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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Slaughtered House Centipede

eek, a bug!
Hello bugman,
My name is Jessica. Attached, you will find an image of a bug that i’ve unfortunately encountered many a time since moving into my apartment. The maintenance folks here at the complex have told me it’s a centipede, but i don’t buy that. I’ve googled every possile description of the thing that i could concoct, to no avail. However, with much luck I did stumble upon your site. In the photo, the little guy is missing some legs. I tried for a live shot, but these things are quick! I live in Irvine, California and have been told that my monstrous friends come from underground. Also, rumor has it they have a “nasty bite.” So, dear bugman, I am desperately curious. Can you tell me who this mystery bug is? Sincerely,
Jessica

Hi Jessica,
If you had just believed the maintenance folk and typed “Centipede” into your search engine, you might have gotten your answer. When we tried that tactic, the first site that came up was devoted to the House Centipede, your creature. Perhaps your perspective on the House Centipede was different than ours, hence your lack of googling success. Perhaps your description was something akin to “flying purple people eater” or maybe “sea monster from the depths” and that led you astray. We tried “insect many legs fast” (even though the House Centipede is not an insect) and were led to several sites with the correct answer, including our own Centipede page. All we can advise in the future is for you to choose your descriptive words carefully and accurately. Mastering search engines is a wonderful talent, and we can’t imagine how today’s students could complete research papers without the talent now that classics like Encyclopedia Britannica are no longer readily available in homes. House Centipedes are harmless predators, and the poor arthropod did not warrant your wrath. There was no need for such Unnecessary Carnage.

Posted 09 November 2006 § Centipedes ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Pseudoscorpion Carnage in Germany

Odd German bug…
Dear Bugman,
I’m currently studying abroad in northern Germany, in the vicinity of Bremen, and I did a search on the internet in hopes of identifying a bug I just saw. I found your website, and I was wondering if you could help me. I’m especially interested to know whether or not it’s harmless. I’m afraid I squished it in fear before I could take a picture of it while it was alive. I’ve attached a couple of pictures of it dead, though… (And I’m sorry I squished it, it’s just that I have a skin condition that causes me to react negatively to ALL bug bites. Even mosquito bites cause baseball sized reactions on me. If it doesn’t bite or sting, I remove it nicely from my house. My host parents here even taught me how to catch flies without hurting them.) In case the picture doesn’t tell all, I will describe it… It was really really tiny, to begin. It dropped onto my hand as a fly buzzed around my hand (at first I thought it was fly poop, that’s how small it was). When I looked closer, it appeared to have the body shape of a tick (though it squished much easier than a tick), and the body was brown. It’s legs were tiny and comparable to a typical beatle’s legs. Attached to the front end of it, by the head, where these long stinger like things. Two of them. One on each side, extending out in front of the bug. They were more of a reddish brown color, and looked very much like scorpion tails. These scorpion-like stingers were very large in comparison to the bug, and I would say they were three quarters the length of the body. If you can identify this bug, I would really be interested to know more about it. And feel free to publish my photos (though they’re not the greatest). Thank you!!
Penninah Jones

Hi Penninah,
There was no need to kill the harmless Pseudoscorpion. These fascinating creatures have a nearly worldwide distribution. They sometimes hitch rides on flying insects, a phenomenon known as Phoresy.

Posted 26 October 2006 § Pseudoscorpions ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Ground Beetle mistaken for Cockroach: Successfully Exterminated!!!!!

corn beetles
Hi,
I work for Northern Illinois University Residential Facilities and we have had serveral of students in the Residence Halls complaining of cockroaches. We found the bug which is not a cockroach but a corn beetle, according to our exterminator. What could you tell us about this bug? I know you are a busy bug group, but a quick response would be much appreciated. We are having a panic here, with many residents fearing cockroaches.
Tracey Ward
Northern Illinois University
Housing and Dining
DeKalb, IL

Hi Tracey,
Congratulations. You have successfully exterminated a harmless Ground Beetle in the Family Carabidae. These predators hunt many serious pests and reducing their numbers will help the other harmful creatures proliferate. Additionally, your extermination attempts have now exposed the students to some potentially harmful chemicals which will enable them to sign up for cancer and disease studies in the future.

Posted 07 September 2006 § Ground Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:
What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Smashed Potato Bug Approached Infant

sand puppie photo
bugman, I noticed you have a few letters about sand puppies on your web page, so I took photo’s of a dead one, (it got too close to my 1 year old baby, its slightly destroyed, but if you can identify the species, I’m pretty sure you can find another photo somewhere. it may come in handy when someone wants to ask about this particular solpugid. hope its useful!
D

Hi D,
We have heard the term Sand Puppy applied to Potato Bugs or Jerusalem Crickets as well, and that is what your specimen is. Though we will be posting your letter and photo on our Unnecessary Carnage page, we do not really blame your infant for the slaughter. Children just don’t understand how strong they are when they squash things. Children really don’t realize the importance of respecting life and hopefully your toddler will soon be cognicent enough to learn this important lesson from you.

Ruminations on Cohabitation
(09/03/2006) Unnecessary killing of living things
Dear Bugman,
I totally sympathize with the family who killed bugs they thought might harm someone. Unfortunately, their philosophy is harming their children. Children need to learn how to live with, not how to kill, other living things. I have been in the education field for over 30 years and worked with children and animals in a Science Museum for many years, and I saw, daily, people who grew up with phobias about animals. It wasn’t pretty. We teach children how to look both ways before crossing a street–we don’t teach them to kill cars. Children can be taught how to live with animals, not kill or be afraid of them. I agree that on very rare occasions we must protect and defend our own. 2 weeks ago my husband violated our no-kill policy and shot a copperhead that was about 6 feet from our front door. (I didn’t even know we had a gun!) We live in the woods of the NC piedmont area with skunks, foxes, brown bats, black widow spiders, poisonous centipedes, etc., and this is the only animal I felt truly threatened us. The point is, our education policy worked, because my son was able to identify the snake for his father ( I wasn’t at home) and did not panic. My son has been taught to deal with the animals, including what to do if you or someone else is stung or bitten. We have found out over the years that the best thing to do is learn to live in their environment. We don’t wear heavy scents like perfumes, scented deodorants, etc when outdoors, we don’t swing at and make animals defend themselves by hurting us, We also don’t use pesticides and insecticides unless a wasp or hornet nest is near house entrances. We also use nature to help us. Every time we find a praying mantis egg case, it goes in my herb garden. It’s much healthier to use my mantis army to prey on harmful insects than to poison my family with insecticide laden food. In short, if you don’t want animals around, go back to the city and live in a condo. But in the meantime, stop the lazy parenting ( a cheap blow, I know, but I’m tired of the “kill” policy of these people) and educate yourselves and your families. Use this most excellent website, visit your local science museum, and take a walk through the woods with your child and a nature book. Also, look for natural ways to deal with problems. One great idea I was given by a naturalist was about yellow jacket nests. We have many in this area. Instead of spraying with poisons which stay in the environment and will ultimately prove more harmful to our children than the bugs we are trying to kill, we sprinkle dry cat food near and if possible on top of the nest. Skunks will come out at night, eat the cat food and be led to the nest, where they treat themselves to the larvae “dessert” in the nest , ultimately destroying the nest. If you have bats in your house and want to remove them, make sure you correctly mount bat houses outside before removing them from your current home. Remember, one bat consumes a few thousand insects (including mosquitoes) each night. We need bats. Last comment, and I may as well discuss religion since I’m sure many people at this point would like to burn me at the stake anyway. God also gave us “dominion” over our chidren. That means we love and protect and nurture them. It doesn’t mean we have God’s approval to destroy them. God made everything in nature, and it is beautiful. Every animal God made has a purpose – it has a job to do. All we need to do is leave the animals alone and let them do their job. Please continue to love, protect, and nurture nature. Thanks for letting me vent. Please feel free to contact me, use my name on your web site, but do not release contact info to the public. I don’t need the hate mail. Thanks.
Jan Glenn

Posted 02 September 2006 § Potato Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Ichneumon Soap

Anecdote
An humorous, albeit tragic, anecdote that I thought you might enjoy: I work in a paving/construction office which is connected to a large open garage/storage area which is rather exposed to the outside. Our safety director needed some papers that had been stored away in the mezzanine area above the garage. While in the mezzanine, she encountered this Giant Ichneumon, which repeatedly “dive-bombed” her. Not knowing what this bug was and mistaking its ovipositor for a monstrous stinger, she screamed, tripped and fell, wet herself (luckily she had a pair of extra pants downstairs), and continued screaming, drawing a small crowd of concerned coworkers who gathered at the bottom of the stairway to the mezzanine. One brave individual ran upstairs and, sadly, killed the poor bug as our safety director ran down the stairs ranting about its gigantic proportions and “prehistoric” features. Intrigued by her tale of wonder, a coworker and I went up to look at the dead bug, and were intrigued but unimpressed. There were many guesses as to what the bug was, ranging from a mayfly, to a cicada wasp, to a robber fly, but thanks to your website I was able to determine that it was a Giant Ichneumon. My coworker took the dead bug home and placed it into some heated glycerine to form the bar of soap pictured, so that it could preserved and returned to our safety director to commemorate the event. While I know the insect’s untimely death is saddening, I found this story to be too ridiculous to not send to you. Thanks for your amazing website!!!
Jen Price

Hi Jen,
We are greatly amused at the irony that your safety director tripped and fell running from a totally harmless Giant Ichneumon. Surely, thousands of needless accidents occur, perhaps even daily, because of the fear generated by arthropod encounters. We are also amused as we toyed with the idea of having homemade soaps with plastic insects imbedded inside made available on our giftshop page.

Posted 03 August 2006 § Ichneumons ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Cicada Killer Wasp killed unnecessarily and possible Diabetes Diagnosis (read on)

Cicada Killer Wasp
I live in Carrollton Texas , a suburb of Dallas . In June every year I see Cicada Nymph shells everywhere in my yard and attached to my house and the adults singing to find mates are thoroughly annoying and even though Cicada’s are not dangerous no one wants them flying near them making that noise . This Cicada wasp had a borough right next to my house in the edge of the grass and the driveway , too close for compfort . I saw her dragging a Cicada into her burrow and it was pretty creepy looking . These wasps fly way to close to people and with their four wings can hover like a dragonfly . They are scary and I wish the Cicada’s and the Wasps would find another place to live . Periodical Cinada’s are only supposed to come every 13 years but of course we have to have the annual variety so the wasps are here to stay . If they are hunting Cicada’s , why are they flying into my garage and way too close to me ?
Chris from Carrollton

Happy Independence Day Chris,
Sadly, we don’t know why the Cicada Killers are flying into your garage. We feel compelled to preach a bit of tolerance here in light of the unnecessary carnage depicted in your photo. Try to remember both the Cicadas and the Cicada Killer Wasps were in Texas long before either you or your ancestors. Independance is not about global domination, but about peaceful cohabitation.

Oh , and I forgot to tell you I stepped on a Fire Ant Too ! No really I had no idea what the wasp was until I spent a while investigating and ended up on your site . I also have to tell you that all my life wasps and bees have been attracted to me like a magnet and if 10 people were standing in a row the Bumble Bee would fly right at me and leave all the others alone . I once was tormented by four Dragonflies mowing the yard so bad I had to go inside and wait for 20 minutes and they were still waiting for me . Now I’m older and these sort of things don’t happen as often and I try to investigate the bugs and catapillars eating my garden but I’m still leary about anything with a stinger like the Scorpion I found walking across the living room floor under the blanket my dog was napping on . I now understand benificial bugs and what the world would be missing without them but I thought the wasp was a huge Hornet with too much bold curiosity . Now I know what they are and I promise to attempt to tolerate them especially since they kill those noisy irritating Cicadas . And please write back just one more time because you are so well spoken and your witt is so very entertaining.
Chris

Hi again Chris,
We should probably clarify that there are limits to our tolerance. We draw the line at invasive species. The Fire Ant is an introduced species, believed to have been “imported” from South America to Mobile Alabama in the 1930s via a cargo ship. Here in Los Angeles, we have our own imported ant, the Argentine Sugar Ant. We will wage war on Argentine Sugar Ants and the only time we ever use pesticides is when armies of Sugar Ants invade the kitchen or bathroom. Once they tried to carry off the turkey after Thanksgiving.
Regarding your being a magnet for stinging insects, and this is not a joke, perhaps it is your brand of antiperspirant or cologne. Stinging insects are often nectar and pollen feeders and might be attracted to certain ingredients in toiletries.
Finally, there may come a time when you are forced to welcome the Cicadas. In the event of a global famine, if humans are to survive, we might be forced to eat unconventional foods. Check out our Edible Insects page to see some possibilities, including Cicadas.

Update (08/23/2006) Grammatical Clarification Required
Chris from Carollton
I would love to know how Chris from Carrollton convinced four dragonflies to mow his lawn! And may I use them when he is finished with them? – “I once was tormented by four Dragonflies mowing the yard…”
Ken

Update (07/17/2006)
I saw your response concerning Cicada Killer wasps:
You people make me sick. So, I am supposed to keep my kids inside all summer or risk them getting stung by the hundreds (yes, hundreds) of these flying around my yard. I think I would rather KILL THEM ALL then sacrifice my 2 yr old to multiple stings. Idiot. We, Humans, are the dominant Species, NOT the wasps.
glimmertwin70

We are so stunned at this vehemence that we have chosen not to respond directly.

Response to glimmertwin 70 (08/07/2006)
I’m sorry you guys have to deal with people like this, And it shows your character for putting it on your site. I just found your site today, And I feel it is one of the best sites on the web today!! Thanks for the good info
Travis

Update (08/23/2006) Another response to the verbal abuse we received!!
Response to glimmertwin70 07-07/2006
Hi, Just read your posting from glimmertwin70. Some people really ought to give their head a shake. Talk about going over the deep end! Where does this person get off about humans being the dominant species. Actually it’s people like this person who is being over dramatic. We might be the dominate species, but I would rather be in the company of nature and the animal species for sure! Lorraine from Toronto, Ontario. Canada.
Cheers, Lorraine

Diabetes Diagnosis?????
(08/07/2006) The bee-attractor.
I was reading regarding the person who finds bugs (specifically bees and wasps) are disproportionately attracted to him, and a thought occured to me. For thousands of years, one of the tests physicians used to test for diabetes was to see whether the subject’s urine attracted ants, thus testing for the precense of sugar in the urine. A diabetic with high blood sugar will also have a very sweet breath. Is it possible the person who wrote you is diabetic, and that the scent of sugar in his blood and on his breath is what’s fooling the bugs into thinking he’s a giant flower?

Very interesting, We are intrigued by the folk medicine potential of Cicada Killers.

Additional Insect Support
(08/29/2006) unnecessary carnage
Dear Bugman,
Hopefully the vehement bug-hater’s attitude arises from insecurity, which can be overcome by the information and awareness you provide. I suggest that bug-hater put nontoxic citrus-based repellent on his/her 2-year-old, and keep the child under closer supervision. As a mother, I can say that my sons have benefited far more from learning about bugs than by being “protected” from them. Bugs used to scare me, too, but killing them seemed wrong so I’d just avoid them. That was when I lived in Virginia, where it was much easier to avoid bugs than it is where I live now – Florida, which is made up entirely of bugs! Years in Florida and efforts to be more rational have desensitized me of my fears. I’m not telling bug-hater that I’d choose to snuggle with bugs, but respecting them does make me feel better.
Lane

Posted 04 July 2006 § CIcada Killer Wasps ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Elephant Stag Beetle: Unnecessary Carnage

Beetle
Woke up one morning and went out to get the paper, only to find this sucker crawling on my front porch. Fearing for my dog’s life :-) , I made a snap decision and swatted it. Took these pictures when I got home. It’s a pretty specimen, and I’m dying to know what it is. Can you help?
-j

Hello J.,
We hope “When in doubt, Kill” is not a motto you live by. In the interest of education, we feel compelled to lecture you on this textbook Unnecessary Carnage. The Elephant Stag Beetle is an elegant insect and not at all harmful despite its fierce appearance. Your photo has saddened us.

Posted 13 June 2006 § Stag Beetles ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Ringlegged Earwigs: Dead of unknown causes

Unidentified Beetle??
Hi,
I need help identifying this beetle. I looked through the beetles on your site and couldn’t find one quite like this one. I started seeing larvae in our bedroom in late September. (About the time my antique bedroom suite came back from being refinished and stored in a warehouse. I was worried that they came with the bed.) The larvae looked similar to carpet beetle larvae. In fact the people who came to spray suggested that is what they were. Then they started to get larger. They are now crawling around the house. (They are not in any cabinets.) We had them come spray again and they could not identify the bug. We clean and vacuum all the time and they seem to keep coming back. Can you help us identify the bug so that we get rid of it? We live in a rural area near Memphis, Tennessee. The bug varies in size from .5 centimeter to 1.5 centimeters. The legs have are brown and varied. Please help! My son will be crawling soon and I want these critters gone!
Thanks!
Laura

Hi Laura,
The insects in your photo are Earwigs, not Beetles. They often enter homes, being attracted to lights, but they are basically harmless. The pincers can give a slight nip, but really can’t break the skin.

Update from Eric Eaton (01/04/2006)
” The earwigs are ringlegged earwigs, a pretty common, flightless species in urban areas.”

WTB? is Chastised!!!

earwig carnage answer
Mr. Bugman,
I am almost totally impressed by your site and your knowledge. Way cool nonetheless. “Almost” because I’m a bit disappointed by your answer to the person in Tennessee who hired a pest sprayer who couldn’t even identify an earwig (not high standards there fer sure). It seemed like a teaching moment, especially since she was more concerned about the presence of a harmless insect than the fact that she is spraying her house needlessly with a baby around. And she shouldn’t be hiring a total ignoramous to deal with her bug issues. Or maybe the carpet bug ID was a deliberate ruse to encourage her to spray.
Dave Tamayo
Sacramento, CA

Posted 06 May 2006 § Earwigs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Whipscorpion Carnage

Is this a scorpion?
Dear Bugman,
I live in central Thailand, and I just killed this thing in my bathroom last night. Is this a real scorpion? A friend just refered me to your site, and I think it might be a tailless whipscorpion. The body of this one was about 2-3 inches long, but we killed a little one a couple weeks ago that was probably only a centimeter long.
Thanks,
Kristen

Hi Kristen,
This is not a Tailless Whipscorpion, since it has a tail. It is a Whipscorpion in the order Uropygi. They have a long whiplike tail instead of a stinger. They have no venom so are not harmful to people. We have a single species in the U.S. that is known as a Vinegarone. Most species in this order can secrete acetic acid, the mild acid found in vinegar, and this lead to the common name. Since they ravenously eat cockroaches and other insects, they are beneficial, and your killing spree amounts to Unnecessary Carnage.

Posted 01 May 2006 § Scorpions, Whipscorpions and Vinegaroons ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Botany Bay Weevil: POISONED and survived!!!!

Fluoro green bug from Australia, or is it?
Attached to this email is a photo of an unidentified insect beside some coins for size reference. I found this bug below my sink. I am from the south east coast of Australia and I am curious to know:
1. Is this insect venomous/dangerous (stings, itches, etc, possible cause of bed bugs? If so… Its a wonder I haven’t missed them the first time!). As you can see by the pics its is fluoro green in color with black spots. Perhaps like many of the insect life on the Australian east coast, maybe its one of those insects that have this black spotty coat to warn predators of itself? Would slightly than normal summer temperatures be bringing this insect to our doorstep, or would any of the garden plants we have here in our backyard be attracting it? The temperatures we have been experiencing recently have reached around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (30+ degrees Celsius) you see.
2. Is it an Australian native insect? If it isn’t I will strongly consider destroying it, seeing that native flora and fauna has enough trouble trying to cope with many introduced species, and finally… 3. …why are it’s legs still slowly moving!? We have recently scattered some insect poison around the toilet floor to kill some roaches. This insect seemed to have been affected, as it seemed lifeless, at first. It seems though to be sort of waking up, as if it was recovering from a hangover or something! (yipes!)
Please respond when you can.
Regards,
Joe Baez

Hi Joe,
This is a Botany Bay Weevil which we located on an Australian Beetle Site. According to the site: “the Botany Bay weevil Chrysolopus spectabilis – up to 25 mm long – is active at this time of the year feeding on acacias. Despite the name, it lives right throughout south east Australia. The Botany Bay Weevil, was one of the first Australian insects to be described from material collected in 1770 by Joseph Banks, a naturalist who landed at Botany Bay with Captain Cook.” So it does not sting or bite. It is native. The acacias are attracting it and we have no comment on poison.

To whom it may concern at WhatsThatBug.
My father and I have set the Botany Bay weevil free. As soon as took it out of the pouch i was keeping it in, it wiggled all its limbs and slowly crawled away! Talk about a miracle of Christmas! :-D Thanks heaps for the advice, and I’ll be sure to refer your site to others.
Regards,
Joe Baez.

Posted 22 December 2005 § Weevils ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged: ,

Weta Carnage in Australia

Scary Australian bug
Hi,
I saw your site listed as a Bonzer site on This Is True a little while back. When my wife found this terrifying bug last night, I immediately thought of you in trying to identify it. My wife went to the loo last night and saw this thing sitting on the top of the doorframe. She exited as quickly as possible and called me. After about ten minutes of spirited discussion we summoned up the courage (and tools) necessary to approach it. I took the first photo after we’d managed to knock it on to the toilet floor. After that I took it outside, emptied it from the container we’d captured it in and executed it. I took the second photo this afternoon, just so that you could see the bottom of this creature in case it helps with identification. I’ve failed to identify it from anything I could see on your website. I had a look on BugGuide, and I’m *guessing* that it fits in the subclass Apterygota. I live in Lauderdale, Tasmania, Australia. The bug is roughly 4cm from the head to the end of its abdomen, and the terrifying spike thing on the back adds almost another 2cm. I’m not sure whether I want you to tell me that it’s dangerous, and that I’m therefore justified in killing it, or that it’s harmless so I can sleep at night without worrying that more will turn up. We found a dried up husk on our front porch which obviously belonged to one of these, so we know there are more around. Anyway, I hope you like the pictures, and I hope you can tell me what it is!
Yours,
John

Hi John,
We can assure you this gal was perfectly harmless. It looks to us like a Weta, a primitive Orthopteran that is endangered in New Zealand. There are close relatives in South Africa and Australia, and the North American relatives are the Potato Bugs. In New Zealand, the Giant Wetas can grow to 8 inches. Here is the Wikipedia page with more information.

Posted 21 December 2005 § Potato Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

Mashed Potato Bug

Note from bug central
Daniel,
First of all, I apologize for the first photo I send you being of carnage. Yesterday my sister, who lives in San Rafael, CA, eMailed me and mentioned she had murdered a 3 inch long termite in her garage the evening before. I am not a bug expert, but I quickly told her it wasn’t a termite, ha ha! Meanwhile I visited your website to quickly compare visually what her bug may have been with what I would picture my sister thinking would be a gigantic termite. After seeing the Potato Bug I knew right away this was her bug. After finding out that she performed this act by dropping a brick from waist high, wearing knee high rain boots while her husband protected their family dogs from this horrible monster!…I broke the news as to what kind of bug it probably was. I gave her the link to your Cricket pages and she thought I may be correct. I told her next time to make sure she gets a photo of the bug, preferrably alive. Just as I told her this, she went to the outside trash can and believe it or not found the bug right on top of everything. She snapped a photo and proved to both of us her giant termite was indeed a Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket. I promise the next photo(s) I send you will not be of carnage. I just had to send this one.
Great site, thanks.
Bald John of Tucson

Hi Bald John of Tucson,
While we feel sorry for the poor Mashed Potato Bug, we can’t help but chuckle at your colorful story. We wish there was a photo of your brick wielding sister in her boots with the cowering husband and dogs, preferably from the Potato Bugs point of view. A dramatic recreation is in order.

Posted 14 December 2005 § Potato Bugs ‡ Comments (0) ° Also tagged:

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