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Tag Archives: food chain

Read about Twitching Zombie Ladybugs

Ed. Note: Our crack technical staff brought this wonderful link to our attention.  Read about a Wasp that parasitizes Lady Bugs here: http://gizmodo.com/5815382/twitching-zombie-ladybugs-make-great-shelters?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews

Posted 25 June 2011 § Lady Bug § Parasitic Hymenopterans ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Predatory Stink Bug from Brazil

Percevejo
Location: Londrina. Brazil
June 23, 2011 10:07 am
That’s a killer.
Signature: Aloysio Paschoal

stinkbug eats stinkbug brazil aloysio 300x224 Predatory Stink Bug from Brazil

Predatory Stink Bug eats Stink Bug

Hi,
I’m sending the other photos by e-mail.
I’m having trouble to send the images. Always come back with an error.
Love the site
Thank you
Aloysio

stinkbug eats bee brazil aloysio 300x206 Predatory Stink Bug from Brazil

Predatory Stink Bug eats Solitary Bee

Hi Aloysio,
That is one interesting Predatory Stink Bug you have there in Brazil.  Your first photo shows it feeding on another Stink Bug that might even be an immature member of the same species.  Your second photo shows it feeding on a Solitary Bee and the third image shows it feeding on a Bee as well.  Your photos are excellent additions to our Food Chain page.  We are copying our webmaster in the hopes that he is able to assist you with the technical problems you experienced.

stinkbug eats bee brazil alyosio 2 300x206 Predatory Stink Bug from Brazil

Predatory Stink Bug feeding on Bee

Posted 25 June 2011 § Bees § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Cicada Killer preys upon Annual Cicada

Cicada Killer
Location: St. Louis, MO
June 23, 2011 10:52 am
Love the site! Found it several years ago while trying to figure out what ”those crazy centipede millipede silverfish things” were. (House centipedes FTW!) While it hasn’t solved ALL of my irrational fears (crickets!), it has certainly helped.
Anyway, I was going through some old photos and ran across this cicada killer with her dinner. Thought you might enjoy the photo. I found her on the tire of my car in July of 2007 and had never seen one before. I figured out what she was with the help of your site.
Enjoy and thanks for all the hard work on this site!
Signature: Tracie

cicada killer prey tracie 300x206 Cicada Killer preys upon Annual Cicada

Cicada Killer preys upon Annual Cicada

Hi Tracie,
Your photo is just a bit early to coincide with the annual appearance of Cicada Killers, but we are very excited that you have sent it to us.  Some years we can get as many as three or five identification requests for Cicada Killers in a day, and they generally arrive in our mailbox during July and August.  We have just posted our first image of a molting Annual Cicada in the genus Tibicen for the year, and as the food source for the developing Cicada Killer broods are beginning to appear, the predators should soon follow.  We are going to feature your posting and we hope that informing our readers about this amazing Sand Wasp will help to curtail their slaughter.  Often people are unnerved because thought Cicada Killers are solitary wasps, they tend to form nursery nests in colonies.  Male Cicada Killers are perfectly harmless as they cannot sting, are nonetheless quite aggressive about defending territory.  Female Cicada Killers are capable of stinging, be we have never in more than 13 years of writing What’s That Bug? been able to document a verified incident of a person being stung by a Cicada Killer.  The few claims we have received are better explained by blaming other more aggressive wasps like Paper Wasps.

So glad you could use the photo!  I certainly could see how people would be intimidated by such a large wasp.  I was just so impressed by her I had to get some photos, but I certainly kept my distance!  icon smile Cicada Killer preys upon Annual Cicada   She was actually dragging the cicada up the tire of my car (looks like the photo on the site got rotated) and I ended up walking the couple of blocks home for lunch so I wouldn’t disturb her by driving off.
I do hope this will help people understand and be less afraid of these creatures.  Hey, if I can learn why house centipedes shouldn’t be automatically smushed regardless of how alien they look I believe ANYONE can.  Shoot, I was actually GLAD to see these guys in my new house.  The cave crickets, on the other hand, are not welcome.  I’ll send photos of those along if I ever muster up the courage to not immediately run from the basement when I see one.
Cheers!

Hi again Tracie,
Yes the image was rotated to maximize its size on the website.  Cicada Killers will climb up trees and walls while dragging a Cicada.  They can then glide some distance back to the excavated nest.

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Posted 24 June 2011 § Cicada Killer Wasps § Cicadas ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Molting Cicada Photo makes Local News!!!

Cicada emerges
Location: Roanoke Virginia USA
June 23, 2011 8:50 am
I wanted to share this beautiful emergence of a cicada. I caught it right in the middle of molting. Thanks again for the awesome site!!
Signature: neanderpaul

cicada molting neanderpaul 300x206 Molting Cicada Photo makes Local News!!!

Cicada Molting

Dear neanderpaul,
Thanks so much for submitting this gorgeous photo.  Many of our readers write in wanting to identify the shed exoskeletons of Cicadas, and it is nice to have your marvelous documentation of the actual molting process.  Your Cicada is one of the Annual Cicadas that appear each year, most likely a member of the genus Tibicen.

 

cicada molting neanderpaul 2 300x206 Molting Cicada Photo makes Local News!!!

Cicada Molting

Daniel,
Thanks so much for responding! It is VERY rewarding to get a complementary response especially when I know how busy you are and how many emails you must get. We do have these every year. The cicada killers make quite a living here! lol! I submitted a pic in ’07 of a wheel bug that still appears on your site. I really hope you post this cicada pic. It is so cool to have a pic featured on such a cool site! Thanks again so much for your site and for responding!
Best wishes,
Paul Mays
aka neanderpaul

Update:  August 29, 2011
Daniel,
My Cicada pic made it onto the local CBS news! Thanks for publishing it as that is how the reporter found it!
I now have some pics of a beautiful Garden spider. So huge and intimidating. He has a cicada all wrapped up for later. icon smile Molting Cicada Photo makes Local News!!!
And could “crop 1 Garden Spider 011″ be her mate? He was WAY smaller but I know males often are. He was in the same web.
Best wishes!
Paul Mays
aka neanderpaul

argiope eats cicada neanderpaul 300x225 Molting Cicada Photo makes Local News!!!

Golden Orbweaver eats Cicada

Hi Paul,
Thanks for the update and the great news about your previous photo.  We will be creating a new posting for your Golden Orbweaver images.

 

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Posted 24 June 2011 § Cicadas § Orb Weavers ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Fishing Spiders and Brown Recluses, Part 2

Dark Fishing Spiders- Very helpful in the house
Location:  Wildwood, Missouri
Jun 16, 2011,  11:26 PM
I found a couple photos of the mother spider I kept as a pet and her babies. The mother spider was a joy to have around, I first found her in my grandmother’s basement.  She was one of the best spiders I’ve had as a pet, and I’ve had several wolf spiders and a tarantula. Studying her behavior was a joy, and I kept a journal of her behavior. It was interesting to see how much she liked to eat recluses! She’d pick them over crickets when both were in her box. Since releasing a few of her babies outside the house (Most were released at parks with ponds and lakes), there haven’t been any infestation problems!
Use whichever photos you like on your website. Or none if you don’t like them, I don’t mind either way.
All are named by species and dated by when the photo was taken.
The photos are as follows:
My first sighting of a fishing spider, 1 year before the mother spider.

dolomedes cassie 20100416 300x208 Fishing Spiders and Brown Recluses, Part 2

Female Fishing Spider, April 16, 2010

2 months prior to finding her in the basement- suspect its her. Quarter next to her as size reference.
Mother and Babies, day after the babies emerged from egg sac.
Recluse sighting on the ceiling.
The recluse that gave me a bit of a scare when it came up through the toilet. I actually saw it come up!
Cassie

dolomedes spiderlings cassie 20100803 300x215 Fishing Spiders and Brown Recluses, Part 2

Fishing Spiderlings, August 3, 2010

Hi Cassie,
We are positively thrilled that you took the time to locate these images.  We are posting half of them with your letter and we are replacing the image of the Fishing Spider on your original posting with another of the images.  You never provided us with a location.  Can you at least provide the state where you took the photos?

recluse toilet cassie 20100628.JPG 300x216 Fishing Spiders and Brown Recluses, Part 2

Brown Recluse in the toilet

Location is Wildwood, Missouri, just a couple miles from Rockwood Reservation. That was actually one of the places I released some of the babies. I still see some of those that I put in the yard- they love the ground level birdbath on hot days. Being near the reservation means I get to see all sorts of interesting creatures. I’ve raised a wheel bug from the day it hatched, countless wolf spider and mantises, and several other fascinating creepy crawlies. I love monitoring their behaviors, and finding out their favorite foods and environments. I’ve gotten pretty good at recognizing bugs, and when I don’t recognize one I’ll set up a habitat for it, identify it, and study it a couple days. My family used to make bets with each other on if I’d be an entomologist, herpetologist, or artist. If I get any more good snapshots of the local bugs, I’ll be sure to send them!

Posted 24 June 2011 § Bite of the Brown Recluse § Nursery Web Spiders ‡ Comments (1) ° Also tagged:

Robber Fly from Croatia

insect four times larger than a wasp
Location: Dalmatian coast in Croatia
June 22, 2011 2:28 pm
Hi,
I was on holiday in Croatia and took a picture of this huge insect that is eating a wasp.
I would like to know what kind of insect it is?
Thanks in advanced!
Regards
Zrinko Culjak
Signature: Dalmatian insect

robber fly prey dalmatian insect 300x201 Robber Fly from Croatia

Croatian Robber Fly with Prey

Dear Zrinko,
What a magnificent Robber Fly.  Robber Flies are top of the food chain predators and we love that it is eating a wasp.  Some species of Robber Flies are known as Bee Killers and they often prey upon Honey Bees.  The are real marauders around bee hives in the minds of many bee keepers.
We quickly found this matching photo on the New Scientist website.  Alas, the species is not identified.  Seems that posting has produced a lively blog page but I don’t believe the species name of the Robber Fly has been determined.  Anyone care to help?

Posted 22 June 2011 § Robber Flies ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Tread Waisted Wasp preys upon Caterpillar

Solitary Burrowing Hunting Wasp ?
Location: Traverse City, Michigan
June 20, 2011 4:23 pm
I watched this muscular wasp bring in a large larva. It was right at the entrance to it’s burrow on the beach at D H Day Campground, Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan, but seemed nervous with me watching. Instead of taking it into the burrow it dragged up up a small plant nearby. With it safely hid, it buzzed me until I backed away.
Do you know the name of this wasp?
Signature: Bill

threadwaist wasp eats caterpillar bill 300x245 Tread Waisted Wasp preys upon Caterpillar

Thread Waisted Wasp preys upon Cutworm

Dear Bill,
The Thread-Waisted Wasps in the genus Ammophila are known to prey upon Cutworms that they use to provision underground nests for their brood.  Of the species represented on BugGuide, we believe your wasp looks the most like Ammophila nigricans.

threadwaisted wasp eats cutworm bill 300x238 Tread Waisted Wasp preys upon Caterpillar

Thread-Waisted Wasp preys upon Cutworm

Posted 20 June 2011 § Cutworms and Owlet Caterpillars § Thread Waisted Wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Spined Soldier Bug nymph eats Caterpillar

Two to Tango
Location: near Athens GA USA
June 17, 2011 1:50 pm
Greetings, who are these two on the latch of the gate fence in northeastern Georgia, USA? Cheers!
Signature: Karen

stinkbug eats caterpillar 300x238 Spined Soldier Bug nymph eats Caterpillar

Spined Soldier Bug nymph eats Caterpillar

Hi Karen,
Both individuals in your photograph are immature insects.  The predator is one of the Predatory Stink Bugs in the subfamily Asopinae, and we believe based on this image on BugGuide, that it is most likely in the genus Podisus, though nymphs are often difficult to accurately identify.  As you can see from the information page on the genus Podisus on BugGuide, there are both light and dark forms of the nymphs, and yours appears to be a light nymph.  We believe the caterpillar is a Cutworm, a caterpillar of an Owlet Moth.

Hi Daniel,
Thank you, and glad to hear it was a beneficial (possibly a spined soldier bug I suppose). Here’s a similar picture of predator + caterpillar that I found afterreading your email:
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/bugs/stinkbugs/stinkbugs.htm#nymph ; and then there are the beneficial assassin bugs:
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/CritterFiles/casefile/insects/bugs/assassin/assassin.htm
It has been difficult in the garden for me to tell a beneficial from adestructive stinkbug at times, but tonight I saw the ‘black streak on winged membrane’  in a pic of the soldiered spine, which was helpful to learn (http://bugguide.net/node/view/237854 ). I carry a magnifying glass in my garden bag and have my phone with Web access too; but sometimes, esp. in 90+ degrees, I simply capture whatever it is and try to look it up later to avoid squashing a beneficial anything. Eggs are difficult to discern, of course.
Tonight I noticed a primary hindrance to learning to ID bugs  is me not understanding what the description refers to, which will require more study than I have time for right now. But here’s the example, “single-spined humeral angle” (and I even know what a human humerus is, <smile>): at http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/beneficial/A_grandis11.htm , there is this: “Adult predatory stink bug, Podisus maculiventris (Say). Not only is this predatory stink bug much smaller than Alcaeorrhynchus grandis (Dallas), but notice the single-spined humeral angle.”
Must close. Thanks again for the educational side trip. I have other bug pics that I’ll send sometime for your collections.
Best wishes,
Karen

Posted 17 June 2011 § Cutworms and Owlet Caterpillars § Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

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