Mayflies

Baetus sp. You'll get another rant on these later.

Got this photo from that ingenious Chinese insect site. Lots of photos of insects that have me wondering WTF is going on? Sucks that there's no English version or something.

I have questions though. Like do all Baetus species have those fascinating eyes? I've never seen a mayfly ( picture or in person ) with eyes like that. Holy shit. All the more reason to have that damn site in ENGLISH PLEASE!! T_T

I will do more research to find out somethings. What are those things?

1. Find out what Baetus species this one is.
2. Find out if they all have those type of eyes
3. Find out if there's any specific reason for having those kind of eyes
4. Find out more about them in general cause I love mayflies. *^^*

Toodles! I have work to do. YAY! *^^*

BOTM: Amorpha Borer ( Megacyllene decora )

Came across these by accident really. I thought they were pretty so I decided to do research on these and I found that they're pretty variable but that's about it.

There doesn't seem to be anything else on them. I wonder why?

Miniscule Series - Snail Dreaming About Speeding

You missed these didn't you? More to come! And this is adorable! *^^*

Download:

Snail Dreaming About Speeding

Your very welcome! Until next time!

"The Forgotten Ones"

Ok they weren't really forgotten....as if they were this wouldn't be here. :P AOL's quotes on the ACP ( Asian Citrus Psyllid ) and the Persea Mite.

Have fun with these!

1. Asian Citrus Psyllid

What they threaten: California's $1.3 billion citrus industry.

Modus operandi: The Asian citrus psyllid isn't such a bad bug on its own, but it can carry the devious and deadly Huanglongbing (HLB) bacteria, which kills all varieties of citrus trees. And what's truly sneaky is that it's often not evident for years that a citrus tree has been infected, so if the owner of the trees isn't aware of what's going on, the psyllids continue to eat away at the tree, allowing HLB to continue to spread.

"Left unchecked, the Asian citrus psyllid will spread throughout California," warns Elizabeth Grafton-Cardwell, a University of California entomologist working to minimize the Asian citrus psyllid population. As for the disease it carries, "There is no cure," Grafton-Cardwell says, "and it is a death sentence for citrus."

Fun fact: "The adult psyllid tilts its rear end up in the air when it feeds -- a unique posture among citrus pests," Grafton-Cardwell says.

- AOL Small Business

No cure?! Damn them little bastards. :P

2. Persea Mite

What they threaten: California's $320 million avocado industry, where 90 percent of the nation's avocados are grown, as well as the peach and apricot industries.

Modus operandi: They like to feed on avocados, which causes the plant's leaves to fall prematurely. As the leaves fall too soon, the bark becomes sunburned, the fruit doesn't grow properly and the avocado trees in general get stressed out.

Fun fact: The average persea mite only lives 15 to 40 days. The warmer the weather, the shorter the life. Sixty-seven degrees Fahrenheit seems to be the sweet spot.

- AOL Small Business

Sweet Jesus........GET RID OF THE FUCKERS! Sorry.....^^; I just really like avocados.

8. Coffee Borer Beetle ( Hypothenemus hampei )

Alright.

First off. I don't like coffee. But sooooo many people do so this little bugger is bad. :P Once again I don't know squat about these so you'll be learning with me.

YAY! *^^* So anyway as for pictures forget it. All I could find were pics of dead specimens and the one pic that I could've used is blurry. Bad quality. But you'll get to see it anyway cause it's on the Wikipedia article that I'm quoting below ( do extra research ).

Did anyone spot the "bad quality" pun in there? Cookies if you have.

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is a small beetle native to Africa. It is recognized as the most harmful pest to coffee crops worldwide. The insect affects over seventy countries, mainly in Latin America.

The maturation of the insect (from egg to adult) lasts between 24 and 45 days, varying according to the weather. Usually, the female drills the berry through the central disc, although it can enter through the side walls if the fruit is dry. Two days after the access, the beetle lays 35–50 eggs, which produce 13 females for each male.

The lifespan for females is 35–190 days and for males 40 days. The new insects mate inside the seed. Some females lay the eggs in the same coffee plant, others colonise new ones. The males never leave the fruit.

The same plant can host three to five generations of beetles. Up to a hundred beetles can be found in a single fruit. The insect is very sensitive to desiccation, and waits for the rains to leave the fruit. The most affected areas in the crops are the shady and moist ones.

Fascinating huh? And now for something you and I would've never thought possible ( unless you know better ):

Parthenogenetic Beetles!

Is there such a thing? Yup! It's mentioned in said article. I will look into this more to confirm it and also see if other species of beetles are like this.

Bloody fascinating I tell you. This is why I love insects. All the surprises!

What they threaten: Hawaii's coffee growers, an estimated $60 million industry.

Modus operandi: These insects, which are well-known in Central America and South America, were recently discovered in Hawaii by a University of Hawaii graduate student. The bug bores into the coffee cherry and lays its eggs. As soon as the larvae, the juvenile coffee borers, arrive on the scene, they instantly feeding on the coffee bean. Borers typically ruin about 20 percent of a crop and do an estimated $500 million in damage every year.

Fun fact: The coffee cherry borer is a small beetle, about the size of a sesame seed.

- AOL Small Business

Holy....$500 million a year?! I told you they were bad.

* And that ladies and gents concludes this "series" of mine. Thank you! You've been a wonderful audience! *^^*

What's cooking next: The Hall of Shame.......dun dun dun....^^

7. Brown Marmorated Stink Bug ( Halyomorpha halys )

Oh joy! You'll be pleased to know that I've had "experience" with these before ( said "experience" is seeing them and holding them that's all ). I had no idea these were pests. Well until they start fucking my garden I won't hate them.

Hell I don't hate them because they haven't done anything to me. XD In fact they've helped me not have a complete and total breakdown this year. How? Well it's rather personal but I had found one in my house crawling on the wall right before I lost it and let's just say it prevented me from having a breakdown because it made me feel better.

As for knowing about them all I knew is that they were a type of stink bug and that I've seen plenty before. I had no idea they were a pest.

It's a shame because I like them. Hell I'll always like them just don't fuck up my garden. *^^* So anyway on with the info on these babies!

As always from Wikipedia ( do extra research ):

Halyomorpha halys, the brown marmorated stink bug, or simply the stink bug, is an insect in the family Pentatomidae, and is native to China Mainland. It was accidentally introduced into the United States, with the first specimen being collected in September 1998. The brown marmorated stink bug is considered to be an agricultural pest.

The brown marmorated stink bug is more likely to invade homes in the fall than others in the family. The brown marmorated stink bug survives the winter as an adult by entering houses and structures when fall evenings start to turn cold.

Adults can live for several years and look for buildings to overwinter in that shield them from the elements. They will work their way under siding, into soffits, around window and door frames, under roof shingles and into any crawl space or attic vent which has openings big enough to fit through. Once inside the house they will go into a state of hibernation where they wait for winter to pass, but often the warmth inside the house causes them to become active, especially in winter months, and they will fly clumsily around light fixtures.

Awwwww.....♡ *^^* And now here's AOL bashing them. XD

What they threaten: Farmers, and they could embarrass some business owners in their own stores.

Modus operandi: Although the United States has plenty of stink bugs, this one first showed up in Pennsylvania in 1998. Since then, they've been attacking farmers' crops, including apples, figs, peaches, citrus and mulberries. On the plus side, "Often, they just do cosmetic damage rather than actually destroying the fruit," says Ron Harrison. Of course, try telling a potential customer the apple he's eying isn't as disgusting as it looks. As for getting into a place of business, they won't -- unless you have cracks around your windows or doors, or if they can find a way through the utility pipes or by invading your siding.

Fun fact: Once stink bugs move into your storefront, they will come year after year. They return because they can smell the odor they left behind. It's kind of like leaving out a sign to other stink bugs that your establishment is a fun vacation spot.

- AOL Small Business

Well that's all folks. I also found a PDF on them that I'll post my download linky for in a bit so expect an edit on that.

And I wouldn't mind having some visit me. But not too many. *^^*

6. Varroa Destructor

Don't know too much about these little parasites but I can tell you right now that they're most likely in the serious decline of our fuzzy honey making little friends.

Wikipedia has alot of information on these ( DO EXTRA RESEARCH! ):

Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks honey bees Apis cerana and Apis mellifera. The disease caused by the mites is called varroatosis.

Varroa destructor can only replicate in a honey bee colony. It attaches at the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking hemolymph. In this process the mite spreads RNA viruses like wing virus (DWV) to the bee.

A significant mite infestation will lead to the death of a honey bee colony, usually in the late autumn through early spring. The Varroa mite is the parasite with the most pronounced economic impact on the beekeeping industry. It may be a contributing factor to colony collapse disorder (CCD), as research shows it is the main factor for collapsed colonies in Ontario, Canada.

The rest of the article can be found here. And AOL Small Business's entry on the little suckers:

What businesses they threaten: The beekeeping industry -- a $12 billion industry in the United States alone.

Modus operandi: The varroa destructor is a blood sucking parasite, attacking both adults and kids. The juvenile honeybees born under the influence of a varroa destructor often are deformed, missing legs or wings. It's a very bad situation for the bees and not a great one for the honeybee industry, and considering how we depend on bees to pollinate flowers and crops, it's a bad situation for the world at large.

Fun fact: The varroa destructor was first discovered in Southeast Asia in 1904. They first turned up in the United States in 1987.

- AOL Small Business

Fascinating and evil at the same time. I wonder if there's an effective way to get rid of them for good in development or something?

Something has to be done because we need our honey bees!

5. Asian Ladybugs ( Harmonia axyridis )

Some of the many forms or "disguises" of Harmonia axyridis. Very pretty.

How many times have I mentioned these so far? Idk. But one thing is for sure is that they're bad. And you thought ladybugs were all good. Nope. And Harmonia axyridis isn't the worst of them either although I'd say this and another species tie first place.

That species will be mentioned at a later date. The list of crimes these beetles have committed over the years has grown as of now. It's shameful.....smh.

Some of these crimes are most shocking. The list if you will:

Zeh Crimes ( along with commentary ):

* Breaking and Entering
* Destroying native ladybug species
* Crimes against humanity ( in other words costing businesses $$ )
* Being a pain in the ass ( simply put there's too many of them )
* World Domination
* Biting people...... 0.0 What. The. Fuck.?!

The whole "Breaking and Entering" thing is in reference to the fact that every Autumn on warm days around October the little bastards find their way into houses by the hundreds or thousands to hibernate. This also attributes to the "there's too many of them" statement/crime.

They've settled themselves in as illegal U.S citizens of the order Coleoptera. Not only that but they're international now. In the UK they've been wiping out native ladybug species, two of which have gone extinct ( I remember reading this somewhere sometime ago ). The being a pain in the ass is in reference to all of the above.

And to quote the last one from the lovely Wikipedia:

Harmonia axyridis is a "typical" coccinellid beetle in shape and structure, being domed and having a "smooth" transition between its elytra (wing coverings), pronotum and head. It occurs in three main color forms: red or orange with black spots (known as form succinea); black with four red spots (form spectabilis); and black with two red spots (form conspicua). However, numerous intermediate and divergent forms have also been recorded. The species is typically large (7–8 mm long) and even more dome-shaped than native European species (these characteristics distinguish Harmonia axyridis from native species in the UK). It often has white markings (typically defining an "M"- or "W"-shaped black area) on its pronotum, and usually brown or reddish legs.

Many people now view this species as a nuisance, partly due to their tendency to overwinter indoors and the unpleasant odor and stain left by their bodily fluid when frightened or squashed, as well as their tendency to bite humans. (It is also currently increasing in Europe to the detriment of indigenous species, due to its voracious appetite which enables them to out-compete and even eat other lady beetles, as it also does in the United States).

Holy shit. Oh there's more people. Read about it here and do extra research. The world domination thing is due to the fact that they're found internationally now.

And the crimes against humanity as quoted by AOL Small Business:

What they threaten: The grape and wine industries -- and any business that has a building

Modus operandi: Basically, this is the Asian version of the ladybug, and mostly, they're harmless. But during the winter, they fly into buildings and crawl into windows, walls and attics. Before dying, they'll often release an annoying stench and a yellow fluid that stains. But if you're a fruit grower, you'll be much more than annoyed. This is war. After all, these Asian lady beetles like to munch on peaches, apples and grapes, among other fruit, and as wine growers have found, if even just a small number of these beetles are accidentally processed along with the grapes, it can taint the wine's flavor.

Fun fact: The Asian lady beetle's stench, which you'll discover if you try squashing them, Harrison says, "is their way of discouraging things from eating them."

- AOL Small Business

Oh joy! Now as for them biting people.......they have never bitten me.......oh wait.....0.0 I remember this one time I was on my terrace many years ago and I found one and it nipped me sorta. It wasn't painful. It's kinda hard to describe......0_0

There's a whole lot more you can find out on these if you do research. You'll be hearing about these from me again most definitely.......

.........as I'm not done trashing them. Toodles! *^^*

4. Crazy Rasberry Ants ( Nylanderia sp. )

I've heard of these before. And I also remember them being mentioned in a documentary years ago I think on the internet. It was fascinating.

Any way let's get on with it. My ramblings will come after.

The crazy Rasberry ant or Rasberry crazy ant is an invasive species of ant found near Houston Texas.

While this species is part of the crazy ant complex (group named because of the ants' random, nonlinear movements) the media and others in Texas are also calling it "Rasberry" after the exterminator Tom Rasberry who first noticed the ants were a problem in 2002.

This ant has yet to be identified as a species due to confusion regarding the taxonomy of the genus, and has for now been scientifically named Nylanderia species near pubens.

There is currently a large infestation in at least 11 counties in Texas. The ants appear to prefer the warmth and moistness of the coast.

This ant may or may not be the same ant as the Caribbean crazy ant, Nylanderia pubens (Florel ). I have something to say on the last part. Find Nylanderia pubens and put a bunch on electrical equipment and see if they munch it up. I briefly did some research to see if other ( namely N. pubens ) did the same thing and so far no mention of it.

Suspicious ( atm ) no? I'll keep searching later. But here's why they're on this list in the first place as quoted by the lovely article on AOL.

Happy Happy Joy Joy ( for me cause I enjoy reading things like this ):
What they threaten: Every business in parts of Texas, mostly in Houston. Reportedly seen in southern Arkansas.

Modus operandi: Crazy rasberry ants are named for exterminator Tom Rasberry, who first identified the critters in Houston in 2002. These ants bite humans and are oddly attracted to electrical equipment -- they enjoy nesting in it and chewing it up. In fact, the NASA Johnson Space Center in Clear Lake City, Texas, had some crazy rasberry ant sightings and brought in Rasberry to exterminate them.

After exterminations, "I've seen them in piles of two to three inches," says Ron Harrison, technical director for Orkin, the national pest control chain. Harrison says the businesses that seem to be the most in danger of infestation are manufacturing firms that have warehouses and storage areas among trees.

Fun fact: They're called "crazy" because the ants don't move in a straight line -- they move all over in a lot of different, zigzag directions. - AOL Small Business

Not only that but they're also on the list of ants that break the "typical ant life cycle". Why? Because these ants have multiple queens.

Yup. They have lots of mommies. Awwwww.....But that makes them a bitch to try and get rid of ( obviously ). I'd go on to imagine that other Nylanderia species have multiple queens too.

Must do research on that and get back to you. Crazy huh?

3. Persea Mite ( Oligonychus perseae )

First off. No piccies ( for now ). Sorry. And I once again have no experience with these because I never even heard of them before now.

Apparently they're pest of Avocados. That's horrid because I like Guacamole. I like my California rolls.....yummy. Correction: I LOVE my Guacamole and California rolls. And to think that these bastards put that in any sort of jeopardy........I'd like to sacrifice them to Nordic Gods.

Anyway this site has some rather interesting info on their criminal status. This is a rather long ( YAY! ) extract from said site.

Sorry if I bored you to death. :P But that's not my fault. *^^*

Persea mite (family Tetranychidae) is a key pest that occurs in most avocado-growing areas of California except the Central Valley. It is most damaging to Hass, Gwen, and a few other varieties. Esther, Pinkerton, and Reed are of intermediate susceptibility. The Bacon, Fuerte, Lamb Hass, and Zutano varieties are much less affected.

Many ornamentals and weeds also host persea mite. When persea mites were first introduced into California in the early 1990s, individual mites from heavy populations on avocado trees were seen drifting onto leaves of adjacent stone fruit trees, although they did not feed. Since that time, however, populations have been reduced and persea mites have not been observed on stone fruit trees or fruit, and Prunus species are not known to be a host of this mite.

Persea mite develops from an egg through a six-legged larval stage and two eight-legged nymphal stages before becoming an eight-legged adult. Adult females have an oval-shaped body that is slightly flattened and elongated. Females and immatures are yellowish or greenish with two or more small dark blotches on their abdomen.

Old females that have ceased oviposition turn darker green and become somewhat smaller and inactive. Males are smaller than reproductive females. Males are somewhat pear-shaped, slightly flattened, and yellowish with or without small dark spots. Persea mites feed and reproduce mostly beneath webbed patches or silk-covered "nests."

Each female lays about 2 to 4 dozen eggs during her life. Eggs are round, pale yellow, and develop red eye spots as they mature. Egg to adult female development time is about 2 to 3 weeks when temperatures average 77° to 63°F. Generation time can be accurately estimated by monitoring degree-days.

Cool winter temperatures slow persea mite population growth. Mite densities are lowest about March and gradually increase through spring feeding on new leaf flush. Populations generally peak in July and August. Persea mite populations are suppressed, and populations may decline rapidly, when the daily high temperature is 100°F or more on several consecutive days and humidity is low.

There are pictures on Google of them. Once find one that's "worthy" I'll post it.

Good day my minions!

2. Emerald Ash Borer ( Agrilus planipennis )

Photo/cartoon depicting the adult, larvae, and damage of the EAB ( Agrilus planipennis ).

Once again no actual experience with these. Although I've heard of them before. If I had any sort of experience I'd be rambling like crazy. I can tell you though that there's alot of info on these and how to get rid of these pests. Oh yeah and they invaded New York too. Oh joy!

Yup they're on the "Annoying Little Buggers That Must Die List" according to people who have dealt with them. As for me I've never even seen one except pictures.

And as to quote on what AOL says about them and why they're on ALPTMDL:

What they threaten: Wooden furniture manufacturers, lumber companies and at least one famous baseball bat company.

Modus operandi: This metallic-green, beautiful-but-devastating insect is attempting to destroy 7.5 billion ash trees in the United States. They were first discovered in Michigan in 2002. How they got here is anyone's guess, but most international insects travel to America for a better life as stowaways in luggage or on humans traveling on planes, or they burrow in cargo on ships or in packages sent through the mail.

The emerald ash borer is now found in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Maryland. Pennsylvania's trees, meanwhile, are the source for the Major League Baseball bats manufactured by the famed company Louisville Slugger, and the state has been girding itself for the emerald ash borer's arrival but has so far kept them at bay.

Fun fact: Minnesota is introducing stingless wasps into the state to combat the emerald ash borer.

- AOL Small Business

Bloody fascinating. I wonder how the stingless wasps will annihilate the EAB's? There's also a list of PDF's containing info on them here. Not to mention that the whole site is dedicated to research on these. Nice. Now I'd like something on their life cycle.

Wikipedia gives a very brief description of said life cycle. I like details but I'll take what I can get. I'll do deeper digging on said life cycle later.

For there's this little brief number on it:

The adult emerald ash borer emerges in May-July and the female lays numerous eggs in bark crevaces and between layers of bark.

The eggs hatch in 7-10 days and larvae bore into the tree where they chew the inner bark and phloem creating winding galleries as they feed. This cuts off the flow of the water and nutrients in the tree, causing dieback and death.

- Wikipedia

As always do extra research. Said article also list a number of references but as always you can't be too sure with regards to Wikipedia.

Eh I think I'm done for now on this. Peace out!

1. Asian Citrus Psyllid ( Diaphorina citri )

First off Happy Birthday to BoA!!

And now we get on with why we're here. Now I tried "researching" these but I must say there doesn't seem to be info on these things that's directly online. In other words not in 10,000 PDF's. However on Wikipedia there is info on Psyllids in general.

Very fascinating. I didn't read the whole thing but what I did read was interesting. The Psyllids themselves look like leafhoppers so much so I thought they were a type of leaf hopper with just a weird name.......one that I've heard/read before all of this.

Before properly finding out about Psyllids I imagined them to be aphid like you know? The name practically oozes that kind of image. You know Psyllid.

At least for me.....*^^* And the differences between leafhoppers and psyllids?

Well there isn't much on the physical aspect although I'm sure there's alot I'm missing but that's probably due to the fact that I'm tired.

I tend to get disoriented and moody when I'm tired. XD But for me the first most obvious is the antennae. Leafhoppers have those "non existent" ones. The ones so small you can hardly see them. Like dragonflies.

But Psyllids have noticeably larger more see able ones. Leafhoppers jump when startled or touched Idk if Psyllids do this or not but I have to look into it.

I wonder if they fly? Anyway said article is here.

8 Insects You Have To Worry About Besides Bedbugs

Yup. You didn't think it could get worse did ya? AOL did a very interesting article on these 8 evil little bastards. These buggies have it out to put people out of business and businesses out of business. But perhaps the most shocking is who's on the list.

Taking all of this from a crazed bug fanatic's view it's all very messed up. All 7 make more sense then No.8 ( please note that they're in order ):

Zeh Culprits:

1. Asian Citrus Psyllids
2. Emerald Ash Borers
3. Persea Mite
4. Crazy Raspberry Ants
5. Asian Ladybeetls ( Harmonia axyridis? ) WTF?! Unless they're talking about another ALB....
6. Varroa Destructor
7. Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
8. Coffee Borer Beetle

You can bet your ass all of these will have their own entries. Along with all the quotes and fun facts from the article which can be found here.

As well as stuff from additional sites. Oh joy!

The Miniscule Series - Zeppelin With a Spider

Once again complete and utter cuteness! (^^) The star of the show is the cellar spider aka "Daddy Longlegs" ( yes they're 2 arachnids with that name ).

As for the black spider......probably based on the other daddy longlegs. *^^*

Download:

Zeppelin With a Spider

一 隻 弄 蝶 吃 螞 蟻 Get a Butterfly to Eat Ants

Remember sometime ago I did an entry on Harvester butterflies and their predatory caterpillars? Remember what I said about how next time you're going to tell me there's predatory butterflies?

Remember? Well......I was right. See here. The text is unfortunately once again in Chinese.

All that's left is finding out what kind of Skipper this is.

青黃枯葉蛾 Trabala Vishnou guttata

青黃枯葉蛾 Trabala Vishnou guttata

Ok so remember that Chinese insect site I told you about? Well I got this from there on this page. It's making me mad because from just the pictures I can tell it would be a fascinating entry. I can tell though that straw/hair that are on the eggs were more then likely put there for protection against predators/parasites.

That site though it's amazing. I just wish they had English translations because I want to understand it all. Alot of these insects don't have alot of info on them and the info that is on them isn't even in English. It's not fair!

That's why for a good while ( while I devour that site picking through it ) I'm gonna need help from any and all Chinese speakers that happen to read this thing. *^^*

Thank you! Once again the link to the article on this moth is here.