Subject: What kind of bug is this?
Geographic location of the bug: Fallsburg, Ohio
Date: 07/30/2018
Time: 08:28 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: A friend asked for my help in identifying this insect. I’m not sure what it is and I’m curious as well because I saw one last week in Pataskala, Ohio. Thanks
How you want your letter signed: However
Mating Mydas Flies
These mating Mydas Flies are identified as Mydas tibialis on BugGuide.
Subject: Unidentified moth
Geographic location of the bug: Vancouver Island, BC
Date: 07/30/2018
Time: 04:15 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hello! Here is a picture of a moth that I found on my door a couple weeks ago. I recently became a moth enthusiast so I have difficulty IDing some of them, despite long internet searches and owning multiple moth books. What is this particular moth?
How you want your letter signed: Rachel
Large Yellow Underwing
Dear Rachel,
This looks to us like a Large Yellow Underwing, Noctua pronuba, which is pictured on BugGuide. According to BugGuide: “hindwing yellow with black terminal band; forewing varies from light to dark brown to orangish to grayish, and from almost unmarked to boldly patterned; reniform spot large and either dark or barely visible; small dark patch along costa near apex nearly always present” and “Introduced from Europe to Nova Scotia in 1979, this species has since spread north to the Arctic Ocean, west to the Pacific, and south to the Gulf of Mexico.”
Subject: In my garden
Geographic location of the bug: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Date: 07/31/2018
Time: 07:10 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: This guy might be common, but I know next to nothing about it – can you help identify what this is? He rolled over in the second picture.
How you want your letter signed: B
Cicada Nymph
Dear B,
This is an immature Cicada nymph. Cicada nymphs live underground for several years feeding from plant roots, after which they burrow to the surface and molt for the final time, emerging as winged adult Cicadas. The shed skin left behind is known as an exuvia.
Subject: New bug outside
Geographic location of the bug: Northeast Pennsylvania
Date: 07/31/2018
Time: 03:22 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hello,
We found this bug recently after getting wood from our wood pile, now we are finding them all over our yard and pool deck. They appear flat, can be squished, move easily over skin, seem to like wood, are very small, brown and seem to almost be one piece as opposed to having legs.
How you want your letter signed: Tom
Lace Bug
Dear Tom,
This is a Lace Bug in the family Tingidae, and though your image is lacking in clarity, it appears it might be an Elm Lace Bug which is pictured on BugGuide, or a Cherry Lace Bug which is also pictured on BugGuide. Of the genus that contains both, Corythucha, BugGuide notes: “Leaf feeders, most species have restricted food preferences” and “Some are considered pests.”
Subject: Smart Tail
Geographic location of the bug: Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania
Date: 07/31/2018
Time: 03:13 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi Bugman,
I have a pepper plant that some aphids infested. I took it outside in hopes of some ladybugs would predate them. I checked on the plant the next day, and the aphids were still there, but very docile. I also noticed this weird bug on the bottom with the aphids. It didn’t move at all when I turned the leaf over and examined it. I then pinched the leaf off the plant and placed the leaf on the porch to examine the bug better. It then moved very, VERY quickly to the top of the leaf, which was now facing the porch and therefore shady. I flipped the leaf over again, and the bug continuously sought shade. It used its tail-abdomen in a very intellectual way; it seemed like it used its tail the way a monkey would, to grasp and hold onto things. It had six paper-thin legs and surprisingly long pincer-like mouthparts. Its body appeared translucent and the colors are actually the organs. I think it may be the larval stage of some insect. It was about three aphids in length. I didn’t want to capture it and possibly kill an unknown species, so I returned the leaf to the pot and rested it on the edge. I examined the plant the next day and all the aphids were gone, as well as the unknown bug. I don’t want to assume that the bug ate all the aphids, but something definitely ate everything because there was nothing left. I have not seen any aphids on the plant since nor have I seen this weird little guy. Can you help me out in identifying this bug?
How you want your letter signed: Kayla
Aphid Wolf
Dear Kayla,
Your observations and deductions are fascinating. Your assumption that this Lacewing Larva, commonly called an Aphid Wolf, ate the Aphids is most likely correct. Though Lady Beetles are most commonly thought of as Aphid predators, Lacewings, both adult and larval, and Flower Fly larvae are probably more effective at controlling Aphids.
Lacewing Larva (right side) with Aphids
Subject: Identify this bug
Geographic location of the bug: Bangalore ,india
Date: 07/30/2018
Time: 01:25 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi bugman,
I found this gorgeous fellow on my office floor. Would love to know more about him .
Thanks!
How you want your letter signed: Shweta
Flower Chafer: Protaetia aurichalcea
Dear Shweta,
This Scarab Beetle is one of the Fruit and Flower Chafers in the subfamily Cetoniinae, and we are confident we have identified it as Protaetia aurichalcea thanks to images on BioLib and pxhere. According to Biodiversity India: “Flower chafers are a group of scarab beetles, comprising the subfamily Cetoniinae. Many species are diurnal and visit flowers for pollen and nectar, or to browse on the petals. Some species also feed on fruit. The group is also called fruit and flower chafers, flower beetles and flower scarabs. There are around 4,000 species, many of them still undescribed.”
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