Subject: What’s these bugs?
Geographic location of the bug: Fort Bragg, NC
Date: 12/05/2017
Time: 01:55 PM EDT
These 2 bugs look like giant stink bugs but I know they’re not because when I killed them I smelled them and they like apples. I know that sounds crazy, I was even amazed by it but that’s what they smelled like to me! I saw one of these last week but I was unable to get any good pictures of it. Today I got great shots of both of them and I still have their bodies. Please help me identify what type of bugs they are because it’s driving me nuts. Thank you, I will await your response! Have a nice day Gail Barnes!!
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Big Legged Bugs
Dear Gail,
These are Big Legged Bugs in the genus Acanthocephala, and we are intrigued by your observation that they smell like apples.
I like ThisRelated posts:
Reminds me of this post: https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2012/08/02/whirligig-beetles-or-apple-bugs/
I thought the same thing Cesar, but couldn’t find any references to Big Legged Bugs smelling like apples, but BugGuide actually mentions the apple smell for Whirligig Beetles.
I have also encountered two unidentified heteropterans with peach and artificial-cherry defensive odors. The secretions of one black Calosoma(?) in the area also smell rather like almond soap.
Well, beetles, we have one said to smell like Fennel in Brazil:
http://www.insetologia.com.br/2013/08/besouro-estafilinideo-em-sao-paulo.html