Make plans for your own local National Moth Week event!!!
Posted February 1, 2012
What's That Bug? will be working the the…
creepy crawler unidentified
Location: Horjul, Slovenia, EU
January 31, 2012 8:21 am
Found this thing trying to eat my hardwood floor! The noise…
Stink Bug
Location: Elyria, Ohio
January 2, 2012 10:47 pm
Hi,
We live in northern Ohio. Every winter we get Stinkbugs in the house.…
Local Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths of the L.A. Region with Daniel Marlos
When Sat, February 25, 2012, 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Where Theodore…
November 12, 2011
What's That Bug? is profiled on High Country News.
Rock star status
November 14, 2011 11:22 am
Dear Daniel, Thanks for…
Not sure what kind of bug this is.
Location: Syracuse, NY
December 6, 2011 10:23 pm
Can you help me identify this bug? They show up every now and then.
Thank you
Signature: Brian
Larder Beetle
Hi Brian,
You are being troubled by Larder Beetles, a cosmopolitan species that infests stored foods. Check the pantry for old food items and the source of the infestation. See BugGuide for more information.
Caterpillar
Location: Australia QLD Redcliffe 4020
December 9, 2011 10:18 pm
Hey guys.
Found this Caterpillar today eating my Orange Tree leaves. Like to know what this is and if it’s a thread to the tree or not.
Michael
Signature: michael from australia redcliffe QLD
Orchard Swallowtail Caterpillar
Dear Michael,
This spectacular caterpillar is that of an Orchard Swallowtail, Papilio aegeus, and we confirmed that identification on the Brisbane Insect website. As you indicated, the caterpillar eats the foliage of orange and other citrus trees, however, the loss of some leaves will not harm the tree appreciably. The red horns at the front of your caterpillar is a scent organ known as the osmeterium. It is normally hidden, but when the caterpillar feels threatened by a predator, the osmeterium is displayed along with an odor that is described as disagreeable.
What is this bug?
Location: nova scotia, canada
December 11, 2011 9:07 am
Dear bugman,
In the last 4 years this bug has appeared in the area of my parents house. In the fall it tries to enter the house. There are dozens trying to get in. We find them all winter. My parents have lived there for 30 years and they were never there before. When threatened they emit a bad odor.
Signature: Regards, Nick Legge
Western Conifer Seed Bug
Hi Nick,
This is a Western Conifer Seed Bug, and it is a benign creature that will not harm your home or its inhabitants. Western Conifer Seed Bugs attract the most attention in the fall months when they are mature and seek shelter, often inside homes, where they hibernate until spring.
WTF
Location: Long Island NY
December 11, 2011 4:08 pm
Hey! So we found these creepy lil suckers in the basement of a Long Island home that has a back and frontyard. To me, it looks like the offspring of a spider, cricket and a bee. Any thoughts?
Signature: Sleeping with a Flashlight
Camel Crickets
Dear Sleeping with a Flashlight,
We didn’t have any new letters to post today, so we turned to our backlog of unanswered questions. Your letter arrived just prior to the end of the semester and holiday rush, and we didn’t have a chance to respond in a timely manner. It seems you might have an infestation of Camel Crickets in your basement. Camel Crickets are basically harmless creatures that will not bite you or your pets, but they may do minor damage to stored items if they get plentiful. According to BugGuide, the best way to get rid of them is to remove their habitat, piles of clutter including logs and boards that might be in the basement. Also reducing the humidity will make the basement inhospitable.
Camel Crickets
Ed. Note: We originally conducted an offline correspondence (without an attached photo) with Cesar entertaining the possibilities of sighting a Carolina Sphinx in Brazil, presumably outside the range. We responded that there are many similar looking species.
Sphinx Moth
Location: Pico do Jaraguá, São Paulo, Brazil
January 16, 2012 6:42 pm
As you suspected, my picture does not match with Carolina Hawk Moth.
Now, I think it is more related to Agrius singulata, the Pink-spotted Hawkmoth http://bugguide.net/node/view/339497/bgpage [and]
http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/acingula.htm
It seems that I am more southern, anyway.
Signature: Cesar Crash
Pink Spotted Hawkmoth
Hi again Cesar,
We agree that this is most likely a Pink Spotted Hawkmoth. Often moths with brown forewings have distinctive hind wings. The underwings on this species are black and pink striped and the pink spots associated with the name can be found on the body. Gently nudging the moth might have caused it to display the distinctive pink coloration.
Found in the house
Location: chatham, On
January 16, 2012 1:43 pm
My mothers husband was cleaning in their living room and found this skin of what i thought was a junebug, but at a closer glance i realized that it wasn’t. Can you please tell me what this is because the pincher arms scare me a little with my young kids going there. It might be in the house, it was at one time at least to shed its skin.
Signature: Carly
Cicada Exuvia
Hi Carly,
This is the exuvia or cast of skin of a Cicada. Cicada nymphs live underground, often for many years. When they are ready to metamorphose into adults, they dig to the surface, split their skins to molt for the last time, and emerge as winged adults leaving the exuvia behind.
small black bug
Location: southwestern pennsylvania
January 5, 2012 9:17 pm
I am having a lot of these small black bugs in my house. Can you please identify and tell me how to get rid of them. It is Jan 1st 2012. And were are in winter. Sorry for the pic it is too small to get a good pic. That is a penny in the pic. Thanks
Signature: Donks
Grain Weevil
Dear Donks,
This appears to be a grain weevil. Look in the pantry for infested grain products like rice.
Thankyou, they were coming from a bag of bird seed that was being stored until summer.
Small bug found on guest bed!
Location: Central FL
January 15, 2012 10:53 pm
I found this bug while changing the bedsheets on our guest bed. It hasn’t been used for almost a year and I have been doing some cleaning in there. I went in today to lay down some clean sheets and found this little guy on the foam topper that lays on the mattress. I really hope it’s not a bedbug! I searched the creases of the mattress and between the mattress and box spring but couldn’t find anything else. I have guests coming in four days. Should I be worried?
Signature: Elizabeth
Carpet Beetle
Dear Elizabeth,
In our opinion, this appears to be one of the Carpet Beetles in the family Dermestidae, a group that includes many household pests. Many of the Carpet Beetles look very similar, and yours is a close match to a Megatoma variegata which we found on BugGuide, though it is only represented on BugGuide from the western states. We are not terribly concerned with the range report on BugGuide as Carpet Beetles tend to be cosmopolitan in their distributions. Carpet Beetles feed on a wide variety of organic fibers and substances including wool rugs an upholstery, taxidermy specimens, fur coats, museum specimens, pet hair and even stored foods. They will not bite your house guests.
Thanks for getting back in a timely manner! Glad to hear it isn’t anything serious. Thanks again!
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