A wrapping at my chamber window
Location: Costal Connecitut
July 4, 2011 11:26 pm
Hello there. Humid summer nights in Connecticut are often less than pleasant. Especially during the evening when all the flying beetles come out.
Still, I must imagine I must have it a lot better here than some people do elsewhere.
I guess the best way to describe me is as a creeped-out observer. I finds insets fascinating on some level but I am also very creeped out by many of them.
I heard tapping over near my window on the second floor. I figured it might be flying beetles. I know the the few silverfish that seem to periodically live in the old window are silent runners. Still I went over to the window to close it and what did I find but this black mystery bug. I managed to take a few pictures. I hope they help. Something tells me it was beetles tapping at the window but my curiosity always gets the better of me.
I hope you can help.
Signature: Max
Broad Headed Bug
Hi Max,
This is a Broad Headed Bug in the family Alydidae, most likely Alydus eurinus based on images posted to BugGuide. They feed on the juices of plants, so you don’t need to worry if they should gain admission to your room. We could not locate any information about them being attracted to lights at night, but we did learn that they are sometimes called Ant Bugs because the immature nymphs mimic ants.
Thank you! That’s a relief.
You run a great website. I look forward to being a frequent reader/supporter.
-Max
Bug
Location: Stanford, Ky (cntrl)
July 3, 2011 3:44 pm
These weird creatures are all around our porch. We cant even sit outside, because there are so many of them. Please tell us what we have here. They look intimidating for their size.The first and third pictures are of the underside. Thank you for your help.
Signature: Thank you, C.Willmon
Lace Bug
Dear C.,
This appears to be a Lace Bug in the family Tingidae. There is not enough detail in your photo for us to determine the species. According to BugGuide, Lace Bugs : “Feed mainly on leaves of trees and shrubs, causing yellow spotting and sometimes browning and death of the leaves.” You should inspect the plants around your porch to determine which tree or shrub has been infested. You can try spraying the leaves with a strong jet of water on a daily basis to rid the tree of immature insects that will not be able to fly back. IN a short time, you should be able to control the infestation, but it takes diligence.
Kill number 4
Location: South East Michigan
July 2, 2011 3:30 am
I’ve been finding these in my base ment and they seem to have come with the warm weather..what’s this bug?!
Signature: Carl
Adult Masked Hunter
Hi Carl,
A major part of our mission is to educate the public regarding the lower beasts in order to promote knowledge and tolerance. This is an adult Masked Hunter, a species of Assassin Bug. They are important predators that are frequently found near dwellings. They are also called Bed Bug Hunters, no doubt because they feed upon those thirsty bloodsuckers that prevent so many folks from getting a good night’s sleep. Immature Masked Hunters have a sticky body surface that attracts all manner of dust and debris which effectively camouflages them or masks them in their surroundings. Interestingly, adults are not sticky, perhaps because debris would prevent them from flying effectively. If you have a thriving population of Masked Hunters in your basement, they must have a plentiful food source, and eliminating the predators may cause the prey to overrun your home. Caution should be exercised in handling Masked Hunters as well as other Assassin Bugs as they are capable of producing a painful bite.
Red Beetle Bug
Location: Dandeli, North Karnataka, India
July 1, 2011 3:15 am
Dear Bugman,
Can you identify the Bug and the prey in this picture. The Picture was shot at Dandeli Forest, in North Karnataka, India.
Signature: Bhavesh Shah
Predatory, Cannibalistic True Bug
Dear Bhavesh,
In our opinion, the predator and prey look like the same species, or at least closely related species. We cannot even be certain that this is an instance of predation, because some normally plant feeding True Bugs can be opportunistic, and they will feed upon the fluids of the dead bodies of insects without actually preying upon them. We will need to do additional research to try to determine the identity of this Bug. There is a very similar looking insect identified as a Cotton Stainer that can be viewed by scrolling down this Rings of Silver website. The Cotton Stainers pictured on this site also look similar, but with an additional black mark.
Got woken up with a bite from this guy!! Location: Brampton, Ontario Canada July 1, 2011 11:02 am Hello bugman!! I was trying to get some sleep today and as i rolled over i lept out of bed from something stinging or biting me on the back of my thigh! I felt a pain and as i reached (very quickly) to grab the back of my leg where the pain was i felt there was something there! It was this little guy, he must have been rapped up in my blanket, i just did laundry fresh sheets, douvet cover everything fresh, no mess anywhere but i do live in a basement appartment. The blanket i was using was just off to the side, and i was ontop of my douvet wrapped up in the blanket. So grabbed my leg felt him there, freaked out he crawled outta the blanket, i pushed him on the carpet and dropped a cup on him. scooped him up and took pics, looks like he has a stinger on his bum, i possibley squished him with the ball-point of a pen when looking at him, deffenetly a stinger or something real hard on the bum of him. Anyways theres a gouge out of my leg where he got me, and i think i may h ave scratched the heck out of myself while freaking out! but just wanna know what kind of bug he is and why he was in my bed! Signature: Yours truely…. Exausted but too creeped out to sleep
Masked Hunter Unmasked
Dear Exhausted …,
This is an immature Assassin Bug, and though some species of Assassin Bugs are blood suckers, there are not many and this is not one of them. Many Assassin Bugs will bite a human if provoked or carelessly handled, and it would seem that coming into contact with you between the sheets could constitute careless handling. We believe this is an immature Masked Hunter, Reduvius personatus, and the species gets its common name because the sticky surface of the insect attracts all manner of dust which effectively camouflages it in its surroundings, masking it from detection. Your individual might be newly molted as it does not appear to have any dust or debris attached to it. It does match this individual on BugGuide. Masked Hunters are known to hunt Bed Bugs, so they should be considered as beneficial insects.
Masked Hunter Unmasked
What This Bug?
Location: Singaproe
June 30, 2011 5:36 pm
Hi there, I knew I did send you an entry before last month but I did not see a reply here on the site. I know you guys are so busy but I just wanted to know the bug that I will be sending again. It looks like a beetle but which specific one. If this get featured, I wont bug you guys again (pun intended) about this, hehe.
Thanks a lot!
Signature: Giovanni
Stink Bug we believe
Hi Giovanni,
Sorry we missed your original email, but we are not physically able to respond to all of the mail we receive. Thanks for resending the image. We believe this is a Stink Bug in the family Pentatomidae, but we don’t know the species.
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