What is this bug that captures grasshoppers?
Location: Eastern Ontario Canada
July 20, 2010 8:18 pm
We live in eastern Ontario between Ottawa and Montreal Canada. Last year we started to see these large ’flys’ swarming around our pool shed and down under some loose brick near the pool. There was just a few of them but what was interesting is that they captured and carried grasshoppers back under the brick where they obviously have a nest. This year there were many more of them so I got some sticky paper that’s meant to capture bugs and even mice (very sticky) and have caught nearly all of them along with a bunch of grasshoppers. There’s still a few of them left. They do not bother humans or try to bite but are rather annoying when a bunch are buzzing around. Its difficult to spray insecticide as its outside but I’m wondering how to get rid of them permanently. I’ve been at this location for 30 years but last year was the first time I’ve ever seen these bugs.
thanks,
Evan McIntosh
I’ve attached a picture
Evan McIntosh
Great Black Wasp Carnage
Dear Evan,
This is a Great Black Wasp, Sphex pensylvanicus, and as your letter indicates, it is not an aggressive species. We do not give extermination advice, however, it has always been our mission to educate the public with regards to insects, spiders and other creatures that might appear to be frightening, but are actually quite benign or even beneficial. The Great Black Wasp is one of those insects. We cannot condone a justification of eradication just because a species is “somewhat annoying” especially since you indicate that they “do not bother humans or try to bite.” We will be filing your letter and photograph under Unnecessary Carnage in an effort to educate. According to BugGuide, the female Great Black Wasps: “Provision nests (in burrow in soft earth) with Katydids or grasshoppters [sic]. (Univ. Florida lists: Tettigoniidae in genera Microcentrum and Scudderia.) Usually about three are placed in a nest.“ There is a nice image on Wikipedia of a Great Black Wasp dragging a Katydid to its burrow. We would encourage you to be more tolerant of Great Black Wasps in the future.
A Reader Chastises Us for Failing to Educate
Failing to educate
July 17, 2011 6:26 am
I was just reading your response to Evan McIntosh regarding eradication of great black wasps. You wrote, “…it has always been our mission to educate the public with regards to insects, spiders and other creatures that might appear to be frightening, but are actually quite benign or even beneficial. The Great Black Wasp is one of those insects.” You were quick to judge Evan by classifying his post under “Unnecessary Carnage” and claim to have education as your primary mission, yet do not provide one useful piece of info in your response. Did you think to describe WHY the great black wasp is beneficial? Next time, try educating first, and judging second. For me, I’m exterminating these wasps because my 3 yr old is afraid to leave the front door, where they “patrol” constantly, and my wife doesn’t like them getting into our home through the basement. I’d rather study bees and wasps with him on my terms, not theirs. I’d be happy to send a nice photo if you want more for your ”
Unnecessary Carnage” file.
Signature: Paul Bradley
Educational Entry:
The Great Black Wasp, Sphex pensylvanicus, is a Thread Waisted Wasp that is also known as the Katydid Hunter according to BugGuide.
Interested to know what the heck this is.
June 29, 2010
The past couple of months something has been biting me and my family members. I haven’t ever seen it though. I was thinking it might have been a spider of some kind but i think this is the culprit. I saw him dart across my floor and i gave chase. i tried to save the little guy but my girlfriend freaked out and killed it. I still managed to get some pics of it. I would really like to know what this is, Thank you!
p.s. its a little less than an inch long and maybe 2 to 3 millimeters wide.
Chuck
Southern Virginia, great dismal swamp area
House Centipede
Hi Chuck,
Thank you for writing in to inquire about this unfortunate harmless House Centipede, a frequent victim of Unnecessary Carnage. Few examples of Unnecessary Carnage sadden us more that that of the beneficial predatory House Centipede. Though it is too late to benefit the individual in your tragic photograph, perhaps future House Centipedes will be spared through education. House Centipedes are generally nocturnal hunters that will prey upon cockroaches and other undesirable household intruders. House Centipedes should be considered as household visitors despite their startling appearance.
23
¶ Posted 29 June 2010 § Centipedes ‡ ° Also tagged: Flying orange head gray wing bug
May 15, 2010
Hello, I live in southern California in an area with a lot of trees. As soon as the weather became warm, I have been finding these insects around my house. It has a small orange head with black beady eyes the size of a pen mark. It has two antennas, and six legs. Its legs almost remind me of a cockroach. Lastly it’s body is no more than 1/8in wide and about .5-1in long in the shape of a rectangle. Its wings do not taper off instead ends like a rectangle.
Sharon
Los Angeles, ca
Brown Leatherwing Carnage
Dear Sharon,
In an effort to educate our readership and to promote tolerance of beneficial insects that pose no threat to humans, we created an Unnecessary Carnage tag for letters like yours. This Brown Leatherwing appears to have been squashed in a paper towel. The Brown Leatherwing, Pacificanthia consors and formerly Cantharis consors, is a species of Soldier Beetle and adults are frequently attracted to porch lights in southern California. Keeping the porch light off at night will conserve energy as well as eliminate the number of Brown Leatherwings that enter your home. Soldier Beetles are predators, and the Brown Leatherwing feeds upon other insects.
What kind of bug is this?
April 21, 2010
This bug is from a neighbor. It measures about one inch in length. Through handling it has lost some body parts. Date of bugs death is April 21, 2010.
Daryl
Southeast South Carolina
Assassin Bug
Dear Daryl,
This is an Assassin Bug and we have identified it on BugGuide as Sirthenea carinata. BugGuide indicates it is “Predatory on other insects, including mole crickets” and it “Allegedly takes prey underground. Apparently comes to lights in late summer/fall.“ We suspect this poor Assassin Bug did not die of natural causes, and we are tagging it as unnecessary carnage. Assassin Bugs may bite if they are handled carelessly, but only a few species suck blood from mammals, and this is not one of them.
Assassin Bug
big brownish-reddish moth
April 9, 2010
HELP! I have 15 of these big, ugly brownish-reddish colored moth looking flying insects swarming my front porch!! Three of them are dead, which makes me happy. They’re fuzzy. I’m not very good with adjectives! I can’t even leave my house right now!!!! Please, please PLEASE help me!!!!
with a pen?
Slidell, LA
Oakworm Moth
Dear with a pen?
With a keyboard might be more appropriate since this is an electronic communication, and there is no ink. This is an Oakworm Moth in the genus Anisota. BugGuide lists at least three species that range in Louisiana.
Ed. Note:
We got the following response, which saddened us to the point we could not even respond any further. The intolerance and arrogance some people feel toward the natural world positively appalls us.
Ahhh, but you can not sign something on a computer, so why ask? =) Maybe it should have said “What name would you like to be called?” =) And to prove that I am, in fact, a human, it asked what color is grass. I typed brown because I haven’t seen green grass in quite awhile. Thank you very much for answering my question! Do they normally swarm like that? That was INSANE! 3 of the stupid things died after flying into the windows enough times. The rest took ant and roach killer and a big foot. Now we need a pressure washer to get the yellow guts off of the concrete. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for answering my question! I wasn’t sure y’all would answer since it wasn’t any sort of exotic bug =) -Jennifer
Chinche Acuatica?
March 21, 2010
Fue hallada en zona del Río Quequén que separa la ciudad de Necochea con Quequén
38º 33′ 16′ 85 S
58º 43 41 95 w
Presumimos que se trata de una chinche acuática
Volaban mas de 10 por la zona
Bichos en Necochea
Necochea Buenos Aires Argentina
Toe-Biter Carnage
Hola,
Perdona porque nuestro Espanol no esta bueno. Su insecto esta una chinche acuatica. Your insect is an aquatic bug or Giant Water Bug, also known as a Toe-Biter or Electric Light Bug. Alas, this appears to be unnecessary carnage.
Inadvertent Carnage
February 22, 2010
Hi, WTB,
I’ve been enjoying getting acquainted with your site over the past few days. Thanks to “kkroeker” and to Eric Eaton for the ID of the Humphrey’s Grasshoppers.
Here’s a sad photo of totally innocent, inadvertent carnage. I had spent a little bit of time one morning in a small meadow where I usually find something to shoot, and where I am always looking for walking sticks because of past success in finding them there (Southern Arizona, foothills of the Santa Rita Mountains, about 4,400 ft, mid-September).
After returning home and a quick change of clothes, I was getting back into my car when I was shocked and saddened to see this poor specimen on my car seat. Apparently, he had hitched a ride on the back of my pants and suffered the 30 minute ride home under a couple hundred pounds of oblivion.
The poor thing was not quite finished, but all the kings horses and all the kings men …
I had pretty much forgotten about the incident until a few days later when I was washing the white canvas pants that I had been wearing that morning and found a fairly detailed, shroud-of-Turin-like stain below the left rear pocket.
This was an arthropod whose life ended prematurely.
Denny Schreffler
Walkingstick crushed during a car ride
Hi again Denny,
Thanks so much for sharing this poignant tragedy. It reminds us of a letter we received several years ago from a person who inadvertently stepped on a pair of mating Oil Beetles. We believe this might be Diapheromera covilleae, the Creosote Bush Walkingstick or Greasewood Walkingstick based on images posted to BugGuide.
Can’t recognize that bug
February 17, 2010
Hi there,
First of all I got to say I had no idea such website existed. I found it very helpful although I dont know if I can recognized the bug I am looking for.
I moved into a new apartment last August and I have seen this bug couple of times already. Last time today, 5 minutes ago to be exact.Usually I see it flying in the kitchen or livingroom. It’s all black, it flies and has 6 legs I believe with 2 of them longer than the others. I have no idea where it comes from and how to permanently get rid of it. I’ve been seeing many bug in my life in many different locations in the world but never this. Does it cause any damage/ bites? Thank you
Kasia
Bronx, New York
Ensign Wasp dead from unknown causes
Hi Kasia,
Since your letter indicates that five minutes prior to writing to us, you saw the insect flying, and your photograph depicts an Ensign Wasp that is in no condition to fly, we are going to tag your letter as Unnecessary Carnage. Ensign Wasps in the family Evaniidae parasitize the eggs of Cockroaches, so if the wasps are present in your home, it is a good indication that there are cockroaches as well. The Ensign Wasp is beneficial in that it will reduce the number of cockroaches that plague you, and we would recommend allowing the Ensign Wasps to thrive. Though they are wasps, they will not sting you nor harm you in any way. You may search BugGuide for more information on Ensign Wasps.
Ensign Wasp
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