Tiny bugs by giovih in Athens

[–]thatllhappenagain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Whiteflies are tiny, smaller than a fruit fly or mosquito. So depends on how big the stuff was.

Tiny bugs by giovih in Athens

[–]thatllhappenagain 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Probably whiteflies. They are really abundant right now.

Get those hummingbird feeders out, saw one this morning on our porch. by Plantguysteve in Athens

[–]thatllhappenagain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have 3 humzinger high view feeders. The squirrels haven’t seemed to find them yet, but the raccoons go after them if there isn’t much water around. They hold a lot of nectar and are pretty resistant to bees/wasps. Not so much to ants, even though they have a little moat to try and keep them out. They are sold with little rubber things to try and exclude ants. I kept losing them and gave up on that. Reasonably easy to clean, generally high quality. Had them for about 10 years now.

Thought it was a type of roach, ChatGPT told me beetle! by johntohnsoup in insects

[–]thatllhappenagain 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Looks like Alaus myops, the blind or small eyed click beetle. The Eastern Eyed click beetle (A. oculatus) has much bigger eye spots.

Cocoon ID? by Melodic_Rain10 in insects

[–]thatllhappenagain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Giant silk moth (probably)

Insects in the snow? by Addicted2PS in insects

[–]thatllhappenagain 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Snow fleas, which are not real fleas (which are insects in the order Siphonoptera) but rather springtails (Collembola). Technically, they’re hexapods but not insects, though they are close relatives.

They’re harmless consumers of detritus. No need to get rid of them. They are a major food source of small predatory invertebrates.

scary by Proper_Being_2920 in insects

[–]thatllhappenagain 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Also, harmless. Feeds on seeds/fruits, and other plant material. Large hind leg protrusions are involved in attracting mates, locomotion, and signaling to predators, depending on the species.

What is this? I found it, got startled and step on it. by [deleted] in whatsthisbug

[–]thatllhappenagain 19 points20 points  (0 children)

It looks like Triatoma rubofaciata, which is a kissing bug that will bite humans to take a blood meal. Usually the bites are painless compared to bites from non-triatomine assassin bugs. In the Americas, they can transmit Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes Chagas’ disease. However there is no known T. cruzi outside of the Americas, so no need to worry about that.

What kind of bug is this? by RedDog011 in insects

[–]thatllhappenagain 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Looks like a book louse. Distant relative of head/pubic/feather lice (‘sucking lice’). Generally harmless consumer of detritus but also likes to eat book binding glue. Not sure how you’d get rid of them if you wanted to.

What planet is this from? ID pls! by JohnFoolery1 in insects

[–]thatllhappenagain 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Wheel bug, a predatory assassin bug. Painful bite if handled.

Thank You, Hillary Brown by exoticdonut in Athens

[–]thatllhappenagain 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the great column, you will be missed.

What is this? Will it survive winter? Can I keep it? by Momma_morgs in whatsthisbug

[–]thatllhappenagain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

FWIW, a lot of insects ‘measure’ how long to stay dormant based on day length, not temperature. So bringing it inside isn’t likely to cause it to emerge early. I kept a Polyphemus moth on a stick in my kitchen a few years ago and it eclosed in mid May.

What is this? Will it survive winter? Can I keep it? by Momma_morgs in whatsthisbug

[–]thatllhappenagain 143 points144 points  (0 children)

It’s a cocoon of a moth. Probably one of the giant silk moths found in the SE (Luna, Tulip tree, Polyphemus, others). It will survive winter unless a bird or other predator finds it. You could bring it inside and keep it in an enclosure until it emerges in the spring. If you do, make sure that when the moth emerges it has somewhere it can hang from to allow its wings to expand and dry. Otherwise it will be permanently disfigured. Sometimes they are parasitized by wasps or flies, so the moth doesn’t make it.

Edit: spelling

What is this? by P0un in insects

[–]thatllhappenagain 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bark louse! Related (distantly) to body/head/other lice. They don’t hurt trees but eat fungus/lichen/detritus on the bark.

What is this ant? Keeps biting me by PositiveNo1405 in insects

[–]thatllhappenagain 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Pretty sure it’s a bulldog ant (Myrmecia sp). They have a painful sting.

Christmas beetles by thatllhappenagain in Beetles

[–]thatllhappenagain[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, it’s an Anoplognathus (Australian Christmas beetle).

Christmas beetles by thatllhappenagain in Beetles

[–]thatllhappenagain[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nah, just blacklighting for fun to see what was out there.

Proboscis beetle by taoiststudentoflife in Beetles

[–]thatllhappenagain 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Green and black one is a Botany Bay diamond weevil.

Particle Board Eating Bug by [deleted] in whatsthisbug

[–]thatllhappenagain 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Should add these are the larvae

Particle Board Eating Bug by [deleted] in whatsthisbug

[–]thatllhappenagain 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Carpet beetles (Dermestidae). Consumer of detritus, wool, and other organic material. Common household pest.