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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Toebiter

On · Category: Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject:  Insect in Mass.
Geographic location of the bug:  Western Massachusetts
Date: 04/19/2021
Time: 12:09 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Can you help identify this large insect. It was walking a crosswalk at night.
How you want your letter signed:  M Grybko

Toebiter

Dear M Grybko,
This is a Toebiter, also known as a Giant Water Bug or Electric Light Bug.  This is one of the most frequent identification requests we receive.

Thank you for the quick response. I haven’t seen one before and I am over 50.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Western Conifer Seed Bug enters Home

On · Category: Leaf Footed Bugs · Add Comment

Subject:  Bug identification
Geographic location of the bug:  Newton, Ma
Date: 04/09/2021
Time: 12:11 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  Hi, we have found one of these bugs inside the house every few weeks.  Slow moving, sitting on the wall (or today, on the headboard).   We catch and have put outside but would like to know if they are pests or not!
How you want your letter signed:  Bernard

Western Conifer Seed Bug

Dear Bernard,
This is a Western Conifer Seed Bug, a species native to the Pacific Northwest.  Sometime in the 1960s, perhaps an early indication of global warming or possibly due to increased human travel, the Western Conifer Seed Bug began to expand its range and it is now quite common in the eastern portions of North America.  The Western Conifer Seed Bug seeks shelter indoors to hibernate and most of our requests come from folks like you who find them in the home.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Thread-Legged Bug

On · Category: Assassin Bugs · Add Comment

Subject:  Bug walks on 4 legs with two grabber appendages
Geographic location of the bug:  Los Angeles, California USA
Date: 04/07/2021
Time: 12:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found This tiny bug in my bathroom, it’s a bit longer than a small ant. I initially thought was a spider, but it appears to be an insect possibly as it has 6 appendages, it walks on 4 and has two grabbers like spraying mantis. What is it?
How you want your letter signed:  Thanks, David Holleman

Tread Legged Bug

Dear David,
This is an Assassin Bug in the subfamily Emesinae, the Thread Legged Bugs and there are several species on BugGuide listed in California, but the best we are able to provide with assurance is the subfamily identification.  BugGuide does support your observation by stating:  “Unlike walking-sticks and some dipterans they mimic, the Emesinae walk on the rear four legs — the front legs are modified for grasping prey.” Assassin Bugs are predators and some species are know to bite humans, so they should be handled with caution.

Thanks Daniel, I suspected it was possibly an assassin bug, but it didn’t look at all like the big ones that carry Chagas’ disease.
David

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Toebiter

On · Category: Toe Biters and other Aquatic True Bugs Tagged With: · Add Comment

Subject:  scary big beetle in Utah
Geographic location of the bug:  Orem Utah
Date: 04/06/2021
Time: 08:44 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  This is the biggest beetle I have ever seen in Utah. I would have thought it was a kind of cockroach but we don’t have cockroaches this far north in Utah. I poked it with a big zip tie, to see if it was alive, and it was. The zip tie made the beetle look small in the picture but the zip tie is just really big. The beetle is approximately 2 and 1/8th or 1/4th  inches long. it has two big pinchers, or legs I can’t tell, when it was resting the pincher/legs were in front of it, and when I poked it lifted its self off the ground and held them up as seen here in the picture.
How you want your letter signed:  Addy Miller

Toebiter

Dear Addy,
This is not a Beetle but it is the largest True Bug in North America, the aquatic Giant Water Bug or Toe-Biter.  They are alleged to have a very painful bite and more than one swimmer has encountered a Toe-Biter while wading, justifying the common name.  Though clumsy on land, they are quite agile while swimming and catching prey like small fish and tadpoles as well as other insects, and when their ponds dry out, they are capable of flying great distances in search of more standing water.

Thank you, that is very helpful.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination

Shield Bug from Mexico: Augocoris species

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

Subject:  What is this bug – Beetle?
Geographic location of the bug:  Jalisco, Mexico
Date: 04/04/2021
Time: 11:56 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  I found this guy in my garden. It’s size is what first caught my attention. I took it’s picture but did not, unfortunately take a measurement. It is about 8 to 10 times larger than an average Ladybug (which I thought it might be some giant species of at first). I wanted to find out if it was a beneficial insect or if it was going to do damage to my garden. No one I know seemed to know what it was from the picture (except a lot of people thought it was some kind of Ladybug as well). I did relocate it to a wild area near my house since I did not want to destroy it. Hopefully you can help me solve the mystery of it’s identity.
How you want your letter signed:  Mario L Pardillo

Shield Bug: Augocoris species

Dear Mario,
This is not a Beetle.  It is a True Bug in the family Scutelleridae, commonly called Shield Bugs or Jewel Bugs.  We believe based on images posted to ResearchGate and to iNaturalist that it is in the genus Augocoris, possibly Augocoris illustris.  That species is listed on BugGuide, though the individuals are highly variable, ranging from pure orange to pure white, and judging by this image of a mating pair on BugGuide, they are also sexually dimorphic.  The food plant listed on BugGuide is Chrysophyllum oliviforme, and regarding your concerns about it being damaging to your garden, we believe that as a native species, it has predators that will keep it in check and you should not worry unless you find large numbers on individual plants.

Shield Bug

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Spiny Assassin Bug Nymph

On · Category: Assassin Bugs · Add Comment

Subject:  what’s this bug?
Geographic location of the bug:  wesley chapel florida
Date: 06/22/2020
Time: 07:13 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman:  just curious if this mantis is native to florida or the u.s. in general, if this is the adult or juvenile form it was tiny crawling in the sand where I was working amazing little creature.
How you want your letter signed:  ahardy

Spiny Assassin Bug Nymph

Dear ahardy,
This is not a Mantis, but your mistake is understandable as both Mantids and this Spiny Assassin Bug nymph from the genus Sinea both have raptoreal front legs they use to grasp prey.  Handle with caution.  Assassin Bugs might bite if carelessly handled.

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What's That Bug? does not endorse extermination