Shield bugs
Location: Namibia, Southern Africa
November 20, 2011 2:29 pm
Can you please help identify these shield bugs. They are on the seed cone of Welwitschia mirabilis. The picture was taken at10.50a.m. on 19th April 2011 by the C39 roadside west of Khorixas in Namibia.April was unusually wet in Namibia.
Signature: Roger Pinkney.
Cotton Stainers
Hi Roger,
We aren’t entirely convinced that these True Bugs are Shield Bugs. They may be in another Hemipteran family. We will try to determine their identity.
Hi Daniel and Roger:
These are Cotton Stainers (Pyrrhocoridae); specifically Odontopus sexpunctatus, the Welwitschia Bug. Regards. Karl
Thanks Karl. They aren’t very red for being a Red Bug.
¶ Posted 24 November 2011 § ‡ ° Mystery bug
Location: San Diego, CA
October 1, 2011 8:54 pm
Dear WTB,
These bugs have recently appeared in large amounts and are prolifically mating. It is late September and the weather has been hot and dry. I have recently planted a field of Protea flowers. Can you tell me what they are and if they will harm my plants?
Thank you!
Signature: Darwin
Red Bug
Hi Darwin,
The Red Bug, Scantius aegyptius, is a non-native introduced species that was first reported in California in 2009. According to the UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research website: “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.“ That would indicate your Protea flowers are not in danger.
Unidentified bug living in rotten wood
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
September 19, 2011 8:03 am
Dear sir/madam,
I’m renovating my house here in Sweden and found this insect living all over the garden in rotten timber. It is red and black and the adult has two distinct black spots. It’s clearly no ladybug! So what is it? Even the local exterminator didn’t have a clue.
Kind regards,
Matt
Signature: Matt
Firebugs
Hi Matt,
These are Firebugs, Pyrrhocoris apterus, and they are a benign species. We were not previously aware that they ranged as far north as Sweden. Firebugs can form large aggregations containing both adults and nymphs. For additional information, you can see this Guernsey website or the British Bugs website which indicates: “This common European bug is on the northernmost edge of its range in Britain and is the sole member of its family to occur here.” Global Twitter indicates this is not the first sighting from Sweden.
Thanks for the answer, so it’s rare then? Cool. I’m just glad it’s not after my foundations and only eating the lime seeds (we have a huge 100 year old lime in the garden). Should I let the local university know about it? Do you know which one in Stockholm would be most receptive to this?
Perhaps I could get a grant to save my lime tree from demolishing my foundations through it’s root system (and therefore pay for my house to be under pinned hehe, )… Joking, of course…
Thanks again,
Matt
Hi Matt,
They are not rare. In our previous response, we indicated that they are a “common European bug” but we do not know how frequently they are encountered in Sweden. If you desire more local information, we would suggest contacting the nearest university with an entomology department.
¶ Posted 19 September 2011 § ‡ ° Red and black insect
Location: Hemet California
September 4, 2011 9:09 pm
PLEASE identify this bug for me. I have about 25,000 of them in my acre backyard. I need to know if their dangerous, if i need to get an exterminator or what. Please help me!!!!
Signature: Bug information??
Red Bug
The quality of your photograph is not ideal for discerning details, but the photo of the single insect you have attached appears to be a nonnative Red Bug, Scantius aegyptius, a species known to form large aggregations containing individuals from various stages ranging from young nymphs through mature individuals. BugGuide has reported this invasive exotic species is already established in Southern California. Our first reports of this nonnative invasion date back to 2009. The University of Riverside has a nice page on this Invasive Exotic species.
Red Bug Aggregation
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.
Dear sir,
This insect is very colourful. Thought this might add to the awesome collection u have. would you pls identify it?
Regards
Ibrahim TMC
Cotton Stainer
Hi Again Ibrahim,
This is a Cotton Stainer, Dysdercus cingulatus, and here is a marvelous old illustration from a book on insects from India. There is a nice photo of a mating pair of Red Cotton Bugs on the Forestry Images website. The species, a member of the Red Bug family Pyrrhocoridae, is also represented on several postage stamps on this website, including this beautiful 2007 stamp from Malaysia. Then we found the photo of the stamp block on this blog.
Malaysian Stamp Block
True confessions
When we originally decided to post a stamp, because we love beautiful stamps, we thought this stamp represented the correct species. Cysdercus cingulatus was not the insect represented on it, but rather a member of the same genus. The markings are a bit different, most noticeably the black triangular scutellum that is evident on your insect. This gorgeous stamp originated in the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1976.
¶ Posted 19 June 2011 § ‡ ° Do you know whats this bug?
Location: Kerman, Iran
May 27, 2011 7:27 am
I find so many of them in our garden.
Thanks
Signature: MNZ
Firebug
Dear MNZ,
This distinctive European Hemipteran is commonly called a Firebug. It is in the Red Bug family Pyrrhocoridae and its scientific name is Pyrrhocoris apterus. We learned on the British Bugs website that it feeds on mallow and limes.
¶ Posted 27 May 2011 § ‡ ° Bug in Backyard
Location: Penrith, NSW Australia
April 3, 2011 12:12 am
Hello,
I found a whole bunch (about 50-100) of these bugs on the wooded surround of my backyard water feature. Is this bug going to be a problem? How do i get rid of it? Should i get rid of it a certain way?
Signature: Thanks! Ben
Pale Cotton Stainer Nymph
Dear Ben,
This is an immature True Bug and many nymphs are difficult to distinguish from one another. Your insect has a strong resemblance to an immature Cotton Stainer, Dysdercus suturellus, a species found in North America and profiled on BugGuide. The Brisbane Insect Website indicates that a member of the genus is found in Australia, the Pale Cotton Stainer, Dysdercus sidae, but no photos of the nymph are pictured. Nymphs undergo five molts before becoming adults, and each, though similar to the previous, is slightly different. The immature Pale Cotton Stainer pictured on the Queensland Government website appears to be an earlier instar than the individual in your photograph, as the wingpads are smaller. A photo of an immature Pale Cotton Stainer that looks quite similar to your specimen can be seen on the Infonet-biovision webpage on Cotton pests by scrolling down the page. As we stated originally, immature True Bugs are difficult to positively identify, and this may be another member of the Red Bug family Pyrrhocoridae or even a member of a different family. Many True Bugs form large aggregations of immature as well as mature individuals, and they can get quite plentiful at times.
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