Hellgrammite

On · Category: Hellgrammite · Add Comment

Subject:  Big weird bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Rhode Island
Date: 06/02/2018
Time: 08:24 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Please tell me what this thing is because I am terrified
How you want your letter signed:  Enrique

Hellgrammite

Dear Enrique,
This is a Hellgrammite, the larval form of the Dobsonfly.  Both adults and larvae are quite fierce looking, but they have no venom and they are harmless to humans, though female Dobsonflies and Hellgrammites have powerful mandibles that might deliver a painful pinch.  Freshwater fishermen often use Hellgrammites for bait.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Crane Fly from the UK

On · Category: Crane Fly · Add Comment

Subject:  Flying scorpion looking thing with 6 legs
Geographic location of the bug:  London England
Date: 06/01/2018
Time: 02:57 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:
What is this thing? My friend has found it in his house! It looks like a flying scorpion
How you want your letter signed:  Jake

Crane Fly

Dear Jake,
Though it resembles a stinging wasp, this is actually a harmless Crane Fly.  Based on images posted to Eakring Birds and on Diptera Info, we believe your Crane Fly is Ctenophora pectinicornis.

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Mango Stem Borer from Puerto Rico

On · Category: Longhorn Beetles Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject:  Is it some kind of Long horned beetle?
Geographic location of the bug:  Puerto Rico
Date: 05/31/2018
Time: 08:42 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  What bug is this?? I’m a NYS resident but my mother sent me these pics from bro home in Puerto Rico.
How you want your letter signed:  Santos Collazo

Mango Stem Borer

Dear Santos,
The Mango Stem Borer is an Asian species that has recently been introduced to Puerto Rico.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Yellow Fly of the Dismal Swamp

On · Category: Horse Flies and Deer Flies · Add Comment

Subject:  Please ID this bug
Geographic location of the bug:  Saint Johns Florida
Date: 05/31/2018
Time: 05:30 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Inhave a pesky, biting insect that looks like a fly, about the size of one and is as quick as one.  The only thing is that it bites/stings.  It has a touch of red on it and is a little larger than one.  It’s very aggressive and leaves a big bump with it’s bite/sting.
How you want your letter signed:  Quckly

Yellow Fly of the Dismal Swamp

Dear Quckly,
While we empathize with your situation, we are nonetheless quite amused to learn that the common name of the Horse Fly, Diachlorus ferrugatus, that is troubling you is, according to BugGuide, the Yellow Fly of the Dismal Swamp.  According to Featured Creatures:  “The female yellow fly is one of the most serious biting fly pests wherever it occurs (males do not bite). It attacks man vigorously, and the bites are painful, often causing large and itchy swellings. Although it attacks throughout the day, it is most active during the late afternoon and on cloudy days. It is especially common near large bodies of water, but tends to remain in or near forests. It is one of the few tabanids that attacks indoors. All exposed parts of the victim’s body may be attacked, and since the flight is rather quiet, a person is not aware of the flies until the sharp pain of the bite is felt. Domestic animals, including dogs, are attacked readily, although the fly’s preference for shade makes it less of a pest to cattle and horses in open pastures. Flies are on the wing in Florida from March to November, although the peak season is April through June.”  According to BugGuide:  “one of the first horse fly species described from North America.” 

Yellow Fly of the Dismal Swamp

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Oak Borer

On · Category: Longhorn Beetles · 2 Comments

Subject:  Strange beetle
Geographic location of the bug:  Houston, Texas
Date: 05/31/2018
Time: 03:00 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found this guy in my kitchen late at night and I can’t find it on google. It’s driving me INSANE please help!
How you want your letter signed:  Tiffany

Longicorn:  Enaphalodes taeniatus

Dear Tiffany,
We are still working on a species identity for you, but we can tell you this is a Longhorned Borer Beetle in the family Cerambycidae, and it reminds us of a Flat-Faced Longhorn in the subfamily Lamiinae, which is well represented on BugGuide.  The piebald pattern on your beetle is quite distinctive.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to provide some assistance.

Update:  Thanks to a comment from Cesar Crash with a link to BugGuide, we agree that this is an Oak Borer, Enaphalodes taeniatus.

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Ponderous Borer

On · Category: Longhorn Beetles · Add Comment

Subject:  Beetle ID
Geographic location of the bug:  Ruidoso, NM
Date: 05/31/2018
Time: 05:12 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Spotted this huge bug at a garden center. It was just hanging out in the porch column. What is it??
How you want your letter signed:  Cindy

Ponderous Borer

Hi,
After a bit of research, I’m thinking that it may be a Ponderosa Pine Borer Beetle. We live in a Ponderosa/Pinon/Juniper forest. What do you think?
Thanks,
Cindy Adams

Dear Cindy,
We agree that this does appear to be a Ponderous Borer which is pictured on BugGuide, but we would not entirely rule out that it might be a different species of Prionid from the subfamily Prioninae.

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