Subject: hairy Cicada?
Location: Leesburg, VA
August 30, 2014 12:26 pm
Thought this might be a cicada, but I’ve never seen such a hairy one before or with such huge eyes.
Signature: Alicia
Red Footed Cannibalfly
Dear Alicia,
This magnificent, predatory Robber Fly is commonly called a Red Footed Cannibalfly, and this summer we have received more than the typical number of identification requests of Red Footed Cannibalflies from our readership.
Subject: Can you name this bug?
Location: Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. Google maps: 19.522574, -96.927901
August 30, 2014 5:09 pm
Hello, I found this bug. It has at least one week living at the same leaf. Here is the raining season. It does not move even when is raining. However it’s alive because when I was taking some photographs it moved a bit. Could you help me to identify this bug?
Signature: J. A. K.
Parasitized Slug Caterpillar
Dear J.A.K.,
This appears to be a Slug Caterpillar in the family Limacodidae, and it has fallen victim to parasitic wasps, most likely in the family Braconidae. This image from BugGuide depicts a Slug Caterpillar infested with Braconids.
Dear Daniel,
Thank you for your help. It’s a shame I can’t help this small caterpillar, c’est la vie!.
This “bug world” is amazing, I hope I can learn more.
Cheers,
J Ko.
Subject: wasp?
Location: ohio
August 31, 2014 5:42 am
Do wasps collect nectar?
Signature: kelley
Blue Winged Wasp
Dear Kelley,
This is a Blue Winged Wasp or Digger Wasp, Scolia dubia, and like many wasps, adults feed on nectar. According to BugGuide: “Adults take nectar, may also feed on juices from beetle prey. Larvae are parasites of green June beetles and Japanese beetles.” Most young wasps are carnivorous, but they cannot hunt for food, so adult female Social Wasps hunt for prey and return to the nest with it to feed the young, or in the case of solitary wasps, they will sting and paralyze food to provide fresh meals when the eggs hatch and the larvae begin to feed.
Subject: Dragonfly Bug Love <3
Location: Clifton, Va
August 31, 2014 7:01 am
Found this amorous pair in Hemlock Park- Clifton, Va
Signature: Katie from Manassas
Mating Dragonflies
Hi Katie,
We believe your mating Dragonflies are Tiger Spiketails, Cordulegaster erronea, based on this image from BugGuide and the distribution range.
Subject: Poisonous spider in Greece?
Location: Kos Island, Greece
August 30, 2014 4:50 pm
Hello,
during my visit in Asklepion on Greek island Kos, we found on the stairs this big black spider, about 7 cm long. It was quite aggressive, when I took it away from the visitors, on a long stick to the nearest forrest, it was biting the stick!
Could you please help me identify what kind of spider it was?
Signature: Olaf
Female Ladybird Spider
Dear Olaf,
In our opinion, this looks like a female Ladybird Spider in the family Erisidae, a family with many endangered and rare species. Ladybird Spiders get their common name because of the coloration and markings of many male spiders in the family, which are red with black spots. Ladybird Spiders exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism, and the larger, often black females appear to be distinctly different species from the male Ladybird Spiders. See FlickR for a similar looking image and SpiderzRule for additional information on Ladybird Spiders.
Subject: Metallic Blue Bee?
Location: Northeast FL
August 29, 2014 9:47 am
I saw this bee (?) in my yard here in northeast FL. It was a striking metallic blue, with some green especially on the underside of the abdomen. Size was about 1 1/2 to 2 cm. I thought it might be a sweat bee that was more blue than the green I usually see. But it looks like the bee might be eating something, maybe a smaller insect, which would make it something besides a sweat bee. Whatever it is, it was a beautiful blue color.
Signature: Karen in FL
Cuckoo Wasp
Dear Karen,
This beautiful Hymenopteran is not a bee, but rather a wasp, a Cuckoo Wasp to be exact. Cuckoo Wasps in the family Chrysididae lay eggs in the nests of unsuspecting hosts, other Hymenopterans.
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