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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Nymphs

On · Category: Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject:  Little Stinkers
Geographic location of the bug:  Andover, NJ
Date: 08/18/2018
Time: 03:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hi Daniel,
Just a share.  I found a little cluster of what I believe to be Marmolated Stink Bugs on a hibiscus plant and have been keeping an eye on them.  At first they move around together like a little battalion – very cute.  Today, however, they molted and started setting out on their own.  All were black except one that is white.  I thought that was odd, but read here that sometimes freshly molted nymphs of this species are white, so assume that is what it is.  I am attached a couple of photos showing both color variations as well as one of a nymph inspecting the exuvia, almost as if to say “I can’t believe I used to fit into that thing.”
Hope you are having a great, buggy weekend.
How you want your letter signed:  Deborah Bifulco

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug nymph

Hi Deborah,
Based on this BugGuide image, your nymphs are in the second instar phase, meaning they have molted once since hatching.  They change and get larger after each molt.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug nymphs

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug nymphs

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Masked Hunter

On · Category: Assassin Bugs · Add Comment

Subject:  Weird 6 legged grey parasite creature
Geographic location of the bug:  Montreal, in my bedroom
Date: 08/15/2018
Time: 11:41 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  It is around as big as a Canadian nickel. Very weird, looks like a parasite. It has 6 legs and two antennae on its little head. Grey and sorta fuzzy. I would like to know which species this is, and if it’s dangerous or not. Thank you!
How you want your letter signed:  Michael

Masked Hunter

Dear Michael,
The Masked Hunter is not a “parasite creature” but rather, a stealth predator.  Immature Masked Hunters have a sticky exoskeleton that attracts lint and other debris to effectively mask it to help it to blend in with its surroundings.  While not dangerous to humans, a Masked Hunter might bite if it is carelessly handled.  Masked Hunters have adapted quite well to cohabitating with humans, and it will help to control Cockroaches and other unwanted household pests.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Leafhopper Assassin Bug nymph on Woody Plant

On · Category: Assassin Bugs Tagged With: , · Add Comment

Subject:  Identity
Geographic location of the bug:  Mount Washington, Los Angeles, California
Date: 08/15/2018
Time: 06:18 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Is this katydid nymph? (on Cannabis leaf).
How you want your letter signed:  Mel Frank

Leafhopper Assassin Bug nymph

Hi Mel,
This is much better than a Katydid nymph.  It is a predatory Assassin Bug nymph, and we identified it as a Leafhopper Assassin Bug nymph, Zelus renardii, thanks to these images posted to BugGuide.  According to BugGuide:  “Generalist predator (despite its common name suggesting host specificity).”  It is also pictured on the Natural History of Orange County site.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Blood-Sucking Conenose Bug Nymphs

On · Category: Assassin Bugs Tagged With: · 2 Comments

Subject:  Blood sucking insect
Geographic location of the bug:  Arizona,  USA
Date: 08/12/2018
Time: 08:32 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hello,  these have been in my bed twice! Both times I squished them blood came out. Found a few more in a cardboard box under the bed. We don’t have welts like bed bugs, not even bits. Have a cat that likes it under the bed and she may have bits, I’m not sure. They were fast callers l crawlers too, but disintegrate when squished.
How you want your letter signed:  Eager Entomologist in Training

Kissing Bug nymphs

Dear Eager Entomologist in Training,
We have bad news for you.  These are Blood-Sucking Conenose Bug nymphs or Kissing Bug nymphs in the genus Triatoma, and they have been in the news frequently lately because they are vectors for the spreading of Chagas Disease.  Here is a BugGuide image for comparison.  According to BugGuide:  “Bite can cause severe allergic reaction in humans. Bite and defecation into bite can transmit Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The North American species can carry the parasite but they do not normally defecate at the site of bite, and thus rarely transmit the disease (Vetter 2001). Rare vector-borne cases of Chagas occur in the so. US (CDC 2013).”  The fact that you have captured so many nymphs in your home likely means an adult female Blood-Sucking Conenose Bug of reproductive age is also present.

Blood-Sucking Conenose Bug nymphs

Dear Daniel,
Holy crud!!! I had a feeling it was those but didn’t want to believe it. About this reproductive female…. what the heck do I do to get her and these gone!?!?

Dear (we hope still) Eager Entomologist in Training,
We do not provide extermination advice, but in this case, considering your infestation, you might want to seek professional assistance.  Let any contractors you contact know that you know exactly what you have so they treat the situation appropriately.

Thank you so much! Isn’t there someone i should be contacting about this finding? I’ve read somewhere they track instances of these bugs and collect specimens. And my passion for insects couldn’t be crushed by this. I’m wiser and nonetheless curious!

You can start with the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Thank you! You rock!!

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Red Shouldered Stink Bug on Woody Plant (including snarky Facebook comment)

On · Category: _Featured, Stink Bugs and Shield Bugs Tagged With: , · Add Comment

Subject:  What’s This Bug on my Super Lemon Haze hybrid?
Geographic location of the bug:  Mount Washington, Los Angeles, California
Date: 08/12/2018
Time: 08:30 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Dear Bugman,
I was out inspecting my garden this morning and discovered a new bug on my Super Lemon Haze hybrid.  Is this a friend or foe?  I am especially concerned as my plants are beginning to bud.
Thanks
How you want your letter signed: Constant Gardener

Red Shouldered Stink Bug on Woody Plant

Dear Constant Gardener,
This is a Stink Bug in the family Pentatomidae, and most members of the family feed on plants by piercing the surface and sucking fluids with a proboscis, while others are predatory and beneficial in the garden.  We quickly identified your individual as Thyanta pallidovirens thanks to this BugGuide image, but unfortunately, BugGuide does not provide many specifics on the species or its feeding habits.  Encyclopedia of Life calls this species the Red Shouldered Stink Bug.  The University of California Integrated Pest Management System recognizes it as a pest of tomatoes and other crops, so our opinion is “foe.”

Stink Bug, Thyanta pallidovirens, on Woody Plant

Facebook Comment from Jason Stowe:
It seems the easiest way to get a question answered or a bug identified is to take it on a pot plant.

Rebuttal from Our Editorial Staff:
Over the years, we have created tags related to specific plants that have ecosystems associated with them, including Milkweed Meadow, Goldenrod Meadow and Tomato Bugs as well as the recently added What’s on my Woody Plant?, the latter focusing on insects found by home Cannabis growers.  What’s That Bug? currently has 26,186 unique postings and only 33 are archived on the tag that targets Cannabis growers.  That represents .126% of our postings.  That said, Jason Stowe is exaggerating.  By comparison there are 973 postings currently archived on WTB? Down Under representing 3.72% of our postings, so, in fact, a far easier way to get something identified is to move to Australia.  Also, for the record, what we really hate identifying are victims of Unnecessary Carnage, yet we have identified 263 of them, and that is only the submissions we have posted and tagged, and does not take into consideration replies we have made but not posted.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Squash Bug

On · Category: Leaf Footed Bugs · Add Comment

Subject:  What insect is this
Geographic location of the bug:  Illinois
Date: 08/11/2018
Time: 06:16 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Was  curious as to what these lil guys are. Please help..thank u
How you want your letter signed:  Bugguy

Squash Bug

Dear Bugguy,
This is a Squash Bug, and according to BugGuide:  “Hosts: various cucurbits (members of the squash family), prefers pumpkin and squash” and “the most injurious coreid in FL causes wilting and blackening of leaves; can transmit cucurbit yellow vine disease.”

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination