From the monthly archives: "November 2013"

Termites are Swarming in Mount Washington

On · Category: Termites Tagged With: , , · Add Comment

Nuptial Flight of Termites
Location:  Mount Washington, Los Angeles, California
November 30, 2013 1:25 pm
Few insects justify the term fluttering when it comes to flight styles, but Western Subterranean Termite Alates do the adjective justice.  More to come. …

Termite Alate

Western Subterranean Termite Alate

Julian Donahue Confirms
With a black head, rather the reddish head on winged forms of the Western Drywood Termite, I agree with your identification. The first fall rains always bring them out, and they came out of the ground in our yard this year right on schedule.
Happy holidays,
Julian

Termite Alates in a Spider Web

Termite Alates in a Spider Web

We know the insectivores had a field day today with all the swarming Termite Alates today.  Several Termites fell victim to the spider that built a web stretched between the rose cane horns of our scarecrow.

Related posts:

Bug of the Month December 2008 – Western Subterranean Termites Swarming on Thanksgiving Termite Termite Damage Mating Gray Bird Grasshoppers on a Woody Plant

Carpet Beetle Larva

On · Category: Pantry Beetles, Grain Weevils, Spider Beetles, Meal Worms and Carpet Beetles Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject: Little fuzzy bug?!
Location: Saint Louis, Missouri
November 29, 2013 11:35 pm
Hi! I found two bugs one at a time each hanging out in clean unused disposable diapers next to my bed. I have never seen them before. The diapers are organic plant based so I was wondering if that’s why I found them there? They are very small like half of a grain of rice. They look either fuzzy or lots of legs. What is this bug, is it dangerous?
Signature: Thank you!

Carpet Beetle Larva

Carpet Beetle Larva

This is a Carpet Beetle Larva, a common household pest that feeds on organic animal fibers like wool, feathers, shed pet hair and shed human hair.  We don’t know why it they are being attracted to your organic plant based diapers.  Carpet Beetle Larvae are a nuisance in the home, but they are not directly dangerous to humans.

Related posts:

Mealworm Carpet Beetle Larva Larder Beetle Varied Carpet Beetle

Bed Bug in Louisiana Hotel Room

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Subject: Can you identify this bug???
Location: Hammond, Louisiana
November 29, 2013 10:04 pm
This was crawling on a chair at a hotel we were staying at. What is it???
Signature: Angelique Nicholas

This sure looks like a Bed Bug

This sure looks like a Bed Bug

Dear Angelique,
Your photo lacks critical sharpness, which would make an exact identification impossible, but this sure looks like a Bed Bug to us.  We would strongly recommend extreme caution when unpacking to ensure you do not transport the wily creatures back to your home.

Thank you, unfortunately we did verify last night that it was a bed bug.  We took our clothes and put them in trash bags for transport to the laundry mat, got rid of our suite case and had the hotel purchase us a new one, and have informed them that if I find one in my home or car, within the next 12 months, they will be financially responsible to fumigate it.

Congratulations on holding the hotel accountable.

Absolutely. Unfortunately, a friend of mine was in a place that was infested, and I’ve seen first hand how hard it is to get under control.

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailBedbugs Possibly Bed Bugs Bed Bug Bed Bug

Pair of Longhorned Bees from Arizona

On · Category: Longhorned Bees, Solitary Bees · Add Comment

Subject: Solitary bees of Arizona
Location: central Arizona
November 25, 2013 10:30 am
Hello and howdy do!
Here are two photos of solitary bees supping nectar from Arizona sunflowers in August of this year. I wonder if you can verify the tribes of said bees (or even specific species!) by these two photos. Thank you so much for your time.
Signature: T. Stone

Longhorned Bee

Male Longhorned Bee

Dear T. Stone,
We agree with your Longhorned Bee identification from the tribe Eucerini, but we are not certain of anything more specific.  The orange antennae are distinctive, and they are also evident in this photo from BugGuide of a member of the genera Melissodes or Tetraloniella.  There is a photo on BugGuide of a female member of the genus Melissodes that looks like your other photo, so we would not rule out the possibility of your photos representing a male and female of the same species.  Here is another photo from BugGuide of a male member of the genus Melissodes with the orange antennae.

Possibly Female Longhorned Bee

Possibly Female Longhorned Bee

Eric Eaton Confirms, and cautions about Accuracy with species differentiation.
Daniel:
Two bees in the Apidae tribe Eucerini.  I am not sure how they can be identified beyond tribe from images alone, especially since Arizona is an epicenter of global bee diversity.
Hope you had a nice holiday.
Eric

Related posts:

Another Bachelor Party of Long Horned Bees Longhorned Bees: Bachelor Party Longhorned Bees resting: Bachelor Party Solitary Bees and a Drone Fly

Stink Bug and Western Conifer Seed Bug

On · Category: Leaf Footed Bugs, Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs · 1 Comment

Subject: What is it?
Location: California
November 25, 2013 2:34 pm
I know it’s a type of beetle but which one? I found two. I suspect they are kissing bugs. Pest control came by did an analysis on the sample and claimed common garden beetle but it doesn’t look like one.
Signature: Clueplease

Say's Stink Bug

Say’s Stink Bug

Dear Clueplease,
Your pest control guy does not know his bugs very well, because he is wrong, but so are you.  These are not beetles.  Both are True Bugs, so if we were awarding points to the person who was more correct, that would be you because Kissing Bugs are also True Bugs in the order Hemiptera.  The dead black bug with the border is a Say’s Stink Bug, Chlorochroa sayi, and it poses no harm to you or your home.  See BugGuide to confirm our identification.  The other bug is a Western Conifer Seed Bug or a closely related member of the genus Leptoglossus.  Both Stink Bugs and Conifer Seed Bugs have been known to seek shelter indoors when the weather turns cooler.  They seek a sheltered place to hibernate, and they will not harm your home, but if the are plentiful, they may become a nuisance.

Western Conifer Seed Bug

Western Conifer Seed Bug

Related posts:

Unusual Hemipteran Phenomenon: Leaf Footed Bugs and Shield Bugs Swarm ship in Mauritania Two True Bugs from Nepal Leaf Footed Bug Stink Bug Nymph from England

Tube Web Spider in UK

On · Category: Tube Web Spiders · 1 Comment

Subject: Tube? Spider in UK
Location: London, UK
November 28, 2013 6:01 am
Hi, I got home last night to find this guy in the kitchen. I haven’t seen anything like it before. It was black/very dark brown, hairy and seemed to have quite large ’fangs’.
I prodded him with a pencil and he aggressively raised his front legs.
Looking at the photo now I can see his fangs are slightly green. I’ve done a little searching online and think it looks very similar to the tube spider which is non native to the UK.
Signature: Nick Mumby

Tube Web Spider

Tube Web Spider

Hi Nick,
We believe you have correctly identified this spider as a Tube Web Spider, Segestria florentina.  We began our search for the answer by finding this amusing BBC News story entitled Spider found in Noel Gallagher’s guitar case.  Though unidentified, that spider also appears to be a Tube Web Spider.  We added “green fangs” to the web search and found a Daily Mail Online article from October 2010 entitled An arachnophobe’s worst nightmare: Girl finds eight green-fanged spiders in her house (and yes, they do have a nasty bite).  Those spiders were identified as Segestria florentina and the article states:  “The spiders – part of the funnel web family – are said to be the second largest species in the UK.”  According to Nick’s Spiders of Britain and Europe:  “The first three pairs of legs on this spider face forward.”  Your photo illustrates that anatomical trait.  The Spider and Harvestman Recording Scheme website has some helpful information.

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