Subject: What bug is this?
Location: Buckeye, AZ
February 25, 2017 7:35 pm
My son found this bug on the carpet. He picked it up then dropped it on his leg and he said it bit him. We live in buckeye, AZ.
Signature: Jeff
Assassin Bug
Dear Jeff,
Assassin Bugs in the genus Zelus will bite readily if carelessly handled, and the bite is reported to be quite painful, but it is not considered dangerous to humans. This is a beneficial predator.
Subject: BIG bug!
Location: Gamkaskloof (Swartberg), Western Cape
February 26, 2017 9:18 am
Hi,
What exactly is this large beetle with big pincers please?
George
Signature: No preference
Prionid
Dear George,
This is a Root Borer in the subfamily Prioninae, and we believe that based on images posted to iSpot, Anthracocentrus capensis is a likely species identification. A note on iSpot states: “In case you may miss some scale in this picture, this is an enormous beetle in excess of 80mm long, and one of the very largest beetles in southern Africa. The individual here is a female; the male bears even considerably longer mandibles (“jaws”).” There is a nice comparison image showing the male and female on Prioninae.org.
Subject: bugs in my eucalyptus
Location: Ballarat Australia
February 25, 2017 9:57 pm
I found a cluster of these bugs in one of the eucalyptus trees at my house. They are about 1 cm long and jump / fly when touched – though one did crawl happily over my hand. They don’t seem to bite. Further investigation found about 40 smaller ones – similar legs and body colour – but no wings. I can’t see what they are eating – but if they are likely to eat too much of the tree, I’ll need to do something. So, I’d love to know what they are.
Signature: Kerry
Black Gum Leafhoppers
Dear Kerry,
Thanks to the Brisbane Insect site, we believe we have identified your insects as Black Gum Leafhoppers in the Tribe Eurymelini. According to the site: “The Eurymelini are only found on eucalypts, so their common name Gum-leafhoppers. They are brightly coloured or predominantly black.” We are reluctant to provide a species name as many members of the tribe look similar. Eurymela bakeri which is pictured on the New South Wales Government site looks very close, but Eurymela distincta, which is also pictured on the New South Wales Government site looks even more similar. The site advises: “Caution Many of the insects depicted on these pages are outwardly similar and you should not use photographs as the sole means of identification. These pages form part of a scientific key which will assist a trained entomologist to identify the species accurately.” The latter species is also pictured on Jungle Dragon. All Leafhoppers have mouths designed to pierce and suck fluids from plants, and if they are plentiful and lacking in natural predators, they might pose a health risk to weakened plants, however since they are a native species for you and they are feeding on a native plant, we don’t believe they will cause serious harm to your trees unless they are already stressed because of drought or disease.
Black Gum Leafhoppers
Thank you so much for that.they are rather cute and the tree looks ok.
Just have to watch them. Kerry
Subject: What is this bug?
Location: Marble Falls, Tx.
February 24, 2017 7:24 am
I walked into the bathroom last night and there was this scary looking bug on the inside rim of the toilet! I can’t seem to find out what it is. Can you help?
Signature: tina price
Wad of Lint, we believe
Dear Tina,
While it might look vaguely bug-like, this is, in our opinion, a Wad of Lint.
Subject: Larder beetles in pa
Location: NW PA
February 25, 2017 9:11 am
You guys should add this to the pa listing of beetles. I couldn’t find it but I located it through another page but I usually use this one. I found this guy in my kitchen.
Signature: Your friendly PA neighbor
Larder Beetle
Dear friendly PA neighbor,
On WTB? we archive Larder Beetles under the Household Pests tag as well as the Pantry Beetles subcategory.
Subject: Sampling trip insect
Location: Vredendal, South Africa
February 25, 2017 2:10 am
Dear Bugman
On a recent sampling trip for grapevine samples we came across a vine infested with these little fellows. They were covering certain leaves and the entire stem of the vine was crawling with them. Can you help us identify what these might be.
Yours sincerely
Lucan D. Page
Signature: Grapevine bug/beetle?
Bugs on Grapes
Dear Lucan,
These are definitely NOT Beetles. They are True Bugs in the suborder Heteroptera, and we suspect if they are commonly found on grape leaves, we will soon be able to provide you with an identification.
True Bugs Swarming on Grape Leaves
True Bugs swarming on Grape Leaves
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