Subject: What is this bug
Location: West Texas
August 21, 2017 11:21 am
I live in Texas and as children we called these bugs rainbugs because they only came out after a rain. I have not seen one in decades and figured they went the way of the horned toad, but I found ONE the other day. These are pictures of it. They do not bite or sting and have a red velvety covering. WHAT IS IT???
Signature: kathy mirick
Dear Kathy,
We are sorry to hear that you no longer see Horned Toads, but we suspect that the disappearance of native Ants like Harvester Ants is a contributing factor. Invasive species like the Argentine Ants are compromising native species in many places. This is a Velvet Mite, and you are correct that they generally appear shortly after a rain.