Stinging Beetle or Wasp?
Location: Central Oklahoma
March 30, 2012 10:52 pm
A friend of mine was just bitten on the hand by the bug in the picture. It was in her house, and as she was trying to shoo it out, it got her. Unfortunately, it didn’t survive the attack. Any idea what it is? Her hand is swelling somewhat rapidly… :/
Signature: Mike
Masked Hunter doesn't survive defending itself
Hi Mike,
This insect appears to be a Black Corsair, and it is neither a wasp nor a beetle, nor did your friend get stung. Black Corsairs are Assassin Bugs and they are predators equipped with piercing mouthparts for sucking fluids from their prey. Many Assassin Bugs will bite if carelessly handled. The best way to remove an unknown insect from the house is to trap it in a glass. Stemware like a martini glass works very well. Then slip a postcard under the rim and transport the insect outside. Many folks who are bitten by Assassin Bugs, spiders and other creatures succumb to the impulse to swat at a creature that they find crawling on them. That will often result in the person getting bitten. It is better to try to blow the creature off or to shake it off without applying any pressure. Unless you friend is undergoing a severe allergic reaction, the bite effects should not last more than a few hours. While we understand the impulse to kill a creature that has just bitten someone, we feel compelled to tag this letter as Unnecessary Carnage and we hope our tips will help you, your friend and our general readership to deal with accidental visitors that are sometimes capable of stinging or biting. The Black Corsair, like most Assassin Bugs, is considered beneficial predators. An exception would be the Kissing Bugs or Blood Sucking Conenose Bugs in the genus Triatoma since they will bite humans to feed on blood if there is no other warm blooded prey available.
Weird Bug
Location: Boise, Idaho
February 14, 2012 10:14 pm
Dear Bug Man,
I came across a bug Ive never seen before. I was sitting at my desk when heard a buzzing noise and saw what I thought was a fly. Its currently February in boise Idaho and is weird to see any flying insects this time of weather. I grabbed my fly swatter and tapped the little guy. When I went to dispose of him, he looked weird and Ive never seen his type of bug before. Hes got a flat (pretty sure not from the fly swatter)striped body with wings and a big head. He almost looks like a bee but the markings on his back threw me off. And if he is a bee, why is he around so early? I would very much apperciate if you could identify him. Thank you!
Signature: Rose Orona
Flower Fly
Dear Rose,
This is a Fly in the family Syrphidae, and many members of the family mimic bees for protection since the flies themselves do not sting nor bite. Flies in the family Syrphidae are commonly called Flower Flies or Hover Flies and they are beneficial insects that pollinate flowers. The larval Flower Flies are also beneficial insects and many species are predators that feed upon Aphids. The real mystery is “Why did this Flower Fly appear in your home in February in Idaho?” and we don’t have an answer to that. Since they are beneficial, there is no need to swat Flower Flies, and we are tagging your letter as Unnecessary Carnage. We hope this does not give you a stigma, because we have no intention of chastising you, but we would like to educate you so that no further incidents occur.
What IS it??
Location: Polokwane, South Africa
December 21, 2011 3:29 pm
This was in our house. Ran quickly. Looks like a huge ant but has 8 legs like a spider.
Signature: DJ
Solifugid appears to be victim of Unnecessary Carnage
Dear DJ,
This is a species of Solifugid, a member of the Arachnid order Solifugae. Though they are related to both Spiders and Scorpions, Solifugids do not have venom and they are not considered dangerous to humans. Solifugids are sometimes called Sun Spiders or Wind Scorpions. Solifugids are generally found in arid climates and species from the Middle East which are known as Camel Spiders can grow quite large. It appears that your Solifugid might have been smashed as evidenced by what appears to be bodily fluids at the end of the abdomen. If this is the case, we would like to educate you regarding the benefits of this harmless, nocturnal hunter. Though they appear to be frightening, Solifugids are not harmful to human or pets, unless you keep small arthropods as pets. It is possible that a Solifugid might bite a human if they are carelessly handled, but since there is no venom involved, the bite is harmless. If they are present in or near your home, Solifugids will help to control the population of Cockroaches and other creatures that you might find undesirable.
What is this?
Location: Northeastern Colorado
December 8, 2011 12:20 am
Hi Bugman! I am having an issue with this bug around my house. I find them maybe every other day and they are almost impossible to kill. I step on them and they seem to just spring back to life. I finally killed it by drowning it in Windex (This was the only thing I had close to me). Please help! I am new to this area of the country and have never seen this bug before. I haven’t seen them except in the colder months after it has started to snow outside.
Signature: Tricia M.
Small Milkweed Bug carnage
Dear Tricia,
If you find these benign Small Milkweed Bugs “almost impossible to kill”, then perhaps you should just stop trying to kill them. They will not harm you, your home nor your pets. You may read more about Small Milkweed Bugs, Lygaeus kalmii, on BugGuide.
¶ Posted 09 December 2011 § Seed Bugs ‡ ° Also tagged: what is this
Location: maryland
October 24, 2011 5:04 pm
we have tons of these spiders all over our house some with the leg span mind you can get up to the size of a soft ball, they are all in our garage and now finding them in the house. can you please help? are the venomous? i have little kids. so just wondering
Signature: mary shoemaker
Wolf Spider, Hogna baltimoriana we believe
Dear Mary,
Wolf Spiders like your specimen are not considered to be harmful spiders. Nearly all spiders have venom, but very few spiders have venom that is dangerous to humans. We believe we have identified your spider as Hogna baltimoriana based on photos posted to BugGuide, though we would not rule out that it is another member of the genus. We hope we can convince you to allow these spiders to cohabitate with you because the advantages they provide as predators that will keep undesireable creatures from prowling around your home far outweigh your arachnophobia about them. Perhaps if we name them the Baltimore Wolf Spider after the scientific name might convince you to see them in a more positive light.
The "Baltimore" Wolf Spider
Weird stinging bug
Location: San Antonio, TX
October 15, 2011 5:24 pm
Hi,
This little bug was hanging out in one of the throw pillows on our sofa. It stung my wife about a week ago, but we never saw it. A few days ago, it stung me and I caught it in the act. I managed to kill it without squishing it and got some pretty good close-up photos of it. I couldn’t find anything like it on the Internet. It appears to have 6 lets, good sized pincers on its head, and some kind of stinger on its abdomen. It’s mostly bright green, with some brownish markings on it’s top side. Any idea what this thing is??
Signature: Thanks! Steph & Mike
Lacewing Larva Carnage
Dear Steph and Mike,
This is an Aphid Wolf. Lacewings and their larvae, which are known as Aphid Wolves, are beneficial predators in the garden that consume vast quantities of Aphids and other plant pests. We have received numerous reports of people being bitten by Lacewings as well as by Aphid Wolves, but the effects of the bite do not last long and they do not do any permanent harm. The advantages these insects bring to the garden far outweigh the annoyance of an occasional bite, and they should be tolerated.
What is this bug?
Location: Sacramento, California
October 1, 2011 4:16 pm
I saw this in my yard. I smashed it because it had what looked like a stinger.
As it died the stinger was going in and out. Ick. What is it?
Signature: Moorea
Robber Fly
Dear Moorea,
Robber Flies are harmless, beneficial predators, and smashing them constitutes Unnecessary Carnage in our minds. We believe this may be a member of the genus Andrenosoma based on photos posted to BugGuide. What you have mistaken for a stinger is probably the ovipositor, the organ the female uses to lay eggs.
big orange wasp?
Location: St. Charles, Missouri
September 29, 2011 4:34 pm
I saw this on the sidewalk today. It was about an inch and a half long. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take the picture until after my mom stepped on it! Please help!?
Signature: Steve
Pigeon Horntail
Dear Steve,
We hope the reason your mom stepped on this harmless Pigeon Horntail is because she didn’t see it while she was walking, but we suspect otherwise, so we are tagging this as Unnecessary Carnage. Pigeon Horntails are Wood Wasps and they do not sting. The Pigeon Horntail was selected as our Bug of the Month for September 2011.
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