pesty bug similar to love bug
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
October 4, 2010 11:27 am
This bug is about to run me out of my house in Birmingham, Alabama. It looks similar to a love bug, but is very plump with a red body. I have heard somewhere that it is attracted to the seed of my Chinese lantern tree. It is basically a year round pest, but especially bad during the summer. It seems to love the heat and direct sun. Although it helps, the exterminator has not been able to get rid of it.
Signature: Jill
Red Shoulder Bugs
Hi Jill,
You have Red Shoulder Bugs, Jadera haematoloma, and though you consider them to be a nuisance that needs to be eradicated, they are not a harmful species. According to BugGuide, they are found in : “Yards, gardens, riparian areas, and other areas, in association with host plants. Often in large aggregations to feed on leaking tree sap, other dead smashed insects, or seeds that have dropped to the ground from trees overhead. Also forming aggregations in winter to hibernate, often in association with human residences.“ BugGuide also notes: “‘J. haematoloma feeds on a variety of plants but prefers balloonvine (Cardiospermum spp.; Sapindaceae) which grows in southern Florida. Additional hosts include other Sapindaceae, Acer spp. (Aceraceae or Sapindaceae), Ficus spp. (Moraceae), and Althaea spp. (Malvaceae). In some areas the bugs are observed feeding so often on goldenrain tree seeds (Koelreuteria spp.; Sapindaceae), that they are referred to as ‘goldenrain tree bugs’.’ – Frank Mead and Thomas Fasulo, University of Florida.” It would seem that if you cannot tolerate the presence of Red Shoulder Bugs, your efforts would be better spent removing the plants that are attracting them rather than to continue to spend money on exterminators whose efforts will also kill many beneficial creatures during the indiscriminate spraying of toxins in your yard.
¶ Posted 04 October 2010 § True Bugs ‡ ° Also tagged: Large ant/wasplike bug with transparent section of abdomen
Location: Cambridge, MA
September 12, 2010 4:50 pm
We found this bug in our apartment in Cambridge, MA, a couple of days ago. Behaviorally, it was very attracted to light, much like a fly, but is shaped very strangely for a fly. The body is about 3/4 inch long. Once we got a good look, we also noticed that the top section of the insects’ abdomen is completely transparent! Very strange!
Any idea what this could be?
Best,
Signature: Adena
Black Soldier Fly, AKA Window Fly
Hi Adena,
Though BugGuide refers the common name Window Fly for members of the family Scenopinidae, Charles Hogue in his book Insects of the Los Angeles Basin calls the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens, a Window Fly because of the clear areas in the abdomen. According to BugGuide it is a: “Large soldier fly, all black with bright white tarsi. Underneath, first abdominal segment has clear areas. Wings have purplish sheen. Likely a wasp mimic, it buzzes loudly. In particular, it appears to mimic the Pipe-organ mud dauber…“.
strange but
Location: Wisconsin
August 29, 2010 6:36 pm
I found this bug in my living room in Southeast Wisconsin. It looks like a winged ant but has a super skinny thorax and seems indestructable. I actually burned it before taking this photo and it still was partly alive.
Josh
Unknown Wasp
Hi Josh,
We do not recognize your wasp, but we hope one of our readers will be able to assist in its identification. We wonder perhaps if it might be the little seen male of a species that exhibits sexual dimorphism, like possibly the American Pelecinid, which is only represented by females on BugGuide. At any rate, burning this unknown wasp constitutes unnecessary carnage in our book. Many times people kill benign or beneficial insects because they look fearsome or for other unfathomable reasons.
Eric Eaton provides an identification
Hi, Daniel:
No, that is an ichneumon wasp, possibly in the subfamily Pimplinae:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/35501
Not all Pimplinae have long ovipositors. This specimen appears to have a short one, or else it is broken.
Eric
¶ Posted 30 August 2010 § Ichneumons ‡ ° Also tagged: Indestructible Beetle?
Location: Fresno, California
August 15, 2010 6:03 pm
Hello-
I have been finding damaged leaves on the ornamental plants around my home recently. Last night I found this beetle on the wall and thought maybe he could be the culprit? But when I tried to squish the bugger, I found it was like trying to squish a piece of concrete! The beetle shrugged it off, unharmed. I was impressed. Now I am curious to know what this very cool little juggernaut is. Thanks.
Ryan
Ironclad Beetle
Hi Ryan,
Let’s start by setting the record straight. This Diabolical Ironclad Beetle, Phloeodes diabolicus (see BugGuide), was not damaging the leaves on your ornamental plants. They feed on fungus riddled wood, not leaves. Thankfully, as its name implies, the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle has an exoskeleton that is very hard and difficult to penetrate or it may have become unnecessary carnage when you tried to squish it. Collectors are unable to push pins through the exoskeleton for mounting purposes without first drilling a hole. We hope that in the future you will refrain from squishing creatures that you don’t understand.
7
¶ Posted 15 August 2010 § Beetles ‡ ° Also tagged: Wierd Bug
Location: Croatia
August 15, 2010 6:28 am
Found this summer. 5 centimeters long when stretched. Alien like head 
, little black pulped out eyes, black strip from each eye to the back of the head. 1st segment (necklike): pair of small 2 part legs (they look useless but bug uses them when moving around).2nd and 3rd segment: 2 pairs of 3 part slim legs. Each pair on it’s own segment. 4th and 5th: No legs but pair of horns on the top of each. 6th and 7th: pair of caterpillar like legs on both segments and horns. 8th – 10th: caterpillar like legs no horns. 11th: last segment, anus and 2 antenna on left and right of anus. My mom sprayed it, after minte or so it started to pop out dark green liquid out of it’s anus. And of course it started to jerk and twitch till it died.
Confused
Lobster Moth Caterpillar
Dear Confused,
We are sad to hear that your mother poisoned this harmless and defenseless Lobster Moth Caterpillar, Stauropus fagi. That senseless act is a classic example of Unnecessary Carnage where people feel the need to destroy what they don’t understand. According to the UK Moths website: “This unassuming species gets its English name not from the adult moth, but from the remarkable crustacean-like appearance of the caterpillar. It is mainly distributed in the southern part of Britain, occupying woodland habitats, but is not especially common. The larvae live on the leaves of beech (Fagus), oak (Quercus), and several other trees.“ The UK Moths website only discusses the UK distribution, but the species is found in much of Eurasia. The Moths and Butterflies of Europe and North Africa website has some nice photographs of the adult and caterpillar. The Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias website has additional information.
What is this bug?
Location: Walnut Creek, CA
August 5, 2010 6:26 pm
What is this. We found it in my daughter’s room.
Laurie Gilmore
Mashed Potato Bug
Hi Laurie,
This is a Jerusalem Cricket or Potato Bug, or in your case, a mashed Potato Bug. These are large scary subterranean dwellers, but they are quite harmless and should not be subjected to Unnecessary Carnage.
Mashed Potato Bug
Black and yellow bug
Location: Willis, Texas
August 2, 2010 6:48 pm
Beginning of August. Very hot. 50 miles north of Houston, Texas. This bug flew into our garage and my wife swatted it.
tom2087
Yellowjacket Hover Fly swatted unnecessarily
Dear tom2087,
This is a Yellowjacket Hover Fly, Milesia virginiensis. It is one of the Syrphid Flies in the family Syrphidae, commonly called Flower Flies or Hover Flies. Many species in the family mimic bees and wasps. The adult Yellowjacket Hover Fly feeds on nectar and pollen from plants like Queen Anne’s Lace, and it will also be attracted to the blooms of related plants in the garden like parsley, dill and carrots. You may read more about the Yellowjacket Hover Fly on BugGuide, including this tidbit gleaned from AllExperts.com: “Flies aggressively and buzzes like a hornet. In the southern United States, sometimes called the news bee or good news bee for its habit of hovering in front of a person and “giving them the news”. It is also said to be good luck if one can get the insect to perch on a finger, no doubt because this is difficult to do.“ There is no mention of swatting a Yellowjacket Hover Fly to bring good luck. The Yellowjacket Hover Fly is a benign insect that will not bite nor sting. People often react to loudly buzzing insects by swatting them, and it is part of our mission to educate the public because many beneficial and benign insects are killed unnecessarily just because they are frightening looking and the person feels threatened, so we are archiving your letter and image in our Unnecessary Carnage section.
4
Green eyed insect that made 5 dirt nest under garbage cans
Location: Utah
July 21, 2010 12:43 pm
I found 5 hills with one entrance in each under my garbage can. Then a wasp/fly/? looking bug appeared. It had long wings and bright green eyes. It seemed to have either a stinger or antennae out the mouth area. We sprayed the hills and took the picture just before it died. I have never seen it before and lived here in Utah for 5+ years. Do you know what it is? Thanks so much for your time and effort. I wish I could just download the picture and that it would match it with the bug.
Sincerely Heidi
Sand Loving Wasp
Dear Heidi,
One of our primary purposes in running What’s That Bug? is to promote tolerance and appreciation of the lower beasts, and to educate the public in an effort to prevent the senseless slaughter of beneficial or benign insects and other arthropods because we know that people fear the unknown, hence the creation of our Unnecessary Carnage section where your letter and photo will be archived. We were uncertain of the identity of this digging Hymenopteran, so we sought assistance from Eric Eaton who was kind enough to respond: “Hi, Daniel: The insect is a “sand-loving wasp” in the genus Tachytes. Hard to say more without examining the specimen under a microscope. Eric“. BugGuide does not have much information on the genus, however, BugGuide does provide this tidbit of information on the info page of the subfamily to which it belongs, Crabroninae, the Square Headed Wasps: “Some nest in hollow stems or in abandoned galleries in wood, others burrow in the ground. The principal prey is flies, but some utilize various other types of insects.” We can deduce that the proximity of the underground nests to the garbage cans means that your species feeds upon flies. Your Sand Loving Wasp would be considered a beneficial insect by most people since it helps to control pestiferous flies that are attracted to garbage and can spread diseases including: Typhoid fever, Cholera, Escherichia coli (E. coli), Shigellosis, Polio, Diarrhea, Anthrax, Eye inflammation, Tuberculosis, Yaws, Dysentery, Trachoma, Conjunctivitis and even Leprosy. Were we you, we would welcome Sand Loving Wasps in the vicinity of our garbage cans. Perhaps our response will cause you to allow any future nests to develop unmolested. As a postscript, Sand Loving Wasps are not known to sting humans. They are solitary wasps and solitary wasps do not have the aggressive nest protecting behavior exhibited by social wasps like Yellowjackets and Red Wasps.
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