the world. In the U.S . Giant Water Bugs are also known as Toe-Biters or Electric Light Bugs. They are eaten in Thailand.
Stunning Assassin
Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 8:49 PM
Found this one today. Only small so hopefully it is not just an early instar of something plain or horrible, it would be a shame to see it grow out of this stunning colour scheme. Hope you like it.
aussitrev
Queensland, A
Orange Black Stink Bug
Hi Trevor,
While we agree that your insect is stunning, we disagree that it is an Assassin Bug. It is actually an Orange Black Stink Bug, Novatilla virgata, and we identified it on the Brisbane Insect Website. This is an adult insect as it is winged, and its coloration will not change.
Orange Black Stink Bug
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