Invasive Exotics Archives - What's That Bug?

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Lablab Bug

On May 16, 2013 · Category: Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs Tagged With: Invasive Exotics · Add Comment

Subject: What is this bug ? They’re everywhere !
Location: Kennesaw Georgia
May 15, 2013 2:29 pm
This bug has been flyin around . & they’re about the size of a lady bug, look just like tick, & they fly . There are about 15 o them flying around on my deck ! Are these harmful or just bugs ?
Signature: Devin Reilly

Lablab Bug

Hi Devin,
This is a Lablab Bug, Bean Plataspid or Kudzu Bug, Megacopta cribraria, and the bad news is that it is a recently introduced, invasive, exotic species that feeds on soybeans. The good news is that it also feeds on kudzu, another invasive exotic species of plant that has infested much of the south. The Atlanta Journal Constitution ran an article on the Lablab Bug back in 2009.

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Harlequin Stink Bug Nymph

On May 5, 2013 · Category: Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs Tagged With: Invasive Exotics · Add Comment

Subject: Is this a variety of ladybug?
Location: San Jose East foothills
May 5, 2013 2:39 pm
I found a bunch of these as I was clearing out some alyssum and weeds next to my clemetis. It is small (about 1/8-1/4” max) looks kinda like a lady bug in shape but different markings and I wanted to know if it was beneficial or not. This was taken May 5th
Thanks!
Signature: Denise

Harlequin Stink Bug Nymph

Dear Denise,
This is the nymph of a Harlequin Stink Bug, Murgantia histrionica, a species that feeds on fluids of plants mainly in the cabbage family. You can compare your image to this photo on BugGuide.

Thank You for such a quick reply – and on a Sunday too!
Your site is great!

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Med Fly in Laguna Beach

On May 2, 2013 · Category: Fruit Flies Tagged With: Invasive Exotics · 1 Comment

Subject: Odd fly
Location: Laguna Beach, CA 92651
May 1, 2013 11:50 pm
This fly looks similar to a bathroom fly but is somewhat different. It was crawling on a piece of paper in our living room. I live in Laguna beach California.
Signature: Robert

Med Fly

Dear Robert,
This sure looks like a Mediterranean Fruit Fly or Med Fly, Ceratitis capitata, to us. See this matching image on BugGuide. The Med Fly rose to notoriety and became a Southern California icon in the 1980s because of the aerial spraying that occurred in many parts of Los Angeles in an unsuccessful attempt to limit the spread of this invasive exotic species. According to BugGuide: “One of the world’s most destructive fruit pests, and the most economically important fruit fly species. Each infestation detected in FL and CA triggered massive eradication and detection effort. In CA, large numbers of sterile males are released and are not uncommon in some places. A female (they have a visible ovipositor on the rear tip of the abdomen) would be a sign of an infestation, and should be reported immediately.” Your fly has an ovipositor, and we would strongly recommend reporting it to your local authorities. You can probably contact the Center for Invasive Species at UC Riverside.

Wow, I had never seen one before.
An interesting side note: My 6-year-old grandson, who loves
entomology, caught the fruit fly outside on a plant using a real
insect aspirator. He brought it inside to show me and it got out of
the holding tube.
BTW, I see you live in Mt. Washington. My son and daughter both have
homes in Mt. Washington and they love it. Also, you must be friends
with the entomologist Julian Donahue, who I believe lives there too.
Thanks for identifying this “bug”! I will call the Center for Invasive Species.
-Robert

Hi again Robert,
It really is a small world and Mount Washington is a gem of a community. Also I am friends with Julian Donahue and I just saw him last night.

Hello Daniel,
Yes, it certainly is a small world! Please give my regards to Julian
the next time you see him. He knows me as “Robin” as I go by both
“Robert” and “Robin.”
BTW, Nick Nisson, the county entomologist ad agricultural commissioner
of Orange County told me today that the sterile Med Flies that they
released were 50% male and 50% female. So he said not to be concerned
but that if I found the fly (which was inside my living room) to send
it to him for examination.
Very best wishes,
-Robert/Robin

Julian Donahue provides some insight
Small world indeed!
I’ve known Robin Commagère for decades, through The Lepidopterists’ Society. …
BTW, the sterile medflies released by the agriculture folks usually have spots of a pink dye on them, so that they can be differentiated from non-sterile (and therefore of concern) flies.
Julian

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Kudzu Bug Laying Eggs

On April 27, 2013 · Category: Eggs, Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs Tagged With: Invasive Exotics · Add Comment

Subject: Bug in Tega Cay, SC
Location: Upstate South Carolina
April 26, 2013 3:48 pm
We have a large abundance of these small ladybug sized bugs in our yard. They came out about 10 days ago and there are 100’s in our yard. Areas appear black or dotted there are so many of them. One photo is a close-up of the bug, the other is how they are scattered on the house. Can you help identify and provide some information?
Signature: Tega Cay, SC

Kudzu Bug lays eggs

This is a Bean Plataspid or Globular Stink Bug, Megacopta cribraria, which is also called a Lablab Bug. We don’t know the origin of the name Lablab Bug, but we are amused by it and that is our common name of choice for this Invasive Exotic Species. We first received a report from Georgia in 2011 of this species and learned that it was first discovered in North America in 2009. Since that time it has spread through the south. It feeds on another invasive species, the Kudzu, and according to BugGuide, which is now using Kudzu Bug as the common name of choice, it is: “the only member of its family reported from the Western Hemisphere.” BugGuide also notes: “may invade homes in large numbers and become a household pest; highly invasive species of mixed impact: it seems to prefer kudzu (a highly invasive and damaging plant), but can also become a serious pest of leguminous crops.” We have received numerous reports of Home Invasions.

Kudzu Bugs

Comment from Ted
Subject: LabLab Bug
April 27, 2013 4:18 pm
You stated you were amused by the name LabLab. I occasionally grow a beautiful asian bean that goes by the name of hyacinth bean or LabLab. I would strongly suspect this is the origin of the nickname. By the way- LabLab is particularly striking when grown together with blue Morning Glories here in Chicago. Love your site and always will even if my contributions never find their way to the web page! Your Always Faithful Reader, Ted
Signature: Ted

Thanks for the informative comment. We are troubled to learn that you have submitted identification requests or other potential website content and we haven’t ever posted anything. Much of the selection process is luck, but a catchy subject line generally gets our attention as well.

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Torpedo Bug in Mount Washington

On April 21, 2013 · Category: Aphids, Scale Insects, Leafhoppers, and Tree Hoppers Tagged With: Invasive Exotics, WTB? Mt. Washington · 2 Comments

Subject: Mt. Washington leaf-like bug I have never seen!
Location: Mt. Washington, Los Angeles, CA
April 20, 2013 11:33 pm
Hello Bugman,
I just came home and found this adorable little bug on my front door. I have personally never seen anything like it in Los Angeles! I want to say that it was 2cm long. Do you know what this cute leaf looking little thing is? I would really love to know!
Signature: Your fellow bug loving neighbor,

Torpedo Bug

Dear fellow bug loving neighbor,
We don’t know which excites us more: to have a WTB? Mount Washingtington posting that our editorial staff did not submit, or to have learned that this interesting creature is called a Torpedo Bug one of the Flattid Planthoppers. We quickly identified the Torpedo Bug as Siphanta acuta on BugGuide where we learned it is: “native to Australia, adventive elsewhere (New Zealand, Hawaii); established in CA” and “earliest NA record: CA 1983 not considered a pest in CA; considered a pest of banana, citrus, coffee, guava, macadamia, and many ornamentals in HI.” We are still tagging it as an Invasive Exotic. Though it is not considered a pest in CA, that might be because it is not that numerous or because it hasn’t yet affected the agricultural industry. If it is considered a pest on citrus in Hawaii, it stands to reason it might also affect citrus in California. Planthoppers feed by sucking juices from plants with their piercing/sucking mouthparts. The New South Wales Government Agricultural website has a nice photo of the Torpedo Bug, but it is called the Green Planthopper.

Hi Daniel,
Sorry for the delay in reply! I’ve been very busy on a job and wasn’t able to respond until now.
Thank you so much for identifying the bug for me. As a gardener I see a lot of bugs but this torpedo bug was certainly a different one!
Thank you so much for your blog… it is quite fun! …
Warmly,

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African Painted Bugs

On April 14, 2013 · Category: Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs Tagged With: Invasive Exotics · Add Comment

Subject: Angry ladybug?
Location: Los Angeles, CA
April 13, 2013 11:12 pm
Hi,
We found these last year on some flower plant. Later, we began finding them in the pool and all over the garden. We live near LAX, but out pool man said he has been seeing them all over L.A, (Malibu, Santa Monica, Culver City…)
I showed it to the local nursery, a garden club, and others, but no one could identify it. The nursery though maybe it was a harlequin, but it;’s not.
We call it the angry ladybug because we can’t find out what it is. We found this site because we were trying identify the bug on our jalapeno plant. That is the Keeled Treehopper.
Signature: Alli

African Painted Bugs

Dear Alli,
In just a few short years, this recently introduced Invasive Exotic species, the African Painted Bug, Bagrada hilaris, has established itself in much of Southern California. We first reported them from our home garden in 2009 and we learned that it was first noticed in Orange County the year before. Since you mentioned your jalapeno plant, we are guessing you are a home gardener. The African Painted Bug feeds on plants in the cabbage family, including kale, collard green, mustard and broccoli. In our opinion, they pose a serious threat to both commercial agriculture and the home gardener. We have eliminated them from our home garden through the removal of all infested plants and we spray the young flightless nymphs with a hose. We still see them on wild mustard in nearby Elyria Canyon Park and we realize that without diligence, we might suffer future infestations.

Thank you so much for answering so quickly. We looked at your link and noticed their spots looked orange, while ours were white. What do the nymphs look like so we can avoid them.
And thank you again!!!
Yes, we are home gardeners with a vegetable garden of about 25×50. We fist noticed them when the at off our sprouting brussel sprouts. From there, they moved to some wild flower/daisy which is the pic we sent. In case you are mapping them, we are in Culver City.
The keeled tree hopper is on the jalapenos.

Hi again Alli,
Here is a link to the African Painted Bug nymphs we have in our archive.

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Citrus Weevil

On April 8, 2013 · Category: Weevils Tagged With: Invasive Exotics · 3 Comments

Subject: what the hell is that thing?
Location: south Florida
April 8, 2013 8:14 pm
Well, I live in Homestead, Fl. it is 4/8/13 and I found this thing on my wall. It is hard as it did not squish as I transported it via napkin to the toilet ( and I was not gentle as I transported it). There r lots of farms in this area, lots of humidity and water near my home as well. More than anything I want to know to make sure it will not harm my dog as it eats everything. Thank you for your time in advanced.
Signature: Frank l

Citrus Weevil

Dear Frank,
This is a Weevil, a member of several families of beetles that include many agricultural pests. We took some additional time and quickly identified the Citrus Weevil or Sugarcane Root Weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus. According to BugGuide, it is native to the Caribbean and it is currently reported in Florida, Texas, Louisiana and California and it is a: “Major pest of citrus crops: Larvae feed on the roots in the soil, and will often girdle the taproot, which may kill the plant and provide an avenue for Phythophora infections. A single larva can kill young hosts while several larvae can cause serious decline of older, established hosts.” BugGuide lists the food plants as: “Acacia, Acer, Albizia, Ambrosia, Amyris, Baccharis, Bauhinia, Brassica, Caesalpinia, Cassia, Celtis, Citrus, Cordia, Crotalaria, Desmodium, Diospyros, Erythrina, Ficus, Guaiacum, Hibiscus, Ilex, Indigofera, Jatropha, Juniperus, Magnolia, Manihot, Mimosa, Montezuma, Myrica, Panicum, Passiflora, Persea, Phaseolus, Phoenix, Piper, Pithcellobium, Pittosporum, Prunus, Psidium, Quercus, Rhizophora, Rhus, Rosa, Roystonea, Rubus, Salix, Schinus, Schrankia, Senna, Sorghum, Ulmus, Zanthoxylum, as well as numerous crops – Texas Dept. Agriculture” More information can be found on Citrus Pests.

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Tan Bark Borer may have emerged from firewood

On February 27, 2013 · Category: Longhorn Beetles Tagged With: Invasive Exotics · 2 Comments

Subject: beetle
Location: northern wisconsin
February 26, 2013 12:05 pm
We have been seeing these insects inside the house for the last several weeks, perhaps one or two a day. We don’t remember seeing them in the house prior to this winter. They started appearing after our first significant snowfall of the winter. They can appear anywhere in the house and are very slow moving, rarely flying.
Signature: Bob and Martha

Longhorned Borer Beetle

Dear Bob and Martha,
Do you burn firewood in the home? We suspect you brought in some wood and these Longhorned Borer Beetles had been living in the wood as wood boring larvae, and that they were most likely in the pupa stage when the heat of the home caused them to emerge early. We are pressed for time this morning, and cannot browse through the family Cerambycidae on BugGuide to identify the species. Perhaps while we are at our regular job, one of our readers will supply a comment with an identification. We will try to determine a species at a later date.

Update: February 27, 2013
Thanks to a comment identifying this as a Tan Bark Borer, Phymatodes testaceus, we are investigating on BugGuide. It appears we might be getting confused with Martha. According to BugGuide, the Tan Bark Borer is: “native to Eurasia; widely established around the world, incl. e. US and, more recently, in the Pacific Northwest”

Thanks for the tip – we do burn firewood and Martha suspected that that might be the source of the beetle. From the photos on your site, we think that it is an oxycopis thoracica
Bob and Martha

Well, on further review it appears to be Phymatodes testaceus, which makes more sense given it’s oak firewood origin.
Thanks again,
Bob and Martha

Hi again Bob and Martha,
When we received a comment that this was a Tan Bark Borer, we turned to BugGuide. We saw your submission that “Martha thinks they are coming from the firewood” and we suspected that we were being confused with Martha Stewart.

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Lablab Bug

Harlequin Stink Bug Nymph

Med Fly in Laguna Beach

Kudzu Bug Laying Eggs

Torpedo Bug in Mount Washington

African Painted Bugs

Citrus Weevil

Tan Bark Borer may have emerged from firewood

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