Bug Stuff
I’ve told so many people about WTB……really a great site…I keep meaning to find the photo I have of the red stainer? orgy I took in Puerto Rico. I felt a bit bad watching them, but then was strangely impressed by their group prowess! Here is the bug orgy photo from Puerto Rico I promised.
Dave
Hi Dave,
Your Cotton Stainer Bug photo is more correctly an aggregation, as there are adults and nymphs together. Bugs are not pedophiles and do not mate with immature brethren.
perhaps aggregation is correct, but its not nearly as saucy as a bug orgy!….I guess nymphs are never sexually mature in the insecta? Interestingly, I give lots of talks around NJ about butterflies to various groups and I am often asked what sex caterpillars are. It took me a long time to find out that they actually have undeveloped sexual organs and that in some cases they can even be felt thru the skin….This is a perfect example of why I find the insects so damn exciting…no matter how much we know, individually or cumulatively, we just dont know anything at all, they are so darn diverse, there is just so much to learn….Dave
¶ Posted 17 September 2006 § ‡ ° beetle on pomegranate tree
My pomegranate tree boasts a healthy population of these bugs, and I’ve also seen them flying around the yard and landing on the citrus and sycamore trees. I’d like to know exactly what it is. I live in Orange County in southern California. The bugs are about an inch and a half long. Can you help?
Jennifer Charlton
Hi Jennifer,
This is a Leaf-Footed Bug, Leptoglossus zonatus. We have seen them on pomegranates in Los Angeles. They use their sucking mouthparts to withdraw fluids from the pomegranates, spoiling sections of the fruit with their digestive enzymes. They also are found on tomatoes.
¶ Posted 17 September 2006 § ‡ ° Wheel Bug Love
Hello! I found your website very useful a few weeks ago when I was IDing some moths, and I thought you might enjoy this pic of some wheel bugs I found on my tomato table a few days ago. Thanks for the great site!
Clara
Hi Clara,
As we state on our homepage, it is impossible to answer all our letters. Eventually, after they have sat in the inbox a few days, we must delete. This fills us with guilt, so we open a few hoping for a lost gem. Your photo is one of those lost gems, so we are posting, albeit a few days late. Your mating Wheel Bugs is one of the finest photos of the species we have received.
Bug Picture
Can you tell me what this is? Scared crap out of me. Only saw one of them, flew into the light. Something I need to kill, or something safe? PS: Dumped this one outside after picture. Thanks, IOU one.
Jeff
Hey Jeff,
You have given us a fabulous new idea. We love the way your Western Conifer Seed Bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, integrates with the wood of your ceiling fan. We see the potential for product design here. This is an imported invasive species that is spreading in the northeast.
¶ Posted 13 September 2006 § ‡ ° A red bug
Hi I was wondering what bug this is. It was found in the Cambodian jungle close to one of the Anchor temples. Lots of trees and leaves on the ground. Quite hot and a bit humid at the time.Cheers
Kjartan
Hi Kjartan,
We can’t tell you a species or genus, but we can guess a family and know the order. This is a True Bug in the order Hemiptera and probably the family Lygaeidae, the Seed Bugs. It is an immature specimen.
¶ Posted 13 September 2006 § ‡ ° What’s this black and red bug?
I’ve found a few of these on my milkweed plant. They showed up after the aphids took over. Perhaps this black-and-red bug is an aphid killer (hopefully)?
Bonnie
Hi Bonnie,
Large Milkweed Bugs are not predators. They feed on the seeds of the milkweed. They will not harm the plant, but will reduce the number of viable seeds produced.
¶ Posted 13 September 2006 § ‡ ° Please identify this bug – when you have time in your busy schedule.
I love your website! I would like to know what kind of bug this is. I came across him as I was photographing bumblebees enjoying these beautiful spiked flowers. I took the photo with my new Canon Digital Rebel XT, which I am really enjoying. Thanks for your help!
Patty Tucker
Hi Patty,
Thank you so much for your polite letter. We are growing weary of the demanding and insensitive tone of so many of the letters we receive. Our delete key is getting plenty of action. This is an Assassin Bug in the genus Pselliopus. We found a match on BugGuide.
Thanks for your quick reply. What a name for a bug! Funny!! I hate that people have to be rude and insensitive. What a waste of life and time! I could tell by the note on your website that you guys were overwhelmed with requests. I was hesitant about even sending my photo. Thanks for a speedy response and for having a great website. The good feeling you have to come away with from the numerous emails you receive, good and bad, is that you guys have created a wonderful, informative and fun website. Way to go! Have a great day!
Patty Tucker
Alabama
Southern Saskatchewan toe-biter
Here’s some pictures of him, since you seem to like them. I noticed him out having a stroll on my deck. I do have a pond in the back yard but have never seen anything like this before. I was able to identify it by referencing pictures on your super awesome site! My shoe is a size 8 by the way.
Kris
Hi Kris,
Thanks for sending us a nice sharp photo. We are getting Toe-Biter photos much later in the season this year, perhaps because of global warming.
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