Heteroptera
rss Looks like a Lady Bug with a Trapezoid Back
Location: Upstate South Carolina
October 15, 2011 1:34 pm
I have many of these dark bugs…they look like lady bugs except they have dark brown shells that are trapezoid shaped. They tend to cluster. Any ideas?
Signature: Stephen
Lablab Bugs
Dear Stephen,
You have invasive exotic Lablab Bugs that feed on Kudzu as well as soybeans. We just posted another letter and we refer you to the information there.
Odd squarish dark mottled beetle – possibly australian tortoise beetle?
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
October 17, 2011 12:16 am
Hello,
A friend sent me this photo of small (slightly bigger than ladybug-size) beetles he spotted sunning themselves on the balcony of his apartment in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve never seen beetles like this. I have done some searches and suspect they could possibly be an import, the Australian Tortoise Beetle, although their shape and colouration seems a bit odd. They do appear to have the hair tuft on the end of their legs though. What do you think? Is it something else entirely? I asked him to contact his local officials in case this was indeed an invasive species but if it’s something else more obvious I’d love to hear it.
Signature: tee
Lablab Bugs
Dear Tee,
You have cause for concern. These are Lablab Bugs or Globular Stink Bugs, Megacopta cirbraria, and they are also called Bean Plataspids. According to BugGuide: “Recently found in ne. GA; native to India and China, known also from many parts of e. & se. Asia to Australia and New Caledonia(1) According to USA Today [Sept 26, 2011] – now NC, SC, AL.” There is a mixed blessing with this information from BugGuide: “Found in the US on kudzu; known hosts include legume crops, especially soybean.” Any insect that feeds on the invasive Kudzu would be welcomed, provided they did not also feed on an important crop plant.
Thank you so much for the reply! I will forward this to my friend! Many thanks on your wonderful website. It is very well-loved!
Saved this from drowning in my pool
Location: Northern California – Sacramento Valley
October 16, 2011 6:16 pm
Hello again!
I haven’t submitted in a couple years, but today I found something in my pool I’ve never seen before. I live in the Northern California Valley, near Sacramento. Don’t know if you can really see it in the pics, but it has a folding needle type mouth and Y shaped antennae. It was a slow mover and when you would touch the antennae it would raise it’s front legs and try to climb. Sorry for the bad cellphone pics, they’re only 5MP. I let the thing dry off on my hand and then let it go on some flowers out back. I’ll be looking around on here and online for any other help identifying this little thing. Thanks fr your time and help!
Signature: Toby
Spiny Assassin Bugs
Okay, so I did some research as to the insects mouth “type” and found that it has a Proboscis. Wikipedia said that Assassin Bugs have this and I followed that link, and lo and behold there was something that looks like my little friend. Days of searching can now end. Any help identifying species would be great if you can from the pics.
-Toby
Hi Toby,
You should exercise caution when handling the Spiny Assassin Bugs in the genus Sinea. See BugGuide for additional information. Like other Assassin Bugs, they might bite if carelessly handled. Because of your good deed, we are tagging your letter with the Bug Humanitarian Award.
Spiny Assassin Bug
Cockroach:Atlanta falcons Fan???
Location: Chesapeake, VA
October 14, 2011 11:19 pm
I saw this red black and white insect on the door in the back of the warehouse where I work. Its near the woods by a huge clearwater lake I was wondering if you could identify him. I’ve never seen one of these before, and I’ve lived in chesapeake all my life and it was during the time when the dismal swamp was on fire.. so maybe it migrated from NC? whats that bug?
Signature: -Jay
Assassin Bug
Hi Jay,
Your bug is classified in a totally different order than the cockroach. This is an Assassin Bug and we identified on BugGuide as Mictomus purcis, a species with no common name. Perhaps you should propose “Falcon’s Fan Assassin Bug” to the proper authorities as a suggested name.
Oncopeltus fasciatus?
Location: Hawthorne, CA
October 12, 2011 2:53 pm
Hi,
I believe I have this guy correctly identified as a Large Milkweed Bug. Seems as though these are common, but it’s our first sighting ever. If you remember, we did away with our back lawn last year and the drought tolerant plantings we replaced it with have attracted many ”new to us” bugs and birds. Husband Marty pointed at this flying around this morning and said, ”New bug!!” I’m glad I have him hooked. Such wonderful little buggies we have around here.
Will you please confirm?
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Large Milkweed Bug
Hi again Anna,
This is indeed a Large Milkweed Bug. Your gardening efforts are admirable and it is wonderful to hear that in just one year, you are attracting numerous birds and insects. We expect that soon you will be coming out with a photo book on insects that you attracted to your newly created habitat.
What is this bug?
Location: Encinitas, CA 92024
October 11, 2011 10:01 pm
I took a photo of this insect in Encinitas, CA. I can’t find it anywhere on the internet. Is it a new species (hopefully 
).
Signature: bugman
Harlequin Bug Nymph
Nymphs of the Harlequin Bug, Murgantia histrionica, are quite colorful. This distinctive Stink Bug is not rare and it ranges across North America from coast to coast, especially in the south, though it is also found in along the eastern seaboard. BugGuide does not contain any reports from the Pacific Northwest, New England or Canada. According to BugGuide, it is “Native to Mexico and C. America, invasive in our area (first detected in TX, 1864) and now widely established across the US (ME-SD to FL-CA) bur rarely found north of PA-CO(1)(2); the northern limits of the established range fluctuate markedly depending on winter severity; migrates northward during spring and summer.” We are surprised to learn that it is not considered a native species. Though this is a very pretty insect, it is considered to be a significant pest of crops in the cabbage family.
Pest or Pedestrian: Black bug found walking on curtain rod
Location: Seattle WA, USA
October 10, 2011 12:09 pm
What species of insect is this? What I really want to know: Is this a pest I need to control, or a harmless individual that lost its way?
A few days ago, my cat heard this thing making some noise (I didn’t hear it) in the livingroom.
The cat and I looked up to watch the bug, which was perched was on a curtain rod, 7 feet (2.something meters) off the floor.
It didn’t run when I captured it. It may not have wings.
I took it outside, set it on a paper towel with a US quarter and took some pictures.
Then I set the paper towel on the back yard fence.
The bug was not in a hurry to leave.
I watched it just sit there, sunning itself for a couple of minutes.
I looked a few hours later and it had wondered off.
I tried to find it amongst the pictures on www.whatsthatbug.com, but I didn’t find a doubtless match.
-Jon
Signature: Jon
Rough Stink Bug
Hi Jon,
This is a Rough Stink Bug or Tree Stink Bug in the genus Brochymena. Many Stink Bugs seek shelter indoors in the fall when the weather cools so they can hibernate. This is probably true of the Rough Stink Bug, but it will not harm you or your house. You can read more about Rough Stink Bugs on BugGuide.
CREEPY A**ED BUG OGLES CHEERLEADERS!
Location: North-east PA
October 10, 2011 11:08 pm
Monday, October 10th, 2011. Sunbury, PA, 6:30pm, Practice Field.
Fortunately our girls are made of sterner stuff because even I was a bit weirded out by this alien looking bug. He/she was rather large, bug-wise, about 1 1/2-2 inches long (not counting his/her veeerrry long legs). Its’ head was disproportionately small and narrow compared to its’ body. Hopefully the pics are clear enough to see what I mean. I thought maybe it was some kind of nectar bug until I saw some of the pics you have of hunter-types. It has a very long spear-looking ”tongue” but I couldn’t get a clear enough shot to see if it had pincers, too. It had wings but didn’t seem to care to fly, even when I coaxed it onto a pencil to move elsewhere. What on Earth is it?? I can’t find anything listed even with the odd ”razor-ridge” along its’ back.
Signature: Hannah Lewis
Wheel Bug
Hi Hannah,
The cheerleaders were wise to not try to pick up this Wheel Bug, because though they are not aggressive, they are predatory Assassin Bugs and they might bite if carelessly handled.
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