OMG! BEES!

Digger Bee ( Melissodes sp. ) Male

So I went to the park today again and let's just say that bug wise it was insane ( in a good way of course )! Today was simply crawling with bugs.

I'm honestly very happy. I have to send out a big THANK YOU to all my little friends.

Bugs!

7 Cabbage whites
1 Red Admiral ( 22 so far this year )
2 Honey bees
TONS of Digger bees ( Melissodes sp. So cute!! )
2 mystery flies ( have to find out what they are )
3-4 dragonflies ( 1 at park 2-3 at pool )
1 mud dauber wasp ( ? I think it was a mud dauber....idk )
TONS of Halictid bees
1 giant carpenter bee ( at pool )

Also a little question. While I was observing the digger bees pollinating flowers I noticed alot of males were not only drinking the nectar but they had pollen baskets and they were covered in pollen! What's up with that?

I've never heard of such a thing. I'd like to know why and what role they play in all of this. Apparently the males have more to do in this species then that of your "typical bee" where they bang the queen and then die. XD

I will definitely look into that and get back to you that's for sure. So for now I'm going info hunting and whatever I find you will be notified about.

Until next time my pretties! Enjoy this one!

The Miniscule Series - The Ugly Snail & Night of Horror

You get 2 today.



This is so cute.



This one got me all sentimental. XD I wanted to give the bee a big hug and some honey. ^.^

Download:

The Ugly Snail

Night of Horror

Your welcome! Until next time my pretties!!

Answers?

This is a Brachymeria sp. In other words it's the one I saw in my lobby only difference is that the one I saw was all black. Now if it's possible to narrow it down to species that would be nice.

I'll definitely keep looking as I would like to know more.

Bugs I saw today:

♥ 1 wasp ( ? ) at the pool
♥ 1 spider
♥ 1 lady bug ( just now flying around the light in the kitchen )
♥ 1 stink bug ( Halyomorpha halys possibly )

* At a time where I needed it the most. Thank you God.

I swear they follow me sometimes! ^.^ I'll keep you updated!

The Minscule Series - The Bee Prisoner

So cute!!

I can totally see something like this happening. ^.^

Download:

The Bee Prisoner

Until next time my pretties!

Chalcid Wasps

Isn't it cute?

I saw one similar to this one today crawling on one of the windows of the lobby. Idk what species it was or if it was even placed in a genius ( it most likely is known to science though ).

All I know is that it was A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E! *Happy Squee* ^.^

And for some reason I couldn't stop thinking about it and that has never happened before. Damn.....I think they might be brainwashing me....XD

That was the only bug I saw today but it was welcomed with open arms. Never mind the fact that they are parasites and lay their eggs in and on a number of insects and their eggs, larvae, and pupae. No completely ignore the fact. *Evil grin*

So it's quite unfortunate that there isn't alot on this family of wasps because they have some very pretty and interesting looking species.

I'm going to see if I can find out what species or genius the one I saw today is in.

Wish me luck! I'll let you know if I find anything!

Burrowing Bug Part 2 Melanaethus robustus

I saw one today. At the pool or rather in the pool.

I got it out alive and well. I'd like to know how it got in there though. They're capable of flight so I'm thinking it might've involved that somewhere along the line.

And here's a nice list of all the bugs I saw today:

♥ 2-3 Cabbage whites ( might've been the same one seen 3 times XD )
♥ 3-4 wasps ( European paper wasps or yellow jackets )
♥ 1 dragonfly
♥ 1 Burrowing Bug ( Melanaethus robustus I believe it was )

As usual no copyright infringement is intended.

Fly or Bee/Wasp?

Convincing isn't it?

Yeah this ain't no yellow jacket. It's a harmless fly. See here and you'll see more.

One in the photo is Spilomyia citima. More to come on these later.

Net-wing Beetles Calopteron reticulatum

Another fave. I have seen and held these beauties before. They are ( IMO ) so much fun. Believe it or not they're in the same family as fireflies. Yup.

Hell the larvae resemble Glowworms. Awesome! Found some info on Calopteron discrepans which apparently is closely related to C. reticulatum. Funny how the site never thought that C. discrepans might be a subspecies of C. reticulatum since they are so similar.

But it's also possible that I'm mistaken in this. But it's just one of my musings. I tend to over think on these things quite a bit. Bad habit....XD

Any way here's the linky: Clicky! It's very interesting.

Lycidae is a family in the beetle order Coleoptera, members of which are commonly called net-winged beetles.

Beetles of this family are elongated and usually found on flowers or stems. The adults of some species are nectarivores while some may have short-lived adult lives during which they may not feed at all.

The head is triangular and the antennae are long, thick, and serrate. Most of them are brick-red in colour. They are protected from predators by being toxic.

The predaceous larvae grow under bark or in leaf litter.

- Wikipedia ( Linky )

Bugguide also has some nice info. Apparently some moths mimic these because apparently they're distasteful to birds and whatnot.

I wonder ( if this is the reason ) what the beetles feed on to make them toxic?

Or if it's natural toxins.....? Eh too tired to think on it properly. Enjoy though. As usual no copyright infringement is intended.

Should probably head to bed now. XD

Spiders

Cheiracanthium inclusum ( photo duh :P )

It's occurred to me that I haven't done any entries on our eight legged friends in quite a while. I think it's time to rectify that don't you?

Yes I think so too. One mystery spider of mine has been ID'd completely by accident. Oh boy I'm happy about that. There's still a couple on my mind that need to have an ID to their "face" but all in good time. All in good time.

My mystery spider I saw in Morning Side rolled up in a leaf. That to me is the first give away. How many spiders do you know of that do that?

Not too many that I know of. Any way I've kept you long enough.

Long Legged Sac Spiders - Cheiracanthium sp.

I couldn't identify mine down to species but at least I know what kind it is. Also apparently there's been rumors and speculation that certain Cheiracanthium species are venomous. In other words poisonous enough to harm us

But there's been "evidence" against this which is mentioned on Bugguide on this page and this page on Cheiracanthium mildei. Since I don't know much about these I can't say much.

So I apologize. XD I'm going to get cracking on those articles soon.

This Is Insane

Can you imagine if something like this happened to us?

I'm not sure if I've posted this before or not. Forgive me if I did. XD

Geometridae

I found this nice site with list and info on all these different species of Geometridae:

CLICKY!

This is also going in my bookmarks. Enjoy!

Pretty

I thought this was pretty so I posted it. Found it while browsing on Bugguide. As usual no copyright infringement is intended. This is a Syrphid fly Sphaerophoria sp.

There are 16 species described, or in other words known to man. :P

That's about all that's known other then in order to identify on to species you have to have with you. Yes it's one of those bugs.

Well until next time kiddos!

Miniscule Series - The Ladybug and The Hungry Flies

Once again priceless. There's some truth to this. All flies think about are 3 things:

1. Get food......use whatever means necessary
2. Find a mate.....make more flies
3. Sleep....and don't get eaten!!

In other words NEVER trust the ladybug.....evil bastard. ^.^

Download:

The Lady Bug and The Hungry Flies

Until next time my pretties!!

BOTM - Halysidota Harrisii

I think it's time that I dedicate an entry to them.

I've had plenty of encounters with these over the years. I love them. I love all Halysidota sp. I've only seen one other Halysidota sp. Halysidota tessellaris and that was years ago.

These are just as variable H. tessellaris. They come in yellow, white, gray, or light tan-ish brown.

And they're all to die for. ^.^

The Sycamore Tussock Moth (Halysidota harrisii) is a species of moth of the Arctiidae family. It is found in South-Eastern Canada, the Eastern parts of the United States (but not Florida) and North-Eastern Mexico.

The wingspan is about 50 mm. The moth flies from May to June and from July to August depending on the location.

The larvae feed on Platanus occidentalis.

Did I mention that I love them to death? Yes? Ok good!

Bugs:

1 Eastern Tailed Blue
1 Cicada Killer
1 Geometrid ( ? ) Moth

Happy Birthday Mommy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!

Hope you had a nice one!

And the bugs I saw today:

♥ 1 Halysidota harrisii *adult* OMG! ( on terrace )
♥ 1 Harmonia axyridis ( on the ceiling in the hallway )
♥ dragonfly? ( the pool )

Halyisidota harrisii Count:

6 as of today. :P 5 larvae 1 adult

I didn't realize that I would be counting the adults too. *facepalm*

The Miniscule Series - The Bee Convoy

So this is what happened to all the "missing" honey......



.....oh this is priceless...^.^

Download:

The Bee Convoy

Enjoy my pretties! Until next time!

P.S. Finally went to the park today. I saw these:

♥ 1 orb weaver of some sort
♥ A bunch of carpenter bees
♥ 4 Cabbage whites

Was lovely out! I also finally had some sushi! YAY!

Greenhouse Millipede - Oxidus gracilis

2 mysteries are solved here ( as of 07 -15 -10 ):

Questions:

1. What kind of millipedes are these?
2. Why do I often find then in swarms on top of each other?

Answers:

1. Greenhouse Millipede ( Oxidus gracilis )
2. As quoted by Aaron Goodwin from Bugguide:

A lot of times the male millipede will run over the top of the female to stimulate her with his legs. I've seen it with captive African giants and also desert millipedes (Orthoporus ornatus).

It's interesting to see them mosey along at a slow pace, and then all of a sudden a male will move really fast over the top of a female. Once he reaches her head, they turn face-to-face for copulation, or sperm transfer.

- Aaron Goodwin @Bugguide

Finally. I would see swarms of these on the fences at camp on damp mornings and lots of them would be on top of each other ( sometimes 3 at a time! Males fighting for dominance? ).

I'm immensely pleased to know the actual reason. I knew it had something to do with.....hem hem... sex but since millipedes don't mate on top of each other I naturally had questions. But I didn't know where to begin to search for answers.

So I'm finally happy to have some after years of wondering. I thought many things but all of them were wrong....in a sense. I was right about one thing.

It all had to do with.....*blush* sex. So there you go. XD

Hope Mr. Goodwin doesn't mind me quoting him. ^.^;

The Miniscule Series - The Big Race

*Giggle* This is so cute!



Again there's a lesson in this. 10 bonus points if you guess what it is.

Download:

The Big Race

Until next time folks!

Holy Sh*t!

Moth flies.....this one is Clogmia albipunctata. Cute little thing yes? WRONG!

They can kill you.......

According to Wikipedia they have venom that's potentially fatal. I have yet to find out if any of this is indeed true as we all know that Wikipedia does contain lies.

But for now.....holy shit! I saw one in my house yesterday.

Despite their small size, Psychodidae are able to inject venom through human skin. The actual amount injected is very small in physical volume. When this small amount of venom is diffused throughout the body of a healthy, mature human, it usually does not amount to a fatal dose.

Deaths in healthy adults from Psychodidae bites are relatively rare in terms of the number of bites per thousand people. However, if enough sustained bites go untreated for a length of time, they can prove fatal. Sixty-three deaths were reported in the United States between 1950 and 1959.

Sweet Jesus......I've actually held these things many times over the years and I've never felt them trying to penetrate my skin before.

Unless you can't feel it? But mosquitoes are also small and you can feel them when they try to steal your blood so what's up with that? Like I said I'm definitely going to ask around about this and see if I can confirm this to be true.

And if it is. I want to know if all species carry this potentially fatal venom. It seems so unlikely though yet Idk for sure since I haven't gone out to back this up even though I don't want to back it up because I'm hoping for a false alarm.

You will certainly know if it is a false alarm. I hate to believe something so common has the potential to be so deadly if enough of them bite you.....

Lord have mercy. The source to this and other info on Psychodidae: Clicky!

Grapevine Epimenis - Pyschomorpha epimenis

This isn't a butterfly. It's a moth. That's the first thing I should point out to you. Funnily enough when I was searching for additional info on these that's one of the things pointed out that it's often mistaken for a butterfly.

Smh....this isn't the first time the internet has more or less "read my mind" so to speak. Anyway what do I know about these personally? Only that they're *GORGEOUS* and if I had seen one I would mistake it for a butterfly until I got a closer look.

Unfortunately they're not found around here. So I'd have to go upstate or down ( as they can be found in Florida and Texas ) to see them.

I don't particularly mind as I have plans to go to Texas someday for completely different reasons ( SELENA! ) though but the insect appeal is also a bonus. :P

While searching for info I came across the guide page from bugguide here.

Any more info ( still searching ) I'll post here. For now this is it. Enjoy.

Bugs I saw today:

1 moth fly
1 transparent flying thing. Idk what it was. It's possible it could've been a moth fly of some sort.

But I really don't have a clue.

Kawaii!

This isn't a miniscule but it's too cute not to post.



Enjoy!

Download:

Japanese/Thai Commercial With Caterpillars

YAY!

Halysidota harrisii Count:

5 as of today. YAY!

This one was huge compared to the other 4. Must be getting close to the final molt. I wish it and all other ones all the luck in the world.

God bless them. Halysidota is one of my favorite Arctiidae geniuses.

The Flies Need To GTFO or DIE!

No I'm serious they need to go or this is war.....they don't want war I'm telling you.

So I've....We've been having a fly problem.....as in they've gone fucking crazy and won't leave me alone. They were bothering me all day today as if I haven't got enough bothering me atm. Idk why or what's making them pick on me but it needs to stop.

I mean we've always have had the occasional fly but it was never like this. They've as I've said gone fucking crazy. How? Well......

* They keep getting in my face.....
*.......landing on me......
* Following me everywhere ( Paranoid? Hell no! )
* Interrupt me when I'm watching TV ( by flying all around it & the entire kitchen )

The only thing they so far haven't done is try and get in my food. They better not even think about it or I swear it'll be the last thing they ever do.

I'm not playing here as I've got 0% tolerance for something like this now.

The Minscule Series - The Flying Ants

Ants are the smartest insects in the insect world. End of discussion. :P

Download:

The Flying Ants

There is some truth to this. Ants overcome obstacles so brilliantly it puts others to shame. ^.^

Bugs

I had a long eventful day today. Bugs I saw:

1 wasp ( mud dauber? @ pool )
1 red admiral or silver spotted skipper ( although I think it was a admiral )
1 dragonfly?

Yeah that's all for today I'm exhausted. -_-

The Minscule Series - Christmas With The Spider and The Fly

Normally I would post something like this during the X-mas holiday....



.....but since it's nowhere near Christmas.....Enjoy anyway!

Download:

Christmas With the Spider and The Fly

You're very welcome!

Wishing You All The Best

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Hoping you all have a good one!

Please stay safe!!

Common Sulpher - Colias philodice

These almost always have their wings closed. Why this is I haven't a clue. I had the pleasure of seeing the white form of the female on a button bush along with either a male or the yellow ( regular ) form of the female.

I really don't know which. I'm guessing it was a male since it was larger. But what do I know when the damn things won't stay still and won't open their wings?

Any way once more we go with the info. Do extra research!

The Common or Clouded Sulphur (Colias philodice) is a North American butterfly in the family Pieridae, subfamily Coliadinae.

This butterfly may be encountered in fields, lawns, Alfalfa or Clover fields, meadows, and roadsides. Swarms of these butterflies will congregate at mud puddles. They range over most of North America with the exception of Labrador, Nunavut, and northern Quebec.

This I already knew to some extent. What shocked me is this:

The pale yellow eggs are laid singly on the host plants. The eggs turn red after a few days, then turn gray just before they hatch. The young larvae will eat one another. The larva is green with a white stripe running along each side of the body.

The white stripes may contain bars or lines of pink or orange. The green chrysalis hangs up right by a silken girdle. Just before enclosion, the chrysalis turns yellow with a pink "zipper".

Holy shit.

Are you freaking serious?! If this is true I might as well stop thinking right this minute. I've heard and read about cannibalistic caterpillars but this is insane in the fact that it doesn't go into this more and left me not only with my jaw on the ground but wondering how any survive to make it to adulthood.

Surely some survive cause I wouldn't see any at all anywhere if they didn't. I wonder why? Is this a characteristic thing with this species or even the genius? This is not only horrifyingly fascinating but it's confusing.

And it's because they don't go into detail about it. Such a shame. I'll definitely look into this more. You mark my words I will. Although not now because I'm tired.

Interesting though huh? Copyright infringement is not intended.

Halysidota harrisii Count:

4 as of today. Ironic isn't it?

FINALLY!

Halysidota harrisii Count:

3 so far!

2 today and 1 yesterday. *Squee* I'm so happy and I certainly hope I see more. I'm keeping track of my fuzzy little friends. I brought one home to show mommy ( let it go afterwards ). XD

I love you!! God bless you!

Convergent Ladybug - Hippodamia convergens

When I saved one from drowning in the pool I was utterly shocked at how tiny these things are. But they're fast. Once it was pretty much dried off ( it was still working on it's wings ) it was running around my hand like crazy.

Mine was more orange though. You'd be surprised at how variable these things can get. Not within color so much ( it's always between red and orange ) but with the spots.

Crazy I say. I found this out while browsing for photos of this little pretty "lady".

Hippodamia convergens, commonly known as the convergent lady beetle, is one of the most common lady beetles in North America and is found throughout the continent.

Oh really? If it's sooo common then why is this my first time seeing one? I might've seen one years ago but I really don't remember.

Honestly Harmonia axyridis is more common around here! Maybe that will change?

Hopefully as I really like these petite ladybugs. Although if my memory serves correct the Ash Grey Ladybug ( Olla v-nigrum ) could give it a run for it's money!

I remember seeing one a million years ago at camp.....that was the only time I saw one.

And it was tiny!

Spotted Cucumber Beetle - Diabrotica undecimpunctata

Found one in my house. This would be for a second time in years. At least I know that they're around here which isn't something to be happy about for housing who plants all the plants around my house.

And I suppose me? But I don't think they'll attack Sycamores or Japanese Pagodas....

Would they? Idk but I do know that they are pests and shouldn't be taken too lightly. They should be watched just in case their numbers get out of control.

We wouldn't want that now would we? Nope.

The spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) is a major agricultural pest insect (see also cucumber beetle). In the adult form it eats and damages leaves of many crops, including cucmbers, soybeans, cotton, beans and many others.

In the larval form, which is known as the southern corn rootworm, it tunnels through the roots of young plants, stunting or killing them. These native pests have a wide range of host plants, but will readily infest a field of crop plants, most notoriously corn.

Adult beetles are greenish-yellow with six large black spots on each elytron. They are about half a centimeter long. The larvae are yellowish and wormlike.

They can obviously be mistaken for yellow ladybugs. There are yellow ladybugs but I haven't seen any around here. Chances are if I did most likely it would be some weird color morph of Harmonia axyridis.

Smh....so anyway I think the total of how many I've seen so far in my life time has been 3.

Yeah I know pitiful. :P 2 at home ( each a different year ) 1 at camp. Of course I probably did see more but I just don't remember.

And here's a linky with more substantial info: Clicky!

Copyright infringement is not intended. Please don't sue. -_-