Dear What’s That Bug
February 18, 2010
I’ve been finding these little beetles all over my garden during the last few months. Can you tell me what they are? They seem to like plants and when I dug up some mint recently there were loads of them in the soil around the roots.
Thanks for your help.
Kate
Cape Town South Africa
Possibly Mating Cotton Stainers
Hello KAte,
These are True Bugs, not beetles, and we believe they may be Cotton Stainers in the family Pyrrhocoridae. We found one photo that matches on a South African website, but the species is not identified. We also found reference to a South African Cotton Stainer, Dysdercus nigrofasciatus, but we have not had any luck finding a photo, but trying a web search of Cotton Stainer South Africa produced an image on Flickr.
Hi Daniel and Kate:
They do look like Cotton Stainers (also Red Bugs or Fire Bugs). I think they are likely in the genus Cenaeus, of which there are several species in South Africa. They appear to be a very close match to C. carnifex. You could also compare to photos provided at the Diversity Explorer and Zandvlei Trust web sites. Regards.
Karl
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Posted 19 February 2010
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Are these insects Beetles ?
January 3, 2010
I spotted these insects jointly gathered in
a backside of a small plant leaf.
Hari Iyer
Thane, Maharashtra, India
Unknown Immature True Bugs from India
Dear Hari Iyer,
These are not beetles, but rather True Bugs in the order Hemiptera. They are immature specimens that will become winged adults. We are not certain of the species.
Update and Correction from Eric Eaton
January 9, 2010
Daniel:
The unknown immature true bugs from India are nymphs of “cotton stainers” in the genus Dysdercus, family Pyrrhocoridae. Nice pictures.
Eric
Red Insect with ’shield’ markings
December 7, 2009
I saw these insects while on holiday. They stood out due to their impressive markings. I’d really like to know what they are.
Russell Brown
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands
Aggregation of St. Andrew's Cotton Stainers
Dear Russell,
These are Cotton Stainers, most likely St. Andrew’s Cotton Stainers, Dysdercus andreae. According to BugGuide, they are native to the West Indies. They are often found in large aggregations like this with winged adults and wingless nymphs. BugGuide also indicates: “The feeding activities of cotton stainers on cotton produce a stain on the lint which reduces its value. A few authorities have reported the stain comes from excrement of the bugs. However, most have stated that the stain primarily is a result of the bug puncturing the seeds in the developing bolls causing a juice to exude that leaves an indelible stain. Feeding by puncturing flower buds or young cotton bolls usually causes reduction in size, or the fruiting body may abort and drop to the ground.” – University of Florida.“
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Posted 12 December 2009
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Id help needed – pretty bugs!
November 21, 2009
I photographed these bugs on butterfly holiday in the USA in Nov 2006. There were seen at the Westlaco Valley Nature reserve in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. As I live in England I don’t have any suitable field guides and wondered if someone can Id these for me.
Maris UK
LRGV Texas
Pale Red Bugs Mating
Hi Maris,
This is a new species for our website, but we quickly identified your mating Pale Red Bugs or Turk’s Cap Bugs, Dysdercus concinnus, on BugGuide. The Rio Grande Valley in Texas is the northernmost reach of the range of the species which is found in Central America south to Columbia.
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Posted 21 November 2009
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Tagged: bug love
red bug taking over my yard
October 10, 2009
This bug is invading my yard. They are multipiling like crazy. So far they are just eating weeds. But what happens when they run out. I have chickens they wont eat them, and for that reason Idont want to use poisons. I believe this is a new bug to this area and I think its going to take over.
Kim
Perris,Ca
Red Bug Aggregation
Hi Kim,
Interestingly, these really are Red Bugs. The species, Scantius aegyptius, is not native, and according to BugGuide, has only been reported from California. It does not have a common name, but is in the family Pyrrhocoridae, the Red Bugs. The UC Riverside Website lists its origin as the Mediterranean. The UC Riverside Website states: “Scantius aegyptius, an old world pyrrhocorid bug, native to the eastern Mediterranean region, was documented for the first time in North America in Orange County during June of 2009. Reports of this insect from other southern California locations (i.e., Riverside County) suggest that this insect has been established for a year or more prior to these Orange County collections.“ The website also indicates: “Damage: The literature contains very little information regarding the biology of S. aegyptius and Scantius species in general are not considered to be economically important species. In California, Scantius has been observed feeding on the developing seeds and stems of Knotweed (Polygonum spp.) and Malva (Malva parviflora). It is likely that S. aegyptius will feed on the seeds of several species of annual herbaceous plants. The most noticeable impact of S. aegyptius in California will likely be the presence of large numbers of nymphs and adults migrating from drying annual weeds into adjacent developed areas. These migrations consisting of thousands of individuals can be very conspicuous and lead to large aggregations on small patches of host plants causing concern to local residents who notice these obvious aggregations.“
Red Bugs
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