Skip to content

Tag Archives: bug love

What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Mating Red Shouldered Bugs

Red and black shelled bug
Thu, Mar 19, 2009 at 2:11 PM
We live in San Antonio, Texas. Since early March, we have been noticing these strange bugs crawling around near our back porch and in our back garden. They’ve been hanging out on our nascent basil bush, though they don’t seem to have actually nibbled a the basil yet. (Perhaps they don’t like pesto?) Does anyone know what these pesky creatures might be called? What environmentally responsible steps can we take to remove them from our premises?
Aaron
San Antonio, Texas

Red Shouldered Bugs

Red Shouldered Bugs

Dear Aaron,
The most puzzling aspect of your photo of mating Red Shouldered Bugs, Jadera haematoloma, is that the female does not appear to have fully developed wings. This indicates that she is still an immature nymph. Red Shouldered Bugs may be a nuisance when they appear in large aggregations, but they will not harm the plants in your garden. According to BugGuide, it is found in: “yards and gardens, often in large aggregations to feed on seeds that have dropped to the ground from trees overhead ” and “”J. haematoloma feeds on a variety of plants but prefers balloonvine (Cardiospermum spp.; Sapindaceae) which grows in southern Florida. Additional hosts include other Sapindaceae, Ficus spp. (Moraceae) and Althaea spp. (Malvaceae). In some areas the bugs are observed feeding so often on goldenrain tree seeds ( Koelreuteria spp.; Sapindaceae), that they are referred to as ‘goldenrain tree bugs’.” – Frank Mead and Thomas Fasulo, University of Florida .” The species is also known as the Golden Rain Tree Bug because of its association with that plant. We do not offer extermination advice, especially with regards to benign species. We will contact Eric Eaton to see if he has an opinion on the underage female involved in mating activity.

Update: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 10:39:27 -0700 (PDT)
Hi, Daniel:
Many members of the “true bugs” suborder Heteroptera exhibit what scientists call “polymorphism” when it comes to wing growth.  Some individuals or populations will have shortened or otherwise non-functional wings while others will be fully-winged.  I’ve never heard of Jadera displaying that phenomenon, but I’m also not surprised by it.
Eric
P.S.  Did I tell you I’m blogging now?  Feel free to link to anything there that you might find useful, or even reprint it on WTB:
http://bugeric.blogspot.com

Posted 20 March 2009 § Box Elder Bugs ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Mating Indian Meal Moths

Indian Meal Moths
Sat, Mar 7, 2009 at 4:25 PM
First of all, let me say I love your website. I moved from a fairly new and well-insulated family house into a pretty old appartment building, ground level, a few months ago. I’m no more a bug lover than the next person, so I’m just happy I found this site, which has saved me from freaking out a couple of times. First time with a classic case of house centipedes. Now, I only wish! I haven’t killed them (at least not once I knew what they were), but for some reason there are none around anymore. Maybe because of winter? Anyway, now I found out that I have some Indian Meal Moths. They’ve been around on and off. During summer and fall I was pretty sure they were just some normal moth that came in from outside (especially since there was only one or two of them), but in the middle of the winter, much less probable. So I researc hed your website, ended up cleaning my whole pantry (and yes, some stuff was infested, I’m still grossed out). I do still have a few questions, though. Do these types of moths also have cases at the larva stage, or am I dealing with more than one type of moth if I find discarded or unhatched cases? Might meal moths also infest pasta, raisins or even chocolate (I found a larva in an old Nutella jar, which fortunately I hadn’t eaten from in very long)? Also, they seem to be able to munch through thin plastic wrappings….just how thick a plastic bag can they break open? Last question, apart from transferring everything to plastic and glass containers, is there anything that might keep them away, sort of like cedar wood with clothing moths? I tried a bit of rosemary branches in the past, seemed to work, but when I cleaned up, the little pile of rosemary needles had unhatched cases in it….gross. (For the record, I have cleaned the pantry regularly since I moved and I do throw out anything that sits around too long…)
Thanks for your time, I know there are a lot of questions. I’ve included a picture of two meal moths apparently reproducing, which I found while cleaning the said pantry. Thought it might be an interesting addition to the nice pictures on your website. I guess spring is coming for everyone! :P
Genevieve
Ottawa

Mating Indian Meal Moths

Mating Indian Meal Moths

Dear Genevieve,
The cases you are finding may be the cast off larval or pupa skins. when the insect metamorphoses, it leaves behind the exoskeleton. The caterpillars form a silken webbing in the food source. According to BugGuide, the larvae of the Indian Meal Moth “infests a wide variety of stored food products such as flour, oatmeal, dried fruits, seeds, nuts, powdered milk, biscuits, chocolate, and bird seed ” and “spin silken threads as they crawl through stored products, creating a matted layer of product, frass, and pupal cases.” Vigilance is the best method for controlling Indian Meal Moths and other pantry pests. Your question regarding chewing through plastic may need an expert to answer.

Update: Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 8:32 AM
Thank you for the information. I read somewhere online that bay leaves might be a good way to repel insects from your food stores, so I might give it a try. I’ve captured the remaining adults, so as to limit the damages, and was a bit surprised this morning to find eggs in the jar. They’re still laying them, it’s sort of interesting to see. Anyway, I’m keeping tabs on that (taking pictures and everything) from now on, because I strongly suspect an already-infested bag of rice was the source of the problem (the need to pinpoint a source has become quite strong to my curious mind). I put a few rice grains and a bit of what looks disturbingly like eggs in another jar, and I’m also keeping tabs on that. The egg-like grains were already in the bag before I even opened it. Well, this said, I’ll let you know if anything interesting comes up from all of this.
Genevieve, Ottawa, Canada
P.S. I don’t know if it’s of any interest, pantry moths being very common, but I’ve enclosed pictures of the said moths and eggs…they’re kind of blurry, but it’s the best quality I could get out of my generic Canon. The whitish blurs are the eggs (but obviously not the pile of rice grains!)

Thanks for teh update Genevieve.  Your photo is a bit too blurry to post.  Many aromatic plants are said to repel moths, including your previously mentioned rosemary.  We have also heard wormwood (Artemesia), lavender and mint will repel moths.  The cedar you mentioned may also work.

Posted 08 March 2009 § Pantry Moths, Clothes Moths, Case-Bearers and Meal Moths ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Mating Tricolor Soldier Beetles from Australia

Mating unknown Longicorns
Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Hi guys.
Hope the book is progressing well. I found this pair today while photographing a moth. I have not seen such brightly coloured longicorns before and hopefully someone can ID these for me. Hope you like this buglove shot
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia

Mating Soldier Beetles

Mating Soldier Beetles

Hi Trevor,
We are still courting the editor and publisher and the book is still in the concept phase. These are not Longicorns, but Soldier Beetles in the family Cantharidae. On the Brisbane Insect site, they resemble the Tricolor Soldier Beetles, Chauliognathus tricolor.

Posted 03 March 2009 § Soldier Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Orbweavers from Hawaii

Argipoe appensas mating activity
Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:01 AM
I got this shot of a male Argipoe appensas? after it spent some time on the web of a female. I did not get a shot of the actual mating. I’m not sure it occurred. However, I wonder if the small appendage and organ to the left of his head are sex organs and/or sperm packets?
gregp25
Kapaa, Kauai, Hawaii

Pair of Orbweavers

Orbweavers

Dear gregp25,
Thanks for sending us a photo of a pair of Argiope appensa preparing to mate. The much smaller male will spend considerable time in the web of the female until he has an opportunity to mate. In speaking about a related species, Argiope aurantia, BugGuide mentions the palps on the male spider being reproductive organs. The Biodiversity Explorer website discusses the copulatory organs of spiders thus: “The copulatory organs of the Araneomorpha, or true spiders, have entelegyne features. The male palps are enlarged distally (at the ends) due to a complex copulatory organs or genital bulbs that resemble boxing gloves. Some tiny male spiders have ridiculously large palps relative to their body size. The male and female genital organs are very specific and function on a “lock and key” principle. These organs are used to identify spiders to species level. The female genitalia, the epigyne, is situated ventrally (underside) between the booklung slits on the epigastric furrow. The epigyne is a black, shiny, chitinous, oval to round plate with two openings. “

Male Orbweaver

Orbweaver

Correction: Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 8:13 AM
Aloha Daniel -
Regarding the post on Sunday:
A pair of Orbweavers from Hawaii
Argipoe appensas mating activity
Fri, Feb 27, 2009 at 12:01 AM
The photo from Kaua`i appears to have an adult female and a sub-adult female. Also, the writer is confusing the stabilimentum with something to do with reproduction.
The observations I’ve made of the males on Maui are that they have very little of the same markings on their back as the female. They are also seriously small compared to the females. Most people totally miss the boys hanging out on the other side of the web because of their X shape and the general size of these girls.
Also, regarding the first image – the male would need to be on the other side of the web. It is the best place for them to sip on the meal provided by the female. But who knows what they do when I’m not looking at them? Ha!
The link you have to BugGuide – for the Argiope Aurantia – the male is really large compared to what I have seen here on Maui for the Appensas. Of course, with the way animals can adapt to their environments, Kaua`i appensas and Maui ones could be different!
Right now, due to the wet and seriously windy weather in Ha`iku, our Appensas are hiding in their appropriate safe zones so I can’t send you an image of a pair here. I will make sure you get an image when I can. Also will include an image of egg sacks, which look rather like a wrapped-up used food source.
These images are from lower Kula on Maui – 30 July 2005. I had a house with an outdoor shower and these girls shared bug reducing duties for me.
Mahalo – Thanks – for all the enjoyment your efforts bring to the world.
Eliza B

Argiope appensa

Argiope appensa

Thanks for correcting our error Eliza.

Posted 28 February 2009 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Mating Leaf Footed Bugs

Bug of the Month – Feb 2009, eating habits?
Tue, Feb 24, 2009 at 4:34 PM
Hi, I live in Phoenix, AZ and my kids and I were in our backyard and noticed these bugs my son refered to as “lobster bugs”. We came inside and found your site. Thanks for the science lesson! I was wondering if these plant bugs opened the pomagranate or did they find them and begin to eat them? Is this their plant of choice or will any do?
THS
North America

Leaf Footed Bugs Mating

Leaf Footed Bugs Mating

Dear THS,
The insects in your photos are mating Leaf Footed Bugs or Big Legged Bugs, probably Leptoglossus zonatus as depicted on BugGuide.  We often see this species on ripe pomegranates in Elyria Canyon Park in the Mount Washington area of Los Angeles.  The adult insects are also attracted to our tomatoes.  These insects have sucking mouth parts rather than chewing mouth parts.  The Leaf Footed Bugs use their sucking mouth parts to pierce the skin and suck the juices from the plants.  Enzymes that the insects release create bruise-like irregularities in the fruit. The ripe pomegranates split their skins on their own.

Leaf Footed Bugs Mating

Leaf Footed Bugs Mating

Posted 25 February 2009 § Leaf Footed Bugs ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:

Australian Hover Flies Mating in Flight

Hoverflys mating in flight
Sun, Feb 22, 2009 at 9:43 PM
Hi guys,
Just spotted a hoverfly in the garden that was staying very much in the one spot so grabbed the camera and turned out to be this pair in mating flight.. Sorry the top guy is not real sharp around the head, ID is Common Hover Fly – Ischiodon scutellaris. Thought you might like them for the buglove pages
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia

Hover Flies Aerial Mating

Hover Flies Aerial Mating

Hi Trevor,
What an amazing and romantic photograph.  Thanks for providing our readership with a species identification as well.

Posted 23 February 2009 § Syrphid Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Firefly Larva and Courting Rhinoceros Beetles from Sumatra, Indonesia

“Glowworm” form Indonesia
Wed, Feb 18, 2009 at 3:02 AM
Hi!
During my recent holiday in Indonesia I saw some kind of bioluminescent bug (I guess it’s a beetle) on Sumatra, in the Bukittinggi region in the west.
The bug glowed continuously, without any blinking. After a few minutes it stopped, and would start up the light again when touched. It did not move very much, and only slowly, but maybe it was not in best health anymore. The guy from the hotel who lives in the area said he had seen it for the first time, so it can’t be too common.
I would guess it was about 6 cm in lenght. The picture on the following website shows a similar Insect, but unfortunately does not specify what it is: http://4to40.com/encyclopedia/index.asp?id=642

Firefly

Firefly

As an extra I have attached a picture of two large beetles from the same area, which are very common in a riverbed and seem to feed exclusively on the bark of the many mimosa bushes there.
Cheers from Germany,
Till
Sumatra, Indonesia

Unknown Rhinoceros Beetles

Unknown Rhinoceros Beetles

Dear Till,
In our opinion, the glowing larva is an immature Firefly in the family Lampyridae, and not a Glowworm in the family Phengodidae. We love your photo of the courting pair of Rhinoceros Beetles. We have just spent about two hours updating and posting and researching answers, and we are a bit exhausted and need to stop now. We hope one of our faithful readers can provide a correct species name for your gorgeous Rhinoceros Beetles.

Update:
Hi!
With your information of the Genus I looked at some more pictures on the web, and found these for Xylotrupes gideon sumatrensis:
http://beetlespace.wz.cz/e_Xylotrupes_gideon_sumatrensis.html
That looks very close, I think.
Also, X. florensis seems to be restricted to Lesser Sunda and Tanimbar Islands, which Sumatra does not belong to.
Till

Thanks for the update Till.  We can also provide a new link to the NaturalWorlds website that has a bit of information.  The subspecies from Australia on the Brisbane Insects website has a much smaller horn structure.

Posted 20 February 2009 § Beetles § Scarab Beetles ‡ Comments (3) ° Also tagged:

Mating Soldier Beetles from Colorado, probably Colorado Soldier Beetles

Mating Orange Beetles
Sun, Feb 8, 2009 at 12:17 AM
Many of these beetles were mating this fall amongst the wildflowers here in Colorado Springs.
Nick DeBarmore
Colorado Springs, CO

Mating Soldier Beetles, possibly Colorado Soldier Beetles
Mating Soldier Beetles, possibly Colorado Soldier Beetles

Dear Nick,
These are some species of Soldier Beetle or Leatherwing from the genus Chauliognathus.  There is a very common eastern species, Chauliognathus pensylvanicus, the Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, but according to BugGuide, there have been no reports from Colorado.  There are several species that have been reported from Colorado, but exact species identification is difficult due to your camera angle.  Were we to hazard a guess, we would say these are most likely  Colorado Soldier Beetles, Chauliognathus basalis, but the distinguishing features according to BugGuide:  “head, antennae, legs black; pronotum and elytra reddish-orange; pronotum with semicircular or U-shaped black mark on posterior half; elytra with triangular black patch at base and rectangular black patch at tip color of elytra is apparently variable (polymorphic) and is the subject of research papers ” are not visible in your image.  As a general note on the excellent macro photographs you have sent to us for identification:  images showing only the specimens’ heads makes identification very difficult for us.  We would request that you only send images of the entire insect in question for identification purposes.

Update
August 10, 2009
This copulating pair of soldier beetles is most likely C. pennsylvanicus and not C. basalis.  The color and elytral markings are much more consistent with that of C. pennsylvanicus and do not resemble those of C. basalis.  See the image from the Mating Pennsylvania Leatherwings post of Dec. 16, 2006 and you will see that these two images represent the same beetle species.  I grew up collecting copulating C. pennsulvanicus from wild sunflowers in SD and have seen thousands of them.
snethen

Posted 09 February 2009 § Soldier Beetles ‡ Comments (2) ° Also tagged:

Pair of Golden Silk Spiders

Very large mommy and babies (?) in Ocala FL area
Mon, Dec 29, 2008 at 5:41 PM
Hello! Love your site!!
Last summer, we where driving across FL and stopped in Ocala at a large truck stop. This mommy and what I believe was a baby or siblings had a HUGE web built behind a BBQ stand. The biggest was about 6″ end to end and the smaller (in the second picture) was about 4″ long. Can you identify them (so we know if we should avoid them in the future) :-) Or just take cools pics from afar.
Lauren in NPR FL
Ocala FL

Pair of Golden Silk Spiders

Pair of Golden Silk Spiders

Hi Lauren,
Your assumption that this Golden Silk Spider was tending to her young is understandable, but incorrect.  The large female Golden Silk Spider, Nephila clavipes, dwarfs her mate by being as much as 100 times his mass.  Golden Silk Spiders are not dangerous, but we imagine that they might bite if threatened, but there would be no lasting effects of the bite beyond local pain and swelling.

Posted 30 December 2008 § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Mating Bronze Orange Bugs from Australia

beetle with orange feelers
Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 10:47 PM
I live in Sydney, Australia and found a bunch of these beetles in my orange tree today….
any ideas about what they are? and are they pests?
Cheers
Sydney, Australia

Bronze Orange Bug

Bronze Orange Bug

Dear Cheerful,
Bronze Orange Bugs, Musgraveia sulciventris, are True Bugs and not Beetles.  They are actually Stink Bugs.  You may read more about them on the Geocities Brisbane Insects website.
Since they suck the sap from young plant shoots on citrus trees, they are not an advantageous species in the garden.

Mating Bronze Orange Bugs

Mating Bronze Orange Bugs

Posted 11 December 2008 § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Jagged Ambush Bugs Mating

Bug Love Meets Where’s Waldo
Tue, Nov 11, 2008 at 7:49 PM
My son Sam took this picture of what he thought was an assassin bug on a flower. Later when we looked back at it we noticed that it was actually two bugs mating. If you can zoom in it’s really a pretty amazing picture. We are wondering now if they are assassin bugs since they don’t seem much like the others on this site. In any case, it’s one for your Bug Love. Any ideas? Thanks, as always, for your great great site!
Sam and Daddy Jim
Suburban backyard, 35 miles west of Chicago

Mating Ambush Bugs

Mating Ambush Bugs

Hi Sam and Daddy Jim,
Though they are sometimes mistaken for Assassin Bugs, Ambush Bugs are in a different family, Phymatidae.  Your pair are Jagged Ambush Bugs in the genus Phymata, and you can see more images on BugGuide.

Posted 13 November 2008 § Ambush Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Mating Fig Sphinxes

Hawk Moths-Do you know what kind. From Florida
Sat, Nov 8, 2008 at 2:00 PM
William Arney

Mating Fig Sphinxes

Mating Fig Sphinxes

Hi William,
These are mating Fig Sphinxes, Pachylia ficus, and we are thrilled to post your photo.

Posted 09 November 2008 § Hummingbird Moths, Sphinx Moths or Hawk Moths ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Page 6 of 34« First...«45678»102030...Last »