please help me
I have these bugs that just eats all my roses and peony plants I have nothing left in the garden can you tell me what bug it is ?So I can get rid of them Please help me.
Carole
Hi Carole,
These arev Rose Chafers, Macrodactylus subspinosus, and they are notorious garden defoliators. It appears as though they are mating as well as eating.
Spider ID
Hi,
I took this picture of a very interesting spider near my home in southern New York. It was quite aggressive, staring me down and flicking it’s fangs at me each time I moved. Can you tell me what it is? Also, I photographed this pair of Polyphemus moths mating last year and thouht you might like the picture. I have the originals if you’d like them (I reduced these for my weblog). Thanks!
Kat
Hi Kat,
Your spider is one of the jumping Spiders. It is your mating Polyphemus Moth photo thought that we are really interested in posting.
Monarchs (?) mating
Another one for the bug love pages! I took a series of photos of this mating pair last night in my backyard, just outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They seemed to be enjoying the scotch pine! I am not sure if these are Monarchs, although they don’t seem like any of the other similar species I’ve looked at (Viceroys, Queens). The one with opened wings (the male, I assume) does not have as much black veining as other Monarchs I’ve seen, and the one with closed wings did not have the orange/red colouration on the underside like others I’ve seen. Can you confirm if these are Monarchs, or something else? There are so many in my yard this year.
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
These are most definitely mating Monarch Butterflies.
hornets mating
Hello,
Saw these two mating, the one lying on its back was on top but by the time I got my camera it was in its death throes. Are these Bald Faced Hornets?
Nancy
Richlandtown , PA
Springfield Township (Upper Bucks County)
Hi Nancy,
Your mating wasps are Mason Wasps, Monobia quadridens. They are nonaggressive solitary wasps. According to BugGuide: “Usually nests in wood borings, but sometimes burrows in dirt banks. Sometimes takes over abandoned nests of carpenter bees or ground bees, also Sceliphron (mud dauber) cells. Nest is provisioned with caterpillars, and cells of nest are separated by mud partitions. “
What is this???
Found these in my backyard here in Ontario Canada, tried to identify them and the closest I came was the Atlas Moth, but the markings and shape of the wings differ in the pictures I’ve seen, there was 2 of them apparently mating, and they were huge, I have never seen them before, if you can help me identify them please E.mail me. Thanks in advance
Lin
Hi Lin,
We had a pair of mating Cecropia Moths on our homepage and can’t understand how you missed it. Your moths are also mating Cecropia Moths.
Cercopia Moths Mating
Hello! My name is Maureen and I live in King City, Ontario and look what I found mating on my wind chime!
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for sending us such wonderful documentation of mating Cecropia Moths.
looking to identify cool insects
love your site! i live about 40 mi. due west of the Superstition Mountains in Gilbert AZ (SE of Phoenix by about 25 miles) I found these on an oleander. they stayed rear-to-rear for quite awhile, when one crawled, the other moved backwards; their coloring is wrong for the pic i found of Lovebugs, Plecia nearctica (but the Florida site said they are invaders from the West), but can you tell if they’re related, or what they are? thanks!
Elizabeth Boepple
p.s. Florida says they get swarms, but in 1o years here, i’ve only seen these two, in April 2007
Hi Elizabeth,
Florida Lovebugs are actually flies. Your mating Small Milkweed Bugs are True Bugs. Western specimens of the Small Milkweed Bug, Lygaeus kalmii, show white spots on the membranous wings as pictured in your photograph.
Rose bush bug?
I was hoping you might be able to I.D. this bug for me … it appears to be some type of beetle. It appears on my rose bush in late May and stays pretty much to this one bush till it sucks the flowers dry ( dosn’t seem interested in the leaves .. just flower buds/ peddles ect. ) I have rarly seen it on my other roses ( Florabundas and Grandafloras, and a few Hybrid Tea’s … I have however seen them on my snow ball bush once . Once it destroys the flowers on the bush it just disappears till the next year . Do these bugs hatch from the ground ?? If so would planting garlic or chives help to discourage them ?
Thanks for any info you can give me!
Denise Dafoe
Tweed , Ontario , Canada
Hi Denise,
You have an infestation of Rose Chafer Beetles, Macrodactylus subspinosus. According to BugGuide: “Adults contain cantharadin, can poison chickens, other birds. “ Rose Chafers have a habit of mating and eating at the same time.
Emerald Ash Borer
Dear Bugman
Thanks for making Emerald Ash Borer the bug of the month. This will help folks learn more about this pest and maybe discover new sites where it has become established and report them. Attached is an old photo of them mating and a good close up shot. Remember-Don’t Move Infested Wood! Keep up the good work
Brian Sullivan
Plant Health Safeguarding Specialist
Hi again Brian,
Thanks for sending us another wonderful image to better help our readers identify the Emerald Ash Borers.
caterpillar, pupa, and bumblebee moth pictures
We found a Bumblebee Moth caterpillar on our Honeysuckle vine…
brought it inside to watch it transform and thought you might enjoy the pictures!
Nikki Ogle
Aubrey, Tx
BumbleBee Moth’s Bug Luvin’
I sent pictures of our Bumblebee Moth development… well, I just went to check to see if it was still on the vine… and found a two for one. Two hours after placing the moth on honeysuckle vine, I went to see if it had flown away … instead I was seeing double! After viewing this discovery I’ve surmised that our moth was female … The assumption based on larger size and having not moved from the leaf it was place on. It must have been releasing pheromones? If that is correct … the one facing us in this picture is a happy little male. This is my favorite picture. I’ve attachem more.
Nikki Ogle
Aubrey, Tx
Hi Nikki,
We sure hope you are going to send us the egg photos to complete this awesome life cycle series. Though it is often called the Bumblebee Moth, Hemaris thysbe is most commonly known as the Hummingbird Clearwing Moth or Common Clearwing. according to Bill Oehlke’s awesome site.
Update: (05/29/2007) Snowberries I think
Hello bugman!
So glad that you guys are back. I was just looking an awesome series of shots sent in by one of your readers of the life cycle of some clearwing moths. I do believe they are Hemaris difinnis, the Snowberry Clearwing, and not H. thysbe. I use the same sources as you (namely Bill Oehlke’s website and bugguide, Wagner’s book for caterpillars). On Bill Oehlke’s website, he describes some of the differences, including the color of the legs, which can be seen in the image you have of them mating. Keep up the good work!
Bobby
Hi Bobby,
Thanks for the correction. By the way, we cannot open your photos, but we are very curious to see them.
red lily beetle?
Is this a Red Lily Beetle? I found a ton of them on my lilies this week. If so, what is a good way to stop them from eating my lilies? If not, what is it? Can’t wait to show my daughter you site……….very cool!
These sure are Red Lily Beetles, Lilioceris lilii, and they are mating.
Luna Moths Mating
Hello! I was just scrolling the Luna Moth page on your website and saw that you have a couple of pictures of Luna Moths mating. Today we have a pair on our fence and they have been there all day. We saw one on the fence last night by himself and today he was joined by his mate. I have been outside several times to take pictures and thought you might enjoy a few to post on your website if you’d like. I was saddened to read that the Lunas only live a few days. No wonder these two are spending so much time together! Enjoy!
Shelly W.
Near Winston-Salem, NC
Since I sent these, we have also located the chrysalis/cocoon of what we assume to be the female who was originally on the fence the day beflor, as the females apparently do not fly until after mating.
Hi Shelly,
Thank you for taking the time to resend your gorgeous image of mating Luna Moths.
