In the effort to manage the hemlock woolly adelgid in eastern North America, two fly species deployed as biological control agents are themselves targeted by parasitoid wasps. A new study examines how these parasitoids affect the flies and other predators of the hemlock pests.
Subject: What is this flying insect? It was about 3” long with approx a 3” stinger (?) attached.
Geographic location of the bug: Near Battle Creek, MI
Date: 08/20/2022
Time: 04:00 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Appreciate you identifying this insect for us. We have never seen one of these before and have live here for over 60 years!
V/r
How you want your letter signed: Dave Hlatko
Stump Stabber
Dear Dave,
Thanks for your inquiry. This is one of Daniel’s favorite insects to educate about,Megarhyssa atrata, a species commonly calledthe Giant Ichneumon or Stump Stabber. Daniel distinctly remembers as a child seeing an impressive image of a Giant Ichneumon in his copy of Insects: A Guide to Familiar American Insects. Your individual is a female and what you have mistaken for a stinger is her ovipositor, an organ that allows her to deposit her eggs. In the case of the Giant Ichneumon, the ovipositor is able to drill into dead and dying wood to lay an egg near the tunnel produced by the larva of the Pigeon Horntail, a type of Wood Wasp. Because of her ability to oviposit, the Giant Ichneumon is sometimes called a Stump Stabber. The stingers of bees and wasps are modified ovipositors that have evolved into an organ that helps to defend the insect from threats.
Subject: Big Swiss Bug
Geographic location of the bug: Central Switzerland
Date: 08/21/2022
Time: 12:18 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi, this fella is easily 8cm long, nothing like I have ever seen here before!
How you want your letter signed: Matt
Mole Cricket
Dear Matt,
This is a Mole Cricket and it is one of our most common global identification requests. We get images of Mole Crickets from all over the world, including Australia, North America and the Middle East. We have even gotten a report of a Mole Cricket on a ship in the Caribbean. Mole Crickets are subterranean dwellers that are also capable of flying and they are sometimes attracted to lights.
Subject: Potato bug? Beatle?
Geographic location of the bug: Houston, Texas
Date: 08/21/2022
Time: 04:06 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: This guy was on the ground, dead. It’s as big as my thumb. Big.
How you want your letter signed: Curious Michael
Cicada Exuvia
Dear Curious Michael, This is the exuvia or cast off exoskeleton of a Cicada, and lifeless would be a more accurate description because it is not dead. The immature Cicada spends several years underground as a nymph feeding on fluids from the roots of trees, shrubs and other plants. When they near maturity, they dig to the surface and molt for the last time, eventually flying off as a winged adult leaving the exuvia behind. Cicadas are the loudest insects in the world.
Subject: Some sort of mantis
Geographic location of the bug: Conshohocken, PA, USA
Date: 08/22/2022
Time: 07:07 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi. Saw this outside work… Hanging in a pine tree. Didn’t see it until it fell to the ground. The most bark-like camouflage I’ve ever seen. Thought maybe a Carolina mantis, but the texture and color are more elaborate than I’ve seen before. Any thoughts?
How you want your letter signed: Thanks, -Gavin.
Immature Mantis
Hi Gavin,
We agree with your Carolina Mantis identification. It appears to be an immature male that has not yet developed wings and it resembles this individual posted to BugGuide. So many Mantids found in Pennsylvania are invasive, introduced European and Chinese Mantids, that you are lucky to have encountered this native species whose range is not limited to the Carolinas.
Subject: Green Leaf Wing Insect?
Geographic location of the bug: Central Illinois
Date: 08/13/2022
Time: 09:34 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hello! My mom found this insect in her yard in central Illinois. I can’t seem to find out what it is. Its wings don’t look fully formed. Any idea?
How you want your letter signed: Aaron
Recently Eclosed Katydid
Hello, Aaron. I apologize, but we had a glitch with submissions the other day. Would you mind responding to this with your photos attached so that the Bugman can assist you?
Thanks,
Daniel (The Webmaster)
No problem! Photos are attached. After submitting it, my grandfather identified it as a katydid. This came across my mind earlier, but it didn’t look like other katydids when I googled them. I think the open wings were throwing me off. Still would like to get the Bugman’s input though. Thanks!
Aaron
Dear Aaron, Thanks for your patience during our period of transition. Your grandfather is correct that this is a Katydid, but we can try to clarify some of your doubts. This is a recently metamorphosed Katydid that recently underwent a final molt, and the wings have not yet fully expanded and hardened, hence the unfamiliar appearance. The lack of an ovipositor indicates this is a male Katydid and we believe based on images posted to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources site that it is a Greater Angle Winged Katydid.
Meet Joseph Disi, Ph.D., entomologist at Bayer Crop Science, insect-rearing expert, and subject of the next installment of our "Standout Early Career Professionals" series.
With the first International Congress of Entomology of the COVID-19 era finally in the books, a Ph.D. student in entomology who participated in Helsinki shares his experience and the value he found in attending the (usually) quadrennial gathering of global entomologists.
Subject: Spider
Geographic location of the bug: central Italy
Date: 08/07/2022
Time: 07:31 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi Daniel!
Can you help identifying this spider spotted in central Italy?
Thanks,
Saverio
Unknown Spider
Dear Saverio, This spider has taken up a protective position with its legs covering most of its body. Among the best diagnostic features for identifying spiders is their eye pattern and position, which alas are hidden by your Spider’s defensive posture. Our best guess is that this is some type of hunting spider that does not build a web. We are so sorry we are unable to provide you with more.
In a new study, researchers reveal how the unique stalk-eyed fruit flies develop, reproduce, and interact with each other—and their work may shed light on eye-stalk evolution among arthropods.
Subject: Beetle-type insect?
Geographic location of the bug: NE Tacoma WA
Date: 08/02/2022
Time: {current_time} EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Hi. Came across this one just under the soil next to my house foundation in NE Tacoma. Could you identify it, and is it dangerous to my home? Thank you.
How you want your letter signed: Tom
Ten Lined June Beetle
Dear Tom, The Ten Lined June Beetle is a distinctive beetle that can be found in many of the western states during the middle of the summer.
Subject: Red Spotted Purple on Butterfly Bush Geographic location of the bug: Campbell, Ohio Date: 07/20/2022 Time: 11:40 AM EDT Gentle Readers,
Daniel is thrilled to be spending an entire summer in the yard where he grew up for the first time since the late 1970s, and he is well aware of changes that have occurred in that time. Species that were once quite common are now quite scarce and species that were once very rare are being sighted with frequency. Daniel first spotted what he believed to be a Red Spotted Purple in early May but he did not make a sighting with certainty until July 17 when he recorded a sighting in the Butterflies & Skippers of Ohio Field Guide on July 17. Two days later he got an excellent image of what many consider to be the most beautiful North American butterfly nectaring from a Butterfly Bush that Daniel purchased and planted in July 2020, one of the first plants he introduced to the garden that he inherited.
Red Spotted Purple
Daniel suspects that an Albus Poplar tree that was planted after Daniel moved away in 1979 and that grew to tremendous height before it fell in a May wind storm might be the food source for the caterpillars of the Red Spotted Purple as the Viceroys that are also present in the garden. Though they are visually quite different, the Red Spotted Purple and the Viceroy are members of the same genus.
Subject : Caterpillar identification
Geographic location of the bug: Bonners Ferry ID
Date: 08/01/2022
Time:
Your letter to the bugman: Found this climbing on a hardy kiwi we introduced this year, under birch, surrounded by ocean spray, serviceberry, and thimble berry.
How you want your letter signed : Idaho homestead
Ceanothus Silkmoth Caterpillar
Dear Idaho homestead, We are nearly positive that this is the Caterpillar of a Ceanothus Silkmoth, a large gorgeous moth that is found in western North America.
Subject: Male Monarch Butterfly visits wildflowers in the garden Geographic location of the bug: Campbell, Ohio Date: 07/29/2022 Time: 11:08 AM EDT Gentle Readers,
There are some changes happening to What’s That Bug? including Daniel finally relinquishing some of his megalomaniacal editorial control by allowing a staff to take over much of the incoming mail for identification requests because over the years Daniel has only been able to respond to a small percentage of the voluminous number of emails that pour in daily.
Monarch Butterfly and Joe Pye Weed
Daniel can now spend more time on focused postings that address the interconnectivity of all things on our fragile planet, always the mission of our ecologically minded web site.
Recently Daniel noticed an attractive pickup truck pulling a tractor parked across the street. The truck was white and advertised “Lawn Care” and graphics of Monarch Butterflies were flying over a homogeneously green lawn. Upon speaking to the driver, Daniel learned that the neighbor’s perfectly manicured lawn was about to be sprayed with herbicide to control the weeks and fertilizer to encourage the growth of that perfect lawn. So just why were the Monarch Butterflies on the truck? Daniel can only surmise that the Monarchs are there to alleviate the anxieties of any potential customers who worry about the negative effects of the chemicals because clearly they are not only harmless to butterflies, but their use might even encourage butterflies to flit about on the grass. A bit of internet research revealed that painting Monarchs on lawn care trucks is not a new idea as this web page entitled To Pimp a Butterfly illustrates.
Monarch Butterfly on Bull Thistle
If you want to attract Monarch Butterflies to your garden and to aid their declining populations, Daniel would strongly urge you to cease and desist using herbicides in the yard, to plant milkweed as is being promoted in many circles, but to also plant additional wildflowers that will provide nectar for the butterflies. Milkweed is an excellent plant for providing nectar, but butterflies, including Monarchs, do not limit themselves to taking nectar from a single type of plant. Monarch Caterpillars are not that indiscriminate. Monarch Caterpillars feed solely on milkweed, and growing milkweed is necessary if you want the Monarchs that visit to also reproduce in your garden. There are many wildflowers that can be planted to attract Monarchs and other butterflies, and Joe Pye Weed and Bull Thistle are two of the best. Happy Butterfly viewing.
Subject: Unknown bug (caterpillar)
Geographic location of the bug: Lexington County, South Carolina
Date: 07/21/2022
Time: 09:22 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I found these guys on my prickly pear cactus. They were in the process of spinning silk. No one has been able to ID them. Our local extension suggested prickly pear cactus borer but it doesn’t match other pictures.
How you want your letter signed: Any help would be appreciated!
Prickly Pear Borer
We believe this is a Prickly Pear Borer, a caterpillar in the genus Melitara. Here is a BugGuide image for comparison.
Ed. Note: This posting was rescued after being lost during a recent upgrade.
Subject: What type of bug is this?
Geographic location of the bug: Southern New Jersey
Date: 07/20/2022
Time: 05:50 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Found this very interesting. It’s about a little more than an inch long and has a red bottom.
How you want your letter signed: Not sure
Mydas Fly
This is a Mydas Fly and here is an image on BugGuide for comparison. According to BugGuide: “Eggs are laid singly in soil or rotting wood. Mydas larvae prey on beetle larvae, esp. those of June beetles. Larvae pupate close to soil (or wood?) surface.” Many people mistake Mydas Flies for wasps, but unlike the latter, Mydas Flies do not sting. Ed. Note: This posting was rescued after being lost during a recent upgrade.
Subject: beetle?? on a thistle flower
Geographic location of the bug: central North Dakota
Date: 07/18/2022
Time: 07:31 PM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: Dear Bugman: I am just trying to identify this insect so that I can publish the photo in The Jamestown Sun newspaper. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
How you want your letter signed: John S. Sun Photo Dude
Banded Longhorn
Dear John S. Sun Photo Dude,
We quickly identified your Banded Longhorn, Typocerus velutinus, thanks to the image on Beetle Identification where it states: “This species is often found visiting flowers for nectar and are frequently seen in gardens. They also use dying hardwood trees like birch and sumac for laying eggs.”
Ed. Note: This posting was rescued after being lost during a recent upgrade.
