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Insects are prone to unnecessary slaughter, be it from an
overzealous homemaker who doesn't want to see bugs, or from
a strapping he-man who is a closet arachnophobe, or from a
youngster who likes to torture. At any rate, we get a goodly
amount of photos of poor arthropods whose lives ended prematurely.
In an effort to educate, we present Unnecessary Carnage. This
page is not intended for the squeemish.
Pseudoscorpion
Killed Unnecessarily
(05/05/2008) Tiny Crab Like Bug
I was sitting at my computer when i noticed this little thing
crawling across my desk. It has long crab like pinchers, and
6 little legs, teardrop shaped body that was extremely flat
with stripes brown in color. Sorry my first instinct was eww
bug kill it. I did take a picture after its death. Its next
to one of my hairs to show relation to size. What is it? Do
I need to worry? Thank You
Matthew
Hi Matthew,
We are so busy right now that we can only answer and post
a small fraction of the numerous letters we are sent. Were
it not for your very descriptive letter with good search terms
including crab-like and your wonder image with the open claws
on your Pseudoscorpion, it might have gone unanswered. Pseudoscorpions
are quite harmless, but they are fierce predators if the prey
is small enough for them to capture. They are known to catch
and eat house flies much larger than themselves. We also hope
the next Pseudoscorpion that crosses you path will continue
unharmed as this is truly unnecessary
carnage.
Unknown Australian Katydid: Killed for Photo Op
(05/03/2008) Winged Weta?
Hi
I have previously sent you an email regarding this lovely
animal. I was in tears as I took the photos (having sprayed
it to keep it immobile while I photographed it - sorry). It
appears identical to a Weta that you have posted, except that
this one has very large wings! Isn't a "winged Weta"
a contradiction in terms? Hope you can help to identify this
lovely animal. She was beautiful. Note: It was found on the
fringe of the arid lands in South Australia (300 Kilometres
North of Adelaide).
Les Clayton
 
Hi Les,
We hope your tears are an indication that you will not be
killing creatures in the future just to photograph them. This
is not a Weta. The long ovipositor indicates the specimen
is a female. It is a longhorned Orthopteran in the suborder
Ensifera, and probably a Katydid in the family Tettigoniidae,
but we have not had any luck identifying the species. The
Geocities
site did not provide any convincing matches. It appears as
though the antennae on your specimen have been damaged, either
through rough living, or traumatic dying, or possibly post
mortem. Grev and Trevor frequently assist us with Australian
species, and they may have better luck than we have had with
a species identification on this striking specimen.
Solpugid: Gassed to Death
(04/19/2008) spider query
I was watching TV when I saw this spider walking across my
hardwood floor. From a distance it looked like a small scorpion.
It walked with its two large front legs in the air and the
other legs in close to it body. Im happy to se it not a recluse
but I cannot find anything that exactly resembles this spider.
I took these photos after it was dead. I had to spray
the it just incase it got away. I have never sen a brown recluse
and with two small boys in the house.
This is a Solpugid, sometimes called a Sun Spider or a
Wind Scorpion. It is perfectly harmless as it has no venom.
Solpugids are hunting machines, hence they are beneficial
predators. Solpugids will quicly dispatch the scorpions you
fear, as well as spiders, cockroaches and other crawling things
you may not want in your home. Perhaps the next Solpugid you
meet will not be gassed to death.
Another Carnage Letter that ends on a Positive Note
(04/19/2008) I panicked...thanks for the help with identification
Dear Lisa Anne and Daniel,
Though you may not be entomologists, I appreciate this “pet
project” a great deal, and have included it in my favorites
list. There’s no site quite like it. I intend to come back
anytime my field guide fails me….like tonight when I was sitting
on the floor and a solpugid (as it turns out) took me by surprise
as it came running down the hall toward me. Though my first
reaction is usually to trap and release most insects after
I’ve identified them, when in a blur it looks like a scorpion,
I swat. I’ve got babies in my house. My first thought tonight
when I looked at the carnage (only squashed the back of the
abdomen, so the head and legs on one side were pretty intact)
was…” but it looks like a 10 legged (what the!!!) spider?…with
some pretty serious fangs” …Next time I won’t kill my solpugid,
and save it for the boys to see in the morning before releasing.
Other interesting crittiers we’ve found in our family room
The Jerusalem Cricket that slowly crawled down the same
tile hallway making a mysterious clicking sound for about
15 min. till we discovered the alien like source. Glad I didn’t
accidentally step on that spiky exoskeleton with my bare feet.
Definitely have plenty of house centipedes (thanks for that
ident. I knew it was a centipede, but it had such long hairy
legs). And the bright green and hairy Wolf Spider I came across
a few years back was really quite something. Living in relatively
the same geographic region, I wonder if you have ever experienced
the amazing appearance in fall of a distinctive dark brown
(almost black) spider with orange stripes? Appropriately clad
for Halloween in October…which is when they made their first
appearance, en masse, on our patio (which has a roof). My
husband who was irritated that he couldn’t get to the BBQ
to make dinner one night announced to them all “so if you
are here tomorrow night, I’m getting my torch out (the chef
kind-mini one).” They must have listened, as from that night
on, they only spun their webs after dinner, and had rolled
up/eaten/torn loose their webs by morning. I even attempted
to videotape one spinning it’s web one night. I see them appear
about the same time every year (never as many as that first
year in the house)…I’ve seen one over at the Huntington too.
Oh, and our 6 foot tall friend walked up to one that was spinning
one night, and the little guy put up his front legs in defense
as if to say “bring it on big guy.” Definitely not a timid
spider.” That year they would hide out in the creases between
ceiling boards/the occasional knot in the wood during the
day. Now I only find them in the outlying bushes, rarely under
the patio roof anymore. Any idea what title I can attribute
to the photos I’m sure to one day find again? Another mom
over in Mt. Washington says she has had a similar experience.
Amelia
Glendale , CA
Hi Amelia,
Your spiders are probably Araneus Orb Weavers, or perhaps
a Neoscona species. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
County has a spider identification service. Just capture a
spider and take it in for identification.
Toe-Biter:
Sprayed with Insecticide
(04/08/2008) Spastic Attacker?
Hello Bugman,
i came into work this morning and this big bug was just waiting
for me. He can fly, he is two and a half inches in length.
He has claws that you can see in the picture what is he?????!!!!
he ambushed me by flying but he was moving too fast and hit
the garbage can. He then proceeded to walk around as in a
daze. i ran to get the raid. so this is him dead,(sorry had
too). We are located in South Florida, Sunrise to Be exact
near the Everglades. we also use many chemicals in our facility...is
this some weird mutation? whatever it is it scared the living
crap out of me. Thank you,
Andy Kake
Hi Andy,
This impressive insect is a Giant Water Bug or Electric Light
Bug, though our favorite name for it is a Toe-Biter. They
will bite, and the bite is painful, but they are really harmless.
In our mind, this is a case of Unnecessary Carnage. Toe-Biters
are aquatic insects, and in the event you are interested,
they are edible and considered delicacies in Thailand.
Smashed
Mole Cricket in Australia
(02/15/2008) whats this bug.
we found these bugs one night while sitting outside, the fact
that they were there didn't worry us. but what worried us
was the fact that the bugs "watched" us, they turned
there heads around and fully "looked" at us. unfortunately
they were exterminated as there were young children present.
what are these bugs and are they harmful? there were 2 but
ants got them. this one was the most intact
julie greenwood
perth western australia
Hi Julie,
These are the remains of a harmless Mole Cricket. Mole Crickets
have a nearly worldwide distribution. They are omnivorous,
nocturnal, underground dwellers that are sometimes considered
agricultural pests. In an effort to educate the public about
random acts of killing, we have created an Unnecessary
Carnage page in an effort to keep the public from killing
first and asking questions later.
Lacewing
Carnage
(09/07/2007) Smelly Green Fly
Hi,
I'm from Wisconsin and this fly landed on my desk out of nowhere.
I squished it and it instantly released this smelly odor.
I've never seen anything like this. It smells similar
to a musty old basement (if not worse). Can you tell
me what kind of bug this is? (Pictures are attached) Thanks!!
Maggie
Hi Maggie,
If you hadn't squashed this beneficial Lacewing, your sensitive
nose would not have been subjected to the offensive odor it
emitted as a defense mechanism. Lacewings are important biological
control agents for Aphids, which if their populations were
left unchecked, just might overpopulate the planet. We are
going to take the liberty and be blunt here. If someone squashed
you, you probably woundn't smell very good either.
Great
Golden Digger Wasp Carnage
(07/25/2007) What Kind of Burrowing Wasp is this?
We have found a number of these wasps burrowing in our yard.
From what I can tell they are solitary, and fit the description
of the Cidada Killer Wasp, but the colors don't match the
description of such a wasp. Can you tell from the pictures
below? They don't seem to be too aggressive but we have
young children, and we're finding these burrow in their play
area, should I be concerned? Thanks,
Steve Clark
Hi Steve,
This poor, dead, Great Golden Digger Wasp is not an aggressive
species.
Daniel,
Thanks so much for your response. I'm afraid the Great Gold
Digger Wasp that was pictured, was just a result of our initial
panic, I'll be sure to leave the the others intact. Thanks
again,
Steve
More Cicada Killer Carnage
(07/07/2007) question about types of wasp
Bugman,
I have a question about a type of wasp that lives
under ground. I live in Illinois, about 50 miles
south of Chicago, and I've started finding a extremely
large type of wasp. The length of the smallest is about
1 1/2" and the largest is about 3 inches in length. The
roundness of the bodies range from 1/4" to about
3/8" and they are very aggressive and territorial. I
looked at the wasp and hornets on your sight and sorry to
say nothing as big as what I have encountered.
I have attached a pic of a small one that I was able to catch,
its curled up, but you can see the markings and size. Please
let me know if you have any info on this guy, or any questions,
I would appreciate it very much. Thank you very much in advance,
Rodney
Hi Rodney,
Cicada Killer are large and territorial, but they very very
rarely sting humans. Only the females sting, and they are
much more interested in paralyzing Cicadas and dragging them
to underground burrows where they provide food for larval
wasps. Males seem more aggressive as they court females, but
they cannot sting. Adult wasps feed on nectar. There is really
no need to try to eliminate them.
Cicada
Killer Gassed to Death
(07/02/2007) A Large Wasp or Hornet
Hi,
This bug took three direct hits of ortho wasp killer before
it went down. I'm curious what type of bug this is. The three
interrupted bands on it are a yellow color. Thanks,
John Walker
Hi John,
We were so horrified at the Unnecessary Carnage of this poor
Cicada Killer, that we couldn't bring ourselves to answer
your email for several days.
Assassinated
Assassin Bug from Singapore
(04/20/2007) what is this?
hi there
i found this bug in my home yesterday and 3 more today. it's
about half an inch long. it's got a bright orange body and
black head and legs. it looks scary because it's really bright
warning orange and i'm afraid that it's poisonous. i live
in singapore (in south east asia) which is hot and humid all
year round. i've never seen a bug like this before in my home
and i hope it isn't poisonous because i've got cats. the pictures
should show a good morphology but the color isn't so good
so i attached a little swatch of digital color closest to
the color of the insect. there are no white dots on the insect,
it's just the light from the camera. if it's poisonous, what
can i do to get rid of it? the bug in the picture is dead
btw. thanks in advance!
cheers
samantha
Hi Samantha,
This is an immature Assassin Bug. They are not poisonous,
but can bite. |
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