Young Ladybugs or Something Harmful
Location: West Los Angeles
November 12, 2011 12:30 pm
Hi Bugman,
I’ve seen a couple groups of these small red bug on my milkweed bushes.
Are they Ladybugs or something else?
Thx, Jeff Bremer
Signature: Jeff Bremer
Large Milkweed Bug Nymphs
Hi Jeff,
These are the early instar nymphs of Large Milkweed Bugs. They feed upon the juices of the milkweed seeds and pods. They will not cause damage to the plant, but the number of viable seeds that are produced by the plant might be reduced. This does not appear to be a native milkweed, so the lack of seed production is not something that should be considered a problem. We would urge you to allow the Large Milkweed Bugs to share the plants with the butterflies you are trying to attract. You can see BugGuide for a matching photo.
Cameroonian Beetle
Location: Northern Cameroon
November 13, 2011 11:43 am
Hi there!
My sister recently started a two and half year appointment with the Peace Corps in Cameroon. She sent me a picture the other day of a beautiful beetle she saw in the extreme north of the country. I would really like to know what it is!
Thank you!
Signature: Liz M.
Jewel Bugs
Dear Liz,
These beautiful insects are not beetles, but True Bugs in the order Hemiptera. They are further classified as Jewel Bugs in the family Scutelleridae. In the past, we identified this as a Lychee Shield Bug, Chrysocoris stolli, though we cannot verify that the species is correct as images that we have found online, though similar, have different markings. We are not certain if there is species variability or if several similar looking species share a common name. Jewel Bug is a commonly accepted name for the individual members of the family, many of which have bright metallic coloration. Dudu Diaries calls this beauty the Rainbow Shield Bug, but does not provide a scientific name. It seems in 2009, we received a correction from someone who identified the Rainbow Shield Bug as Calidea dregii, citing a FlickR link. We have also located a pdf entitled 2010-01_Alert_Rainbow_Shield_Bug that identifies the Rainbow Shield Bug as Calidea dregii and provides some fascinating information on the species including: “The Rainbow Shield Bug suck the sap from developing seeds leading to seeds dropping prematurely or not developing fully. In cotton it leads to staining and therefore a lower price if the bolls do not drop prematurely. The low number of mature Jatropha seeds observed in Guinea-Bissau is likely caused by seed dropping due to damage from Rainbow Shield Bugs.” Your photo illustrates a winged adult as well as some immature nymphs. Now with our new research, we need to correct our archives.
Never Before Seen (By me!)
Location: Garden Grove, Ca
November 12, 2011 6:02 pm
Hi there. I found this guy one night on October 2, 2011 flying around my garage shop. NO idea what he is, but he is very cool looking. Released him safely to do his thang.
Thanks!
Signature: Greg M.
Thread Legged Bug
Hi Greg,
We believe we have correctly identified your Assassin Bug as a member of the genus Stenolemus based on this photo from BugGuide.
Thread Legged Bug
1
This big ol’ bug looking beetle
Location: Jackson, Michigan
November 10, 2011 8:29 pm
My friend found this bug outside of a Target parking lot and we can not find out what it was. It seems like a rather big and unusual bug. I have never seen anything like it before. Can you please help me figure out what it is?
Signature: N8
Toe-Biter
Toe-Biter
Hello,
I am not sure why, but I just received my email back with no answer or any other type of information submitted or requested.
Hi Nate,
Sometimes when we have numerous emails we are trying to respond to, we just send a brief identification. You missed our response which was “Toe-Biter”. A Toe-Biter is also called a Giant Water Bug or Electric Light Bug. It is an aquatic insect that is also capable of flying. A closely related and even larger species is considered a culinary delicacy in Thailand.
1
Musgraveia sulciventris skin stain
Location: Sydney
November 9, 2011 4:46 pm
Hi, my wife was picking these stink bugs off the citrus and now has orange stained fingers. Even a week later they are strongly stained and nothing she has tried can wash it off. A bit like henna.
Can the dye in the bugs be isolated and used as a skin dye like henna?
Signature: Alexander Rosser
Large Stink Bug Nymph from Australia
We will try to locate information on the potential for skin dye from the excretion of the Bronze Orange Bug from Australia.
1
Weird Bug in cereal box!
Location: Lynchburg, VA
November 8, 2011 6:32 pm
Just curious what kind of bug this is. It was inside a cereal box that was previously opened but closed back up and the bag of cereal folded down. The pictures were taken by me, Nov 8, 2011. It seemed harmless, but reminded me of a preying mantis in its mannerisms. Strangely aware of its surroundings and moving very slowly.
Signature: R.E.B.
Wheel Bug
Dear R.E.B.,
We contemplated sending you a quick response this morning, but our lead writer decided it was more important to comb his hair and catch the train to work so as not to be late, hence, we waited until the leisurely evening hours to respond. This beautiful predator is a Wheel Bug. You were astute to notice the similarities to a Preying Mantis in the raptorial forelegs of this species of Assassin Bug. We are a bit dumbfounded as to why an adult Wheel Bug would wander into a box of cereal, but we feel it was a random landing. Generally, when people find insects in cereal, they are culprits like Indian Meal Moths, Spider Beetles or Larder Beetles. Wheel Bugs can fly. Do not let their lethargic movements fool you as they belie the quick grab and piercing bite of a formidable predator. The name Wheel Bug refers to the signature cog on the thorax which we believe deters predators from swallowing adult Wheel Bugs. There is a reason we made the Wheel Bug the Bug of the Month for November 2010, and that is because adult Wheel Bugs are a seasonal occurrence.
1
Red Bug Who are you
Location: new paltz , newyork in bedroom of house
November 8, 2011 1:19 am
I found this bug in my house crawling on the wall of the bedroom
Its red.has a fat body. small head.. looked like 4 legs and 2 antenntas and was impossible to smush i had to use a pen to kill it but that didnt even kill it..
here a pic
it wasnt tiny. I could see it well it wasnt big neither
Signature: steve
Bed Bug
Dear Steve,
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we suspect that where there is one Bed Bug, they are most likely more Bed Bugs.
1
rss
I like This
