Looks like a Lady Bug with a Trapezoid Back
Location: Upstate South Carolina
October 15, 2011 1:34 pm
I have many of these dark bugs…they look like lady bugs except they have dark brown shells that are trapezoid shaped. They tend to cluster. Any ideas?
Signature: Stephen
Lablab Bugs
Dear Stephen,
You have invasive exotic Lablab Bugs that feed on Kudzu as well as soybeans. We just posted another letter and we refer you to the information there.
Odd squarish dark mottled beetle – possibly australian tortoise beetle?
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
October 17, 2011 12:16 am
Hello,
A friend sent me this photo of small (slightly bigger than ladybug-size) beetles he spotted sunning themselves on the balcony of his apartment in Atlanta, Georgia. I’ve never seen beetles like this. I have done some searches and suspect they could possibly be an import, the Australian Tortoise Beetle, although their shape and colouration seems a bit odd. They do appear to have the hair tuft on the end of their legs though. What do you think? Is it something else entirely? I asked him to contact his local officials in case this was indeed an invasive species but if it’s something else more obvious I’d love to hear it.
Signature: tee
Lablab Bugs
Dear Tee,
You have cause for concern. These are Lablab Bugs or Globular Stink Bugs, Megacopta cirbraria, and they are also called Bean Plataspids. According to BugGuide: “Recently found in ne. GA; native to India and China, known also from many parts of e. & se. Asia to Australia and New Caledonia(1) According to USA Today [Sept 26, 2011] – now NC, SC, AL.” There is a mixed blessing with this information from BugGuide: “Found in the US on kudzu; known hosts include legume crops, especially soybean.” Any insect that feeds on the invasive Kudzu would be welcomed, provided they did not also feed on an important crop plant.
Thank you so much for the reply! I will forward this to my friend! Many thanks on your wonderful website. It is very well-loved!
Red Gum Psyllid and Lerp
Location: Contra Costa County, CA
October 14, 2011 1:06 pm
I used the IC IPM website to identify this as a red gum psyllid (Glycaspis brimblecombei). I didn’t see any on What’s That Bug?, so I thought this would make a good addition.
Oh, did I kill him by removing the lerp?
Signature: Fel
Red Gum Lerp Psyllid
Dear Fel,
Thanks so much for sending us your photo. We don’t know much about the invasive, exotic Red Gum Lerp Psyllid. We did find a nice UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Fact Sheet on the species.
Strange bug
Location: Slovakia, Central Europe
October 3, 2011 7:52 am
First of all sorry if I make any mistake, I am not from English speaking country.
So to the point, this bug started appearing right after our building got renovated. I`ve never seen this kind of a bug in my whole life and now it is everywhere. It is getting really annoying to get rid of them many times a day. Just out of sheer curiosity, what kind of bug is it and/or how can I possibly get rid of them?
Signature: Thank you, Lukas Brath
Western Conifer Seed Bug
Hi Lukas,
Your English is perfectly understandable. We can tell you for certain that this is a Leaf Footed Bug in the genus Leptoglossus, and we are relatively certain that it is a Western Conifer Seed Bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis. The Western Conifer Seed Bug is native to the Pacific Northwest, and beginning in the 1970s, it began to expand its range across North America in the northern latitudes. While it doesn’t seem to be much of a problem in its native range, once it became established in other areas, people began to complain that it entered homes to hibernate as the weather began to cool. We learned that in the early years of the 21st millenium, the Western Conifer Seed Bugs was accidentally introduced to Europe and is has become established there as well.
There is much information on the spread of the Western Conifer Seed Bug in Europe available on the internet, including a scholarly article entitled “Will the invasive western conifer seed bug Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Coreidae) seize all of Europe” by Jerzy A. Lis, Barbara Lis & Jerzy Gubernator. That article begins with the compelling statement: “In our day, thanks to high-speed transport systems, people are moving living species (intentionally or not) across ecosystems and countless borders. As we know, most introduced species usually do not survive, because they find neither a tolerable environment nor an available ecological niche. Sometimes, successful establishment may also require multiple introductions (Balcom 2004).” You should be able to find all the information you desire now that you know this is a Western Conifer Seed Bug.
Mystery bug
Location: San Diego, CA
October 1, 2011 8:54 pm
Dear WTB,
These bugs have recently appeared in large amounts and are prolifically mating. It is late September and the weather has been hot and dry. I have recently planted a field of Protea flowers. Can you tell me what they are and if they will harm my plants?
Thank you!
Signature: Darwin
Red Bug
Hi Darwin,
The Red Bug, Scantius aegyptius, is a non-native introduced species that was first reported in California in 2009. According to the UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research website: “The most noticeable impact of S. aegyptius in California will likely be the presence of large numbers of nymphs and adults migrating from drying annual weeds into adjacent developed areas. These migrations consisting of thousands of individuals can be very conspicuous and lead to large aggregations on small patches of host plants causing concern to local residents who notice these obvious aggregations.“ That would indicate your Protea flowers are not in danger.
Large Flying Wasp like
Location: Central NJ
September 12, 2011 11:24 am
These things are swarming all over my lilac tree and seem to be killing it. Are they a stinging insect or something else? They are over an inch long and 1/4 inch in diameter.
Signature: Kathy – NJ
European Hornets Gather Lilac Bark to make paper.
introduced european hornets
http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2011/08/25/european-hornets-gather-bark/
Thank you so much. I know the picture wasn’t great but I was scared to death to get too close since I am allergic to bees and wasps. I see they do sting. Don’t suppose you could let me know how I can save my lilac and send them away?
Many Thanks for your speedy reply
Kathy
They are gathering bark to make their paper nest. The hive should die out with the onset of winter. We don’t really offer extermination advice.
Daniel – Stink Bug Nymph?
Location: Hawthorne, CA
September 10, 2011 4:23 pm
Is this a stink bug nymph? If so, is it a beneficial or harmful variety?
Signature: Thanks, Anna Carreon
Painted Bug
Hi Anna,
Good call on the Stink Bug family Pentatomidae, but just because this Painted Bug is small, does not mean it is a nymph. We first created a post for the African Invasive Exotic Painted Bug, Bagrada hilaris, in 2009 when we found them eating our collard greens. We quickly learned that they had only been reported in the country since August 2008, and that they were first noticed in Orange County which you may read about on the Natural History of Orange County website. We had a massive infestation on the collards and the kale, but for the past year, we have not noticed them in the garden. You should eliminate them. We did not spray, but we destroyed their habitat and food supply by removing all plants in the cabbage family. Luckily they had gone to seed and needed to be removed anyway. Once the food was gone and they had nothing to eat, they vanished.
Neon green bug
Location: Bonita, CA
September 7, 2011 1:22 am
Hello!
I found this little guy while raking in my front yard today. I’ve seen ones like this hanging out on our tree (a podo carpus) a lot! I think it is a pretty common bug. Maybe some kind of katydid? I have no idea. I was just impressed by the brilliance of the color. Thank you!
Signature: Moose
Torpedo Bug
Hi Moose,
Your insect is one of the Planthoppers in the superfamily Fulgoroidea, and we believe we have correctly identified it as a Torpedo Bug, Siphanta acuta, based on photos posted to BugGuide. The BugGuide information page indicates: “native to Australia, introduced to New Zealand, Hawaii (before 1898), and CA (1983); established in CA” and “in Hawaii, considered a pest of banana, citrus, coffee, guava, macadamia, and many ornamentals; not yet considered a pest in California.”
I like This