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Entomology (Study of Bugs)/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Dryotribus mimeticus | 2/9/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: I am doing a pretty significant undergraduate biogeography paper on the Curculionidae of Florida, so ... A: I suggest simply including it as formerly occurring in Florida, adding that although officially ... | ||
| Ants in my bed | 2/9/2012 | Walter Hintz |
| Q: Alright so I am terrified of bugs in general and I hate the idea that they are even in my house. ... A: We live on a mountain of ants and keeping them perminently out of the house is almost impossible. In ... | ||
| Interesting Ant | 2/9/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: I was wondering if you could tell me what the name of this species of ant is (at least I think it ... A: It appears to be a wingless wasp known as a 'velvet ant' (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Costa Rica is ... | ||
| Insect ID, tiny white insect | 2/8/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: I found this tiny insect crawling on the soil of my house plant. The first picture is the MM side of ... A: a primitive arthropod in the order Collembola. These used to be classified as insects , but now are ... | ||
| Ant behavior | 2/7/2012 | Walter Hintz |
| Q: How do I get ants out of my laptop? A colony of small ants has moved in. I live in a tropical ... A: As a native of the tropical climate you must know that getting rid of ants is almost impossible. ... | ||
| What is this?? LOOKS SCARY | 2/7/2012 | Aniruddha Dhamorikar |
| Q: Forgot to attach pic when asked Jessica.. Please identify.. I live in Hollywood Fl.. Are these ... A: This is a Hawk Moth in the family Sphingidae. They are completely harmless and do not bite. They ... | ||
| reinfesting insects | 2/7/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: You had mentioned in a previous answer that sometimes the wreaths that your wife makes have black ... A: Alan, This beetle does not infest dry, seasoned wood so it is not a concern for the guitars (or the ... | ||
| Bug found on my cat | 2/6/2012 | Walter Hintz |
| Q: I found a bug on my cat that looks like a grain of rice with legs. Looks flat and tan in color. I ... A: Without seeing it I cannot be sure but since you haven't mentioned the cat getting bitten or ... | ||
| Terminator Bug | 2/5/2012 | Walter Hintz |
| Q: on top of my bed cover i noticed tiny black things no bigger than a few milimeters i picked one up ... A: I cannot explain anything about the insects since i have not seen one and your only description was ... | ||
| Terminator Bug | 2/5/2012 | Walter Hintz |
| Q: on top of my bed cover i noticed tiny black things no bigger than a few milimeters i picked one up ... A: I am constantly getting problems like this and I can tell you that this a medical problem not a bug ... | ||
| insect at the beach | 2/3/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: I would like to know what kind of insect is biting my legs every morning at the beach. It sucks ... A: William, These are probably biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) also called punkies or no-see-ums. ... | ||
| weird insect found in my house very frequently lately | 1/31/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: I just recently began seeing these weird insects in my house very frequently lately. I don't know ... A: Nadiya, This is called a brown marmorated stink bug. These stink bugs are harmless but can become a ... | ||
| Spider Indentification | 1/30/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: Can you identify these spiders found in an apartment near Ft. Collins, CO. Each cocoon contains a ... A: Bob: Can't tell conclusively from these images alone. Would need to see the actual spider under ... | ||
| Small Bug at Home | 1/30/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: I recently moved into a condo with carpet. And every now and again i find a single bite on my body ... A: Jennifer, Without a picture I'm just guessing but this sounds like a carpet beetle larva (see ... | ||
| Moth identification | 1/29/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: Please can you help me with the identification of the attached picuture. Thank you. A: I will have to a bit of research and get back to you as soon as possible. It does not appear to be ... | ||
| insect | 1/29/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: I have been watching a stink bug on the wall of my room for atleast an hour. I have always wondered ... A: Jasmine, I'm not sure what your stink bug is doing but some insects enter into a type of dormancy ... | ||
| Possibly tiny white mites | 1/28/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: Last night, I was looking at a photograph that was hanging on my refrigerator. As I was looking at ... A: Anthony, These are probably grain mites, also called mold mites (see ... | ||
| Florida Mystery Bug | 1/27/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: Eaton, This insect was found in the wrack line on the beach in northwest FL (Destin). As you can ... A: Jessica: Thank you for including the image with your question, as it leaves no doubt what you ... | ||
| Brown Marmorated Stink Bug | 1/27/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: Mr. DeAngelis, I have had one of these little guys on the upper floor of my house for a short ... A: Rudy, If you found one indoors there's probably many more because these insects use houses for ... | ||
| Invisible insect/ hard to see | 1/27/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: This is a practically invisible to hard to see insect. It comes out of my ears. It is a nuisance. ... A: Henry: Promise me that you will read my entire answer before thinking that I am dismissing your ... | ||
| question about carpet beetles | 1/26/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: when changing my son's sheets on his bed I noticed very small larvae on his box spring, I panicked ... A: Jennifer, Carpet beetles and carpet beetle larvae are completely harmless (see ... | ||
| Mystery Millipede? | 1/25/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: I recently got home from riding my bike, came upstairs to my bedroom and found a Millipede of some ... A: your image is not clear enough for me to see any detail that would be useful in identification. ... | ||
| wooly bear caterpillar (NOT on forecast) | 1/22/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: I live in Newburyport, MA and this winter I've seen several wooly bear caterpillars. I thought that ... A: Jennifer: That is four questions, but I'll do my best to answer :-) First, let me clarify the ... | ||
| Mystery Beetle | 1/18/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: On Whidbey Island of Washington State (specifically Coupeville, a small cow town), it was attached ... A: April: Without seeing at least an image of the beetle, I can't help you. You don't even give ... | ||
| Wood infestations | 1/16/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: When it is said that an insect does not infest finished wood and that an infestation happened before ... A: Alan: I have tried previously to answer your question as best as I can. I will try once more.... ... | ||
| Insect infestation | 1/16/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: I have a drywood termit question. After wood is infested by drywood termites can they emerge out of ... A: The term "finish" generally refers to paint or varnish, or a similar thick coating. Kiln drying ... | ||
| Insect Identification | 1/16/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: I need help to identify this insect . It brown on clour , rather large body . I found them dead in ... A: Machel: Thank you for including the image with your question; and for designating where the ... | ||
| Buckwheat Pillow Contents | 1/14/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: I opened my pillow, to take out the buckwheat hulls, so I can launder the pillowcase. I found lots ... A: Patti, I'd need to see a picture to be sure but I don't think these are anything to be concerned ... | ||
| what is this beast | 1/12/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: I came home from work tonight and went to my cupboard only to find this spider hanging gingerly from ... A: It belongs to the same family as the notorious widow spiders (Latrodectus sp.), but is not dangerous ... | ||
| What bug is this? | 1/11/2012 | Jessica Mellinger |
| Q: I found one of these bugs in top of my bed and I thought it was a bed bug, so I took all my sheets ... A: You have carpet beetles. That photo is of the larvae. They are not dangerous but can eat your ... | ||
| Little white bug on window sill/kitchen | 1/11/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: We have a number of little white bugs probably about 3-5 mm in length(Sydney, Australia) which keep ... A: Adrian, This is a psocid, also called a booklouse. Booklice are not related to true lice and do not ... | ||
| tiny black and tan bugs? | 1/10/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: I have hundreds of tiny black and tan bugs near my french door. They look like mud when they are ... A: Luke, I can't see enough detail to be certain but from your description I think these are clover ... | ||
| Mystery bug ID please | 1/10/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: When I found a third one of these insects on a sock, my curiosity got the better of me and so I ... A: but your image is too small for me to make out enough detail for a more definitive identification. ... | ||
| Flour or Mould Mites | 1/9/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: I am a student living in London. I recently returned from the Christmas holidays to find a large ... A: as the circumstances you describe seem somewhat unusual to say the least, and they might be ... | ||
| mystery bug | 1/9/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: I have never seen a bug like this, especially in Maine. He was found in my friend's bathroom ... A: Kaylee: Thank you for your question. The animal in your image is an arachnid called a ... | ||
| Possible Insect egg sack | 1/9/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: I live in Arizona and while I was in my bathroom yesterday I found these little brown things lying ... A: such as the common house fly. Although their larvae (maggots) usually are found in decomposing ... | ||
| stink beetle, not shield | 1/9/2012 | Eric R. Eaton |
| Q: Location: Upstate NY, upstairs bathroom Date: 01/09/12 Time: 11:30 AM Flies about, bumping into ... A: Paul: Thank you for including the nice images with your question. The insect is a Western Conifer ... | ||
| Help! No idea what this thing is... | 1/9/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: These things are in my patio laundry room. I'm in southern California, to be exact. They all attach ... A: Specifically, it is a household casebearer, Phereoeca uterella (Lepidoptera: Tineidae). a cousin to ... | ||
| Help! No idea what this thing is... | 1/9/2012 | Jack DeAngelis |
| Q: I've done a little bit of looking around on the site and I think these may be Case Bearing Moth ... A: Courtney, Your analysis is essentially correct. Inside this sac is a clothes moth larva (see ... | ||
| Unknown bug | 1/8/2012 | Ed Saugstad |
| Q: Can you please help me idenify this bug I keep finding in my room A: that includes carpet beetles, skin/hide beetles, larder beetles, etc. This specimen could be in the ... | ||
Entomology (Study of Bugs)
Answers by Expert:
Jack DeAngelis
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer questions in any area of entomology (study of insects, spiders, mites, ticks, and other terrestrial arthropods). Contact me about home and garden insects, insects that bite and sting, and insects that damage homes such as carpenter ants and termites.
Experience
20 years as university extension entomologist, now retired; currently publish a website about home and garden insects.
Publications
see www.livingwithbugs.com/resume.html
Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Entomology
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