How does a dragonfly nymph fly?
Hi,
I was pottering around in the backyard, when I noticed a dragonfly nymph flitting about. A long time ago, I read that the dragonfly is one of only two insects (the other is the hawk moth ) that can’t close its wings once they open out. So the natural question is how does the nymph fly without the wings opened out? I’ve uploaded a photo of the dragonfly nymph, or what I think is a dragonfly nymph.
Thanks,
Shastri
Hi Shastri
First I will answer your question. Dragonfly nymphs do not fly. They are immature, wingless and live under the water. Adult Dragonflies cannot fold their wings. Your photo is of a close relative known as a Damselfly. Damselflies can be distinguised from Dragonflies by the fact that they can fold their wings. Thanks for the photo.
a little creepy
I already wrote you and asked you about mites. When i finished the first e-mail i decided to scan the bug that i was wondering about. I hope the picture is good enough to tell what it is. It is really small and i have never seen such a bug in the 21 years i have lived in Ontario. I just don’t like the fact that it had claws and i want to make sure i don’t have mites. So if you could get back to me it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much
Melisa
p.s. awesome website
Hi Melisa,
You can rest assured you don’t have mites. You have a harmless Pseudoscorpion.
moth found in Alabama
Can you tell me what this is? I took the picture in NW Alabama. Some kind of moth??
Thanks,
Beth Conklin
Hi Beth,
Your photo of a female Tulip Tree Silkmoth, Callosamia angulifera, is very beautiful. These moths range from New England to Florida and West to the Mississippi River. Here is a nice site that shows the life cycle of your moth. The moths are strongly attracted to lights.
yellow garden spider
Not a lover of spiders so you can imagine my alarm to find this one dangling from the hem of my skirt. Fortunately it reappeared the following morning and we were able to get these photos. It was discovered near Mahone Bay on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. Despite numerous e-mails to my woodsy friends it went unidentified until I found your site. Can you tell me what the range of this spider is and how commom they are here? I’ve never seen anything like it.
Shauna Hatt
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Canada
Hi Shauna,
Yes, the Argiope aurantia can be alarming, but they are beautiful spiders. They range throughout the United States and in Southern Canada. I am not exactly sure how common they are in your area. I am very happy you had the wherewithall to get that beautiful photo after your startling first encounter.
help!
Hi! We have a swampy yard that we are trying to remedy (in south eastern West Virginia) and have put in a drainage system of pipes and gravel throughout the entire back yard. Now, in the winter/spring, we are INFESTED with these spiders (attached). They are really small and with every step you take in the grass, about 50-100 move with you. What are they and how do we get them to leave????
Thank you!!!!
Christi
Hi Christi,
You have baby Wolf Spiders. They are hunting spiders and do not build webs. The young are sometimes extremely plentiful in the spring as you well know. Soon natural selection and survival of the fittest will occur and they will feed on one another. The population will then be in check.
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Posted 13 March 2005
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What is this guy?
A colony of these spiders has set up shop in a crawlspace under a cottage on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario, and seem to be wintering over. It is a damp and cold area (just above freezing). There are perhaps 6 of them, most having egg sacks near them. I haven’t seen anything like them before!
Thanks
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Your gal is a female Domestic Spider, also commonly called a House Spider, Achaearanea tepidariorum. These small harmless Comb-Footed Spiders are common around the home, hence their common name. Your photo nicely illustrates the large and bulbous abdomen with its cream coloration and dark blotches. They spin irregular webs.
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Posted 13 March 2005
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What about this bug that I found on my living room floor, in Perth, Australia?
thanks.
Paul M Bartley
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Hi Paul,
You have some species of Weevil, Family Curculionidae, the largest Family of Beetles. They are plant pests. Sorry, I can’t be more specific.
Update: 29 November 2008
Since our site migration last summer, we have had much work to do reclassifying old postings from our archives. Since this entry was originally posted, we have identified this unusual Australian Weevil as an Elephant Weevil, Orthorhinus cylindrirostris . Substantiating photos can be found on the Brisbane Insect Site and an Australian Forestry Images Website.
Another Red Pipevine Swallotail Caterpillar?
Dear What’s That Bug,
I found this in Austin, Texas at our Barton Springs trail. Is this for sure a Red Pipevine Swallotail? If so, what plants do they normally eat? I want to paint this wonderful creature and would very much like to include accurate plantlife in my picture. Thanks for your help!
Denise Garza
Hi Denise,
With caterpillars, the best way to determine food sources it to check the plant the caterpillar was found eating. Your Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar, Battus philenor, should enjoy eating upon its namesake Pipevine Family plants, such as Dutchman’s Pipe and Virginia Snakeroot. The plants have toxins in the leaves and the caterpillar absorbs those toxins which make them inedible to birds and other preying dangers. Here is a site with some nice images and information.
should i be worried
a friend of mine told me to send you this picture of a spider i saw running across my living room. i have seen a few of them lately, should i be alarmed or are they a harmless spider helping control other pests in my house.
thanks
Thomas
Hi Thomas,
Your spider sure looks like a Carolina Wolf Spider, Lycosa carolinensis, the largest North American Wolf Spider. Females are about twice the size of males, reaching almost 1 1/2 inches. Like your specimen, sometimes this spider has a darker stripe along the midline of the abdomen. This spider is usually found in open fields on the ground and hunts mainly at night. It ranges throughout the United States and Southern Canada. It is harmless, but a good hunter that will help keep your home free of pests.
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Posted 12 March 2005
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Found in Dried Noodles with mold!
This was the most descusting thing that Ive seen in quite a while. I was grabing a ramen and noticed a mold bag of noddles that had previously been opened. I took a second look and about One Hundred of these tiny little bugs where cralling and falling out of the bag! What are they and How can I get rid of them.
P.S. I decided NOT to eat the ramen.
Kyle G.
Austin, TX
Hi Kyle,
You found Grain Weevils in your Ramen. They are a type of Pantry Beetle easily identified by the snout. Obviously a female beetle got into the bag and layed eggs. This is just one reason there is an expiration date on foods.
Leucauge venusta photo
I went through your site and indentified my little spider friend,
Leucauga venusta. Thank you. This was taken next to a house wall in
central Florida in late August. Red spots.
Carl
Thank you for your beautiful image of an Orchard Spider, Leucauge venusta.
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Posted 11 March 2005
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dusty odd looking bug
Hey, Pepi here is really dusty and odd looking, i figuire its some kind of bug that hibernates because a few days ago he came out when it was warm, and he was covered in massive dust, poor thing, looked so thin. I don’t know if it is native to michigan or not, I live in Muskegon Michigan there are always bugs here near the lake so let me know. I think it looks really odd but cute, and i named him pepi
Just don’t try to cuddle with Pepi. You have a Masked Hunter, Reduvius personatus, a species of Assassin Bug. Pepi will bite painfully when provoked. Masked Hunters get covered with dust, and become “masked.” They are beneficial, since they eat Bedbugs.
