| Subject | Date Asked |
|
| grasshoppers? | 11/22/2009 |
Q: My husband and I just recently bought an old house that has been empty for 2 years. We have had a ...
A: They probably are baby grasshoppers or katydids. Catch one in a clear plastic bag and take it to ...
|
| small worm that coils up into a circle | 11/13/2009 |
Q: I have been finding worms that are about one inch long that coil up into a circle when I touch them ...
A: There are a gazillion different kinds of worms. Without a photo, geographic location and more ...
|
| insect identification | 11/11/2009 |
Q: My husband cleaned out an old woodpile and brought in a strange looking insect.It is the color of a ...
A: I need a photo. You can look on www.whatsthatbug.com or one of the other insect ID sites listed at ...
|
| bug or beatle? | 11/10/2009 |
Q: i have been living in Naperville,IL for 7 years and never seen this bug that i am seeing this fall(i ...
A: Hard to tell from your photo. It may be a member of the longhorn beetle family - check all the ...
|
| Very tiny almost translucent bug infestation. | 11/9/2009 |
Q: I have recently moved into a new room in a shared house, which is quite cold and damp. I have begun ...
A: sounds like booklice. Get a magnifying glass and compare them to online photos of booklice. Most ...
|
| Please help me identify this bug! | 10/29/2009 |
Q: I took a picture of this bug. I think it is the second one I have killed. The first got sucked up ...
A: There are many beetles that look a lot alike. Without knowing your geographic location and seeing a ...
|
| Yellow/white tiny bugs | 10/25/2009 |
Q: It started in the laundry room. I thought it was nothing, just a few tiny whitish/yellowy bugs. They ...
A: Without a photo or sketch, it's impossible to identify them. They might be booklice - try googling ...
|
| White worms | 10/16/2009 |
Q: I just saw many 1/4" white worms where I planted a new shrub yesterday. The one I pulled up had not ...
A: They could be just about anything. Without knowing your geographic location and lacking a photo, I ...
|
| cedar bug ? | 10/15/2009 |
Q: I live in Shelby county, tn. I built a home in 1991. I put a screen in porch on the second floor ...
A: Could be just about anything. Shiny substances are often the remnants of slime trails left by slugs ...
|
| Unidentified larvae | 10/4/2009 |
Q: Today we discovered the dog's plastic food container to be insurmountably infested by some very very ...
A: Sorry - I've never seen anything that tiny and beige in dog food. The only thing I can think of ...
|
| cocoons in my cypress tree | 10/1/2009 |
Q: i thought my cypress tree was looking dull, usually its beautiful. i took pictures of these big ...
A: These are webworms or tent caterpillars. It's not a cocoon, but a protetive nest for humdreds of ...
|
| Worm? | 9/30/2009 |
Q: I live in Nashville NC and have just move in this house. I noticed a hard dirt made nest like "wasp ...
A: They sound like wasp larvae, or their prey, and then things on the sides are the insects' legs. ...
|
| caterpillars | 9/28/2009 |
Q: I am not quite sure what kind of caterpillar it was, my six years olds found them in our front yard ...
A: Two likely explanations. Since I can't see it, I have to guess what you might be describing. ...
|
| unidentified bug | 9/23/2009 |
Q: We have several bugs on our screen and windows. They are about a half inch long with a shell in the ...
A: They are some sort of beetle or true bug. There are zillions of different kinds. Without a photo ...
|
| What is this bug? | 9/22/2009 |
Q: I live just south east of Houston. I have seen two of these bugs in 3 days. They are on my patio. ...
A: I used to live near Ellington Air Force Base, near you. Without a photo or sketch of the bug, it's ...
|
| Never seen before bug/creature! Help to Identify | 9/16/2009 |
Q: I went fishing down on soldier creek last year with my fiance. I took a spot on a large limestone ...
A: It sounds like a type of hellgrammite. The color ranges from gray to beige. Here's a link ...
|
| tiny white ashy fly bug | 9/14/2009 |
Q: I have tiny flying bugs outside. Around the size of a flea maybe. They are covered with a white ashy ...
A: You didn't give your geographic location. If you live someplace where the ash whitefly is endemic, ...
|
| A wasp like bug | 9/13/2009 |
Q: My sister inlaw found a bug this morning and it sorta looks like a wasp but the yellow on in is not ...
A: There are hundreds of different insects shaped like wasps. Many are types of wasps, and not all are ...
|
| Very itchy bites, tiny brown/black bug with pincers. | 9/13/2009 |
Q: I spent about a week at my sister's house, where they have a dog and a rather serious rat ...
A: Catch a few and take them in a Ziplock bag to a professional pest control agency. If you get a ...
|
| Butterfly? Roach? Spider? Moth? | 9/13/2009 |
Q: Noone can figure out what type of insect this might be? We found this outside of our back door here ...
A: It's a beautiful silkmoth, in the Saturniidae family. Google silkmoth to learn more about them, or ...
|
| Nasty lime green bugs eating pumpkin plants | 9/12/2009 |
Q: Can you identify, for me, and tell me how to correct the problem. Live in extreme north central ...
A: They look like squash bugs, but it's hard to tell in the photo This website has lots of information ...
|
| Unidentified bug!! | 9/12/2009 |
Q: I was in the bathroom and I saw this super tiny bug that looked like a leech, but it was more of a ...
A: I need a photo or excellent sketch, your geographic location, and approximate length of the criter ...
|
| id big green worm | 9/8/2009 |
Q: it has four sets of legs near its head and 5 sets on its body and has 5 yellow spots on each side of ...
A: It's a caterpillar that will turn into a butterfly or moth. There are zillions of different kinds ...
|
| butterflies | 9/7/2009 |
Q: If butterflies are kept in a container and fed, how long will they survive? What is the average age ...
A: It depends on the butterfly. Some live for just a few days. Others live for many months. Each ...
|
| hickory horned devil pupation | 9/5/2009 |
Q: I have a hickory horned devil larvae in its last instar and ready to pupate. Can you offer any ...
A: Your guess is as good as mine. If I were you, I'd try to keep it inside, someplace cool and keep ...
|
| what kind of bug is it | 9/3/2009 |
Q: I do have a well kept clean home. However, I came across some nasty bugs/insects. I have no idea ...
A: Sorry - without a photo I can't help you. Collect some in a Ziplock bag and take them to a licensed ...
|
| cocoon | 9/2/2009 |
Q: First.I found what appears to be some sort of cocoon. It was attached to a pine tree in my yard. I ...
A: Sounds like the chrysalis of a Monarch butterfly, but they don't normally live on pine trees. here ...
|
| Strange winged bugs | 8/30/2009 |
Q: I have just recently found several of these in my kitchen. Their bodies are very thin and as long as ...
A: "black webspinner" isn't a name recognized by insect scientists. It's a local name that doesn't ...
|
| Strange winged bugs | 8/29/2009 |
Q: I have just recently found several of these in my kitchen. Their bodies are very thin and as long as ...
A: This looks like an ant with wings, or a termite with wings. When ant and termite colonies ...
|
| swift disease in BST caterpillars? | 8/25/2009 |
Q: Virginia area, and I'm worried my third brood is dying from an unknown toxin or disease. I ...
A: Flacherie was originally documented among silkworms. Read the Wikipedia article. ...
|
| swift disease in BST caterpillars? | 8/24/2009 |
Q: Virginia area, and I'm worried my third brood is dying from an unknown toxin or disease. I ...
A: No idea if it's a bacterial infection, but this particular strain of caterpillars seems to like dill ...
|
| Tons of tiny white bugs that barely move | 8/21/2009 |
Q: about a year ago or so I found millions of these tiny white(?) bugs that are so tiny they look ...
A: Sorry - without a sketch and your geographic location, can't help you. There are a zillion kinds of ...
|
| giant nocturnal insect | 8/19/2009 |
Q: I just ran into a huge flying (or at least winged) insect on the ground tonight. I don't think it's ...
A: Could be a hummingbird moth. Google "hummingbird moth" to see photos. There are many other types ...
|
| bugs web | 8/18/2009 |
Q: Im traivon from south georgia a tree is in my front yard that is coverd in a silk web and in them ...
A: There are many different kinds of insects that live in trees with silk webs. I need a photo or ...
|
| Do not know what kind of bugs are in my house | 8/17/2009 |
Q: We moved into this house about 6 weeks ago, and we have constantly seen these little black bugs ...
A: The photo is way too blurry to be helpful. I need your geographic location, a sketch (use a ...
|
| A bug That was in My pool | 8/13/2009 |
Q: Hey, me and my cousin found a bug in my pool. It is sliver with a stripe of green and has about 6 ...
A: Since you didn't provide your geographic location or a photo, I have to guess. The most common ...
|
| small brown bugs in my kitchen | 8/12/2009 |
Q: i have these tiny brown/ red bugs crawling all over my kitchen. they look about like a flea but i ...
A: There are many types of pantry pests. Check photos at ...
|
| bitten by flying insect | 8/11/2009 |
Q: I was walking in the woods today clearing out trails. Out of know where a black flying creature ...
A: Put ice on it and go see a doctor if the swelling gets worse or you experience any symptoms like ...
|
| Bugs on our maple and oak trees | 8/7/2009 |
Q: I noticed these dark patches on one of our maple trees. At first I thought it was patches of moss ...
A: You didn't give your geographic location, which makes it much harder to ID, and I'm not familiar ...
|
| beetles and larvae in home | 8/6/2009 |
Q: WE have recently experienced a ton of little black beetles.. they dont move too fast. before we ...
A: They are probably carpet beetles. There are many types. Here are some links to information about ...
|
| the image for my question | 8/4/2009 |
Q: I did not attach the image to my question! Sorry bout that! Here it is=)
A: Sorry - photo is too blurry - can't see anything. To ID, I need your geographic location, close-up ...
|
| Silkworm nest | 8/4/2009 |
Q: This image is of a branch on a tree in my yard, all wrapped in webbing. It is filled with 100 or ...
A: You didn't send the photo. There are no wild silkworms (bombyx mori). The usual caterpillars in ...
|
| tiny bugs | 8/4/2009 |
Q: I found a fairly large amount of very tiny brown bugs in my bedroom. They almost look like small ...
A: there are many kinds of pantry pests. Google "pantry pest" or some of the household pest links on ...
|
| beach bugs | 8/2/2009 |
Q: I was at the beach the day after a big rain storm-and there was little wind so the water was calm ...
A: I'd need a photo or sketch. They were probably larvae of a fish or crustacean, or krill. Without a ...
|
| Microbugs | 8/1/2009 |
Q: My room mate recently brought rugs from her great aunts house. Since their arrival I've notice an ...
A: Jumping bugs are almost certainly fleas. Catch one and look at it with a magnifying glass. Compare ...
|
| unidentified bug | 8/1/2009 |
Q: The attached guy landed on my backyard fence yesterday, July 31st. I live in Woodstock Georgia ...
A: it's a moth in the family sphingidae. There are many types of sphingidae - some are called sphinx ...
|
| household bug i think | 8/1/2009 |
Q: this year it has been crazy cause their is this new bug i have never seen before its silver with ...
A: Without a photo or sketch, it's impossible to identify. But I will guess you might have silverfish. ...
|
| entomology | 7/30/2009 |
Q: I have encountered a crimson red insect about the size of a pencil eraser that resembles a deer ...
A: This photo was taken in South Africa of a "rain bug" that might be similar to what you are ...
|
| something in my hair | 7/30/2009 |
Q: 3 months ago i brought a wig, was when i first noticed the serious itching on my head, so i brought ...
A: This is a medical question and you should see a doctor. As a non-doctor, I have some common sense ...
|
| bugs found | 7/30/2009 |
Q: We recently moved into a 90 year old farmhouse, that had been vacant for 8 months. It is in ...
A: There are zillions of all-black insects. Without a photo or actual insect, they are impossible to ...
|
| oatmeal and flour bugs | 7/30/2009 |
Q: I was wondering if you know how to tell if there are bugs or larvae in the oatmeal or flour?
A: Look at the oatmeal or flour. If you see black or brown insects, you know they are there. Also ...
|
| black wasp-like insect | 7/29/2009 |
Q: Every July, we see black wasp-like insects coming out of a crack in our driveway. we see maybe 3 or ...
A: There are thousands of types of wasps. Go to www.whatsthatbug.com and scroll down the left to ...
|
| Insect sighting | 7/27/2009 |
Q: I live in Henderson, NV at about 2,800 feet. I observed this flying insect (I guess it's an insect) ...
A: Many possible insects. Without a photo or sketch, I'll have to guess. Could be a type of mayfly if ...
|
| light brown flying beetle | 7/25/2009 |
Q: Every morning for the last couple of weeks I have found approximately 6 to seven bugs near the ...
A: To identify the insect I need a photo or sketch and your geographic location. Without this ...
|
| Help Identifying Small, Tiny Bugs | 7/24/2009 |
Q: tiny dark bugs (almost oval shaped) that appear anywhere there has been moisture, i.e., in window ...
A: Could be just about anything. Without a sketch or photo, it's impossible to even guess. Try to ID ...
|
| black and orange strip on ant | 7/24/2009 |
Q: I have read most information concerning the identification of what I saw and I can tell you ...
A: I need a photo or sketch, approximate length, and your geographic location. Otherwise, try to ID it ...
|
| bug that looks like a bee | 7/24/2009 |
Q: hi i was in my back yard the other day and i noticed this bug that looked just like a bee except it ...
A: I need a photo. Try to ID it yourself at one of these sites http://www.suekayton.com/insectID.htm ...
|
| Springtail? | 7/21/2009 |
Q: I read a couple of people's questions to start with and your answer to Springtails. I have the same ...
A: Silverfish are very, very common. Google "silverfish" or read the Wikipedia article. There are ...
|
| flying insect with 4 glowing bars | 7/20/2009 |
Q: I have caught sight of this on my security webcam a few times now, its a stick like insect with 4 or ...
A: My guess is that you have a black insect with light-colored patches on its wings. Email a few ...
|
| Little Black bugs! | 7/16/2009 |
Q: i keep finding these little black bugs on my kitchen floor! I just bombed and sprayed my whole house ...
A: Looks like a weevil. Tehre are jillions of different weevils. Check out photos. ...
|
| Fly problem | 7/14/2009 |
Q: I live in a split level home in New Hampshire. I recently noticed an abundance of large black house ...
A: Flies lay their eggs in rotting organic matter. They prefer rotting meat, such as a dead rat ...
|
| silkworm disase | 7/14/2009 |
Q: I had 12 silkworms last summer, bought from a pet shop. For a couple of weeks they were fine, but ...
A: There are a thousand possible reasons they died. did you provide fresh leaves several times a day? ...
|
| Bug Identification | 7/13/2009 |
Q: Last night I saw a bug in my daughter's room. At first glance it looked like a beetle but when I ...
A: Could have been a centipede or millipede. There are a jillion different kinds, many different sizes ...
|
| yellowish squirmy bugs | 7/12/2009 |
Q: i have been bit by a tiny yellowish/iridescent microscopic squirmy tiny bug that while it is ...
A: It's not mange. Mange parasites are so small you need a microscope to see them. They could be just ...
|
| Assassin Bug/Wheel Bug | 7/6/2009 |
Q: I think I was bit by a assassin/wheel bug on the nose. I was reading on it and saw that some may ...
A: Chagas disease is very, very, very rare in the US. Only 8 cases have ever been reported in the US, ...
|
| Raising Monarch Butterflies | 7/3/2009 |
Q: I have a lot of those small black ants(might be "sugar" ants or little black ants or crazy ants) ...
A: Some ants indeed will eat certain caterpillars. Very few insects will eat Monarch caterpillars ...
|
| Moths | 7/3/2009 |
Q: I live in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. For the past two spring/summers we have had small brown moths ...
A: You have at least two different kinds of pests eating your tree. The moths are the adult form of a ...
|
| no see'em bugs | 6/29/2009 |
Q: we went camping in the northern arizona rim area (pine trees) my head is covered with bites that ...
A: could be just about anything, including drips of pine sap causing an allergic reaction, no see'ums, ...
|
| almost microscopic bitting black bug | 6/25/2009 |
Q: We finally saw what's been biting us; to whit, the subject line. It leaves horribly itchy red bumps ...
A: The ideas depend on your geographic location and climate type. If you live in a humid, warm ...
|
| what bug is this | 6/25/2009 |
Q: I saw a bug in my pool the other day. It had, i believe 2 wings. Where the wings were attached it ...
A: Please email the following information to kayton@alum.mit.edu 1) all the information in this first ...
|
| beetle eating my bushes | 6/22/2009 |
Q: There are beetles eating my bushes and they look like a grapevine beetle but without the dots and I ...
A: It's hard to see the shape of the individual beetle. Please email your geographic location, type of ...
|
| large gray bug with large wings and large pincers on the front | 6/17/2009 |
Q: our cats were playing with this insect tonight in lynhcburg ,va. its about 3-4 inches long with ...
A: It sounds like a type of dobsonfly. There are many species. Google "dobsonfly" to see photos. ...
|
| Bug | 6/14/2009 |
Q: I recently, saw this bug, at the cemetery, where my mom, was buried. I have never seen anything like ...
A: It's a type of shield bug http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_bug Without knowing your ...
|
| fly infestation | 6/10/2009 |
Q: starting apprx June1 we experienced a fly infestation,source between wooden sill and window.Low ...
A: This type of infestation is most commonly swarming termites, swarming carpenter ants, or swarming ...
|
| insects in my body | 6/7/2009 |
Q: for the past 2 months I have been infected by somekind of insect, they come trought my nose eyes ...
A: Collect some of the "insects" in a bag and take them to your doctor, or look at them under a ...
|
| earwig infestation | 6/6/2009 |
Q: We have a 7 year old house. We live on acreage. There is no foliage or 'trappings" for bugs around ...
A: Earwigs do not come through the drains since they can't swim. Get some powdered borax or borate at ...
|
| caterpillars | 6/3/2009 |
Q: how do you care for a caterpiller as a pet?
A: Caterpillars need to eat leaves from the right kind of plant. You need to provide fresh leaves ...
|
| booklice | 6/3/2009 |
Q: I've been working on a project that consists of cleaning really old books & just found out about ...
A: No. Book lice are a relative of the cute little roly-poly bugs (also called pillbugs or sowbugs) ...
|
| what type of bug is this? | 6/1/2009 |
Q: I have these tiny bug about 10mm long, is black with a tan strip across its back. Also has a hard ...
A: Sorry - the photo is so blurry that I can't see what it looks like. I'd also need your geographical ...
|
| Please help me, red bug/insect during spring/summer in Florida | 5/31/2009 |
Q: This is my 2nd year of noticing these bugs/insects in Orlando, Fl. I'm not sure abt categorizing ...
A: Without a photo or sketch I can't ID them for you. Catch a few in a Ziplock bag and take them to ...
|
| NYC water bugs | 5/22/2009 |
Q: this evening, within the span of about 15 minutes or so, I have killed 7 large water bugs (roaches) ...
A: Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe there's some food on the floor that they are attracted to. ...
|
| black worms | 5/18/2009 |
Q: for a few days now my wooden deck and sidings have been infested by tiny black worms / caterpillars. ...
A: Hairy caterpillars are always from moths, not from butterflies. There are many, many hairy little ...
|
| rollie pollie | 5/15/2009 |
Q: how do they have babies
A: Rollie pollies are officially called "Wood lice." They have babies just like most other tiny ...
|
| Something is eating wooden playset | 5/11/2009 |
Q: We have a wooden playset in our backyard in Georgia. I've noticed a strange sound coming from the ...
A: The sawdust will fall down out of holes in the wood. Look above the sawdust piles. You can tell ...
|
| leaf bugs | 5/9/2009 |
Q: How many leaf bugs are there in the world and where do they live? Thanks for your answer, Ester
A: I don't understand your question. There are many species of leaf bugs, and each species has ...
|
| Something is eating wooden playset | 5/9/2009 |
Q: We have a wooden playset in our backyard in Georgia. I've noticed a strange sound coming from the ...
A: Lots of possible culprits here. Drywood termites, subterranean termites, carpenter ants are the ...
|
| little red spider or mite bites and bleeds | 5/9/2009 |
Q: I live in Georgia and have had a little red spider looking bug that bites instantly and then has ...
A: Lots of possible culprits, but the most likely is the bedbug. They used to be very uncommon in the ...
|
| Luna Moth | 5/8/2009 |
Q: my class obtained a luna moth cocoon which hatched into a beautiful luna moth. I read that they do ...
A: Good question. The moth is doing what its instinct tells it to do - reproduce. It waits a few days ...
|
| spider id | 5/7/2009 |
Q: I'm covered in spider bites every day i wake up with a new one that are obviously from a large ...
A: No idea what geographic location "nh" is. Can't ID this with the scanty information you have ...
|
| can't indentify | 5/6/2009 |
Q: we found a bug , its got 6 legs looks like a spider , but not enough legs , long feelers, he is ...
A: Please send an email with all of this information, plus your geographic location, plus a sketch or ...
|
| Identification and how to rid ourselves of this bug | 5/4/2009 |
Q: We live in southwestern Ontario, Canada and have been infected with a dark brown aproximitaley 1 ...
A: Without a photo, I can't ID it. Get a magnifying glass and count legs. If it has 8 legs, it's a ...
|
| my silkworms | 5/1/2009 |
Q: i am the girl from the other silkworm questions about one of my silkworms turning brown. that ...
A: Normally silkworms are about twice that big before the spin cocoons. But they will sometimes give ...
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| my silkworms | 4/30/2009 |
Q: i am the girl from the other silkworm questions about one of my silkworms turning brown. that ...
A: Get fresh eggs or larvae from an elementary school that is raising them, or buy some over the ...
|
| Silkworms | 4/29/2009 |
Q: How long do the eggs keep in the fridge? When exactly do you put the eggs in for storage, when it is ...
A: You wait until the eggs turn dark brown (or dark gray) before putting them in the fridge. This ...
|
| tiny (no wings) light brown and white circular stripes | 4/27/2009 |
Q: I was combing my hair (head bent forward)and saw a very small insect, no wings- walked quickly when ...
A: You didn't say where in the US you live, and there are a wide variety of habitats, so I can't even ...
|
| Effective Population Size in a Silkworm species | 4/25/2009 |
Q: I'm afraid this is a bit of a technical question, which I've been trawling through scientific papers ...
A: Bombyx mori is extinct in the wild, and only exists in domestic silkworm factories. The population ...
|
| ant | 4/20/2009 |
Q: have you ever heard of innymiers? My dad said they are small ants that eat .crumbs off floor
A: This may be a local name for a particular kind of ant. There are thousands of different kinds of ...
|
| bugs | 4/19/2009 |
Q: once the warm weather comes in, I find tiny black spec bugs that look like they shed gossamer ...
A: I need a photo or detailed sketch. Indicate size in millimeters. And your geographic location. Do ...
|
| Bedbugs or box elder | 3/25/2009 |
Q: It's 1:00am and I have just been awoken by a pinching on my right ring finger. (Which I had tucked ...
A: Boxelder bugs don't bite humans. They are black with bright orange stripes. Google "bedbugs" to ...
|
| Timeline | 3/12/2009 |
Q: could you possibly help me. I need a timeline of insects on a decaying body the intervals are: 24 ...
A: sorry - I can't help you much. There will be a big difference between the hard-shelled insects like ...
|
| How to Repel Bed Bugs | 3/10/2009 |
Q: I work at a homeless shelter and there's a huge bed bug problem. I want to do everything possible ...
A: It's impossible to be 100% sure you're not going to bring bedbugs home. There are lots of things ...
|
| Mystery Bug | 3/7/2009 |
Q: Sue: We found this strange bug this evening in our home. We googled to see if we could identify ...
A: I need a photo clear enough to see details, or an excellent sketch in color. It is probably some ...
|
| elderberry bug | 3/1/2009 |
Q: I am hoping you can give me LOTS of information. In the warm months when the sun is shinning on our ...
A: They are called boxelder beetles. There is a lot of information on the internet. Google "Boxelder ...
|
| What is it? | 2/24/2009 |
Q: I live in North Phoenix AZ. I just found a large, (approximately an inch)brown,velvety, bee-like bug ...
A: could be a velvet ant or a bumblebee or a carpenter ant. Try googling both to see photos. There ...
|
| Acid Bug? | 2/20/2009 |
Q: I have a quick question that I hope you can answer: do acid bugs really exist? There are a few ...
A: Someone already emailed The Bug Guy asking the same question. Here is his answer Paederus Rove ...
|
| unidentified cocoon attached to house | 2/6/2009 |
Q: I have dozens of furry looking cocoons attached to the outside walls of my house. These cocoons ...
A: To help ID the critter, I need a photo of the cocoons, the approximate length of the cocoons in mm ...
|
| Undentify spider | 2/4/2009 |
Q: Ok, I don't normally ask for help to Identify any arthropod, because I'm good at it(not to brag), ...
A: Sorry - I don't know anything about exotic African species - just North American critters. I ...
|
| the future of interior planting... bugs? | 1/27/2009 |
Q: im currently studying garden design at falmouth university, cornwall, uk, and im writing an 8000word ...
A: More plants (anywhere) means more small creatures, but not all small creatures are bugs. Indoor ...
|
| flat beetle like bug | 1/20/2009 |
Q: I have found several of these bugs in our house in the last month or so. Last night one was flying ...
A: To ehlp you further, I need a photo or sketch, your geographic location, colors, approximate size, ...
|
| camps for kids | 1/11/2009 |
Q: My son is 8yrs old and loves bugs/insects, he has been asking if there is a camp he can attend with ...
A: There are many, many such places, depending on where you live. I used to live in LA about 20 years ...
|
| Common Household Bugs | 1/9/2009 |
Q: I'm wondering if you could tell me what type of bugs may be found in houses in Minnesota that would ...
A: There are thousands of different species of cockroaches and they all look different. Some are very ...
|
| Unidentified Gray Bug... (might be a moth, or a worm, or such.) | 1/3/2009 |
Q: I live in BC, Canada (I don't know if you help people out of the states?) and I keep finding this ...
A: You have the larva (immature form) of a case-bearing moth, a common household pest. Here are links ...
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| moths | 12/3/2008 |
Q: My house was full of months (I believe they came from my parrots seed) and I just couldn't get rid ...
A: Yes, there is another way to get rid of the moths. If they have no food, they will not lay eggs. ...
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| stink bugs in my house! | 11/25/2008 |
Q: I first found a stink bug in my house about 1 month ago. now tonight i found two crawling on my ...
A: There are many different types of stink bugs. These links will provide you more information about ...
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| body bugs | 11/22/2008 |
Q: I am 52 yrs old and have had a problem with some kind of skin mites bitting me for 6 yrs . I have ...
A: Sorry - I'm not a doctor and I can't provide medical advice. But I can tell you that many people ...
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| Praying Mantis | 11/12/2008 |
Q: We are studying the praying mantis and read how they eat other insects. Looking at the question ...
A: This would be an interesting experiment to try. Would the mantises eat each other or eat the ...
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| weird looking bug | 10/31/2008 |
Q:
A: email a photo or sketch, along with all the information in your first posting to ...
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| bug infestation tiny white flying biting bugs | 10/26/2008 |
Q: I'm from New Mexico and recently had a strange bug infestation. They are tiny white, and fly, they ...
A: Sorry - I also have no idea what they are, without a photo or sketch. Catch some and look at them ...
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| entomology | 10/25/2008 |
Q: I saw an unusual bug in my doctor's office that looked like a bee and about the size of a bee with ...
A: There are many insects that fit that description. Was it shiny or hairy-looking? What is your ...
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| Unusual Bug!! | 10/21/2008 |
Q: I saw this bug outside my door a few weeks ago and I was interested in finding out what it is. I ...
A: It's a "wheel bug", which is a type of assassin bug. It eats other insects. Read about it on ...
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| spiders | 10/15/2008 |
Q: im looking 4 a specific spider a ...okanogan orb weaver spider for a scince report.
A: Here are links with information about your spider. Note that "Okanogan" means from the city of ...
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| Tiny worm under dog's are carpet | 10/14/2008 |
Q: I first found these tiny worms under the carpet the dog lays on. I then noticed them in a dusty spot ...
A: Get a magnifying glass and make a sketch. Email me the sketch, along with all the informaiton in ...
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| strange bugs from nowhere | 10/12/2008 |
Q: we just moved to virgina beach and we keep finding some strange bugs that we cant see how they got ...
A: I need a sketch or photo, your geographic location (country and province/state), type of habitat ...
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| Tobacco Hornworm | 10/12/2008 |
Q: I have found a large caterpillar, 5 1/2 inches in length, on a thistle plant in my yard. Based on ...
A: Check out the caterpillar ID sites listed here http://www.suekayton.com/insectID.htm to see which ...
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| Caterpillar | 10/8/2008 |
Q: I was horrified by the size of a caterpillar i saw yesterday. It was huge---as fat as my thumb and ...
A: Since you didn't give your geographic location or the type of plant it was eating, I'll have to ...
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| my tarantula | 10/6/2008 |
Q: i have a pet rose hair tarantula, and she has just laid an egg sack, what do i do?
A: If she has been your pet for a long time and there is no male tarantula around, the eggs probably ...
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| worm-like insect ID | 10/5/2008 |
Q: I was about to climb into bed when I noticed a very small insect crawling around on the sheets. It ...
A: I'm also in northern California. From your description it could be just about anything. ...
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| unknown bug | 10/5/2008 |
Q: We have been finding a 4 or five of these and can not identify what it is. My wife thought it was ...
A: What's your geographic location? It could be a longhorned beetle of some sort such as ...
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| black insect with scorpion type curled up tail | 10/2/2008 |
Q: I live in Falkirk in Scotland and twice in the past few days i have encountered a black insect with ...
A: I live in California USA and every small animal I know that meets this description is a scorpion. ...
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| Ground Spiders | 9/28/2008 |
Q: I live in Portland Oregon, specifically the Kenton neighborhood. We bought our home 2 years ago, ...
A: Contact a local licensed (non-natural) pest control operator. All of them will send someone out to ...
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| Worms and fruit | 9/28/2008 |
Q: Why do worms eat apples but not fruits like grapes and plums?
A: Most of the "worms" that eat fruit are really caterpillars that will turn into moths or butterflies. ...
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| Spider on wall of shed-what type is it | 9/23/2008 |
Q: I have a large spider that has spun a circle web on the side of my garden shed. It has 8 legs, a ...
A: Without a photo, there are too many possibilities. You'll have to find it yourself on a spider ID ...
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| house mites? | 9/21/2008 |
Q: Have recently moved into a new home and have noticed tiny insects around the window sills and ...
A: Since you didn't give your geographical location, nor a photo/sketch of the "bugs", I just have to ...
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| large bee-like bug | 9/20/2008 |
Q: it looks like a giant elongated be with brownish wings. We sprayed it with flying bug spray from a ...
A: To ID it, I need a photo or sketch, plus all the information in your post, plus your geographic ...
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| Tiny black bugs in my bedroom | 9/20/2008 |
Q: I moved into a house that was a rental house and am now moving out, but want to make sure I will not ...
A: Here is an article about bed bugs including photos. If you don't have bites and don't itch, then ...
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| Black worm like thimg with hard shell??? | 9/18/2008 |
Q: I live in the Florida Keys. When it rains or about to start raining these black worm like things ...
A: There are jillions of creepy-crawlies in Florida. Without a photo or good sketch, it's impossible ...
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| Cacoon | 9/17/2008 |
Q: we have a cocoon that looks almost exactly like these > ...
A: There are dozens of butterflies and moths that have pupas that look like this. The only way to tell ...
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| Stining Insect | 9/17/2008 |
Q: I recently moved to Montana, south eastern part. In the last few days when I go out to the horses, I ...
A: Without a photo or sketch, I can't ID them. But here are links to possible culprits ...
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| Worms appearing in the basement | 9/13/2008 |
Q: I have had two separate occasions where a red worm has appeared on my floor in my finished basement. ...
A: There are zillions of kinds of red worms. If you need help, I'll need a clear photo of the worm, ...
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| What is this bug | 9/7/2008 |
Q: While walking in the forest (southern Ontario Canada near Lake Ontario) we happened across this bug ...
A: I can't recognize it fron the photo. Can you take a photo from directly overhead to make it easier ...
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| 1 hundred million yellow caterpillars at S. Mountain today | 9/7/2008 |
Q: There was a stampede of about a hundred million large yellow caterpillars this morning at S. ...
A: I need to know your geographic location and type of environment (city, jungle, savannah, etc.) and ...
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| TINY BUGS AROUND MY KITCHEN SINK | 9/6/2008 |
Q: CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME HOW TO GET RID OF THESE TINY I MEAN TINY BUGS THAT KEEP APPEARING AROUND MY ...
A: I need more informatino to be able to help you. Such as your geographic location, approximate size, ...
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| Milkweed | 9/2/2008 |
Q: I have lots of milkweed in my butterfly garden that I have had for 3 years but this is the first ...
A: Is it a worm or a caterpillar? Examine and count the legs. A caterpillar will have six (three ...
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| emtomology | 9/2/2008 |
Q: hey... i'm doing a assignment for my biology class...and i was wondering what are the beneits of ...
A: Entymologists help because they understand insects and can figure out how insects can help people, ...
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| What is this? | 8/31/2008 |
Q: I live in Missouri. I found a bug that looks like a huge queen ant, spider legs and fuzzy with a ...
A: It's probably a velvet ant, which is a name for a type of colorful flightless wasp. Go to ...
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| Black insect with scorpion-like tail | 8/30/2008 |
Q: Just now, using my computer i discovered this huge(well to me it looked huge...) black insect. I ...
A: You may have seen a centipede. They match your description except that the tail lies flat and does ...
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| Head lice | 8/30/2008 |
Q: I signed up for a dance team, but it takes place at a cheerleading gym, and someone I know has ...
A: If you already have lice, you need to shampoo your hair with a special shampoo, but chemicals and ...
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| carpet beetles - mattress infestation??? | 8/28/2008 |
Q: and I've been amazed (and scared) at how extensive a problem it seems to be. I had never heard of ...
A: If I were you, I'd move someplace else. Sell all your upholstered furniture to someone you don't ...
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| Wasp activity | 8/27/2008 |
Q: I have a stony area at the side of the path up to my house. Recently it has been infested by ...
A: If they are just hovering, and not landing on the ground, my guess would be they smell food in the ...
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| Wasps | 8/26/2008 |
Q: I live in a small town outside of Calgary Alberta Canada. We found a very large wasp that looks ...
A: I've never seen one of these, either. It's either a moth that mimics a wasp, or it's a wasp that ...
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| Flying Wood Boring Bugs | 8/25/2008 |
Q: We have a deck at the back of our house made with pressure treated lumber. I noticed in one of the ...
A: It's almost certainly a carpenter bee. They come in a variety of colors and shapes, but mostly look ...
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| Flying insect | 8/24/2008 |
Q: I live in Arizona and I found this insect on my back porch. It was already dead, but I have never ...
A: It's a sphinx moth that someone squashed. You can see the wings and the yellow-orange spots. There ...
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| weird apt bug | 8/23/2008 |
Q: I just moved into my new apt. which I love. However the past few days my cats and I have come across ...
A: Without knowing your geographical location and seeing a photo or sketch, I can only guess what it ...
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| feathery bug in office building | 8/22/2008 |
Q: We just moved into a new office building in Torrance, Cali. Hasnt been occupied for about a year. ...
A: They sound like silverfish. Totally harmless unless you are glue, wallpaper or a book, or are ...
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| Same question as Ron | 8/21/2008 |
Q: I have a similar neighbor. I noticed an insect buroughing a hole next to my steps. Looking at its ...
A: Hummingbirds don't live in the dirt. It's a type of wasp or hornet. If you're in the USA, try ...
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| bug | 8/20/2008 |
Q: I hope you can help us with a problem we are having this summer.The bug giving us the problem has a ...
A: Get a magnifying glass and make a sketch of the bug. Email it to me along with all the information ...
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| Strange bug | 8/19/2008 |
Q: We just moved to southern Michigan and I found a very strange bug. It has about 10 to 12 legs on ...
A: Without a sketch, it's hard to tell what you found but it sounds like a type of centipede. There ...
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| lil black spider | 8/17/2008 |
Q: i live in arkansas. and i was at a shoping mall.and all of a sudden there was a sting on my back on ...
A: There are thousands of black and red spiders. Without a photo or sketch it's impossible to tell ...
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| tiny black bugs | 8/14/2008 |
Q: I live in Logan Utah in a basement apartment in a suburban area. The climate here is very dry being ...
A: There are jillions of tiny black insects. Without a good photo or sketch, I can't help you. Catch ...
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| bug | 8/14/2008 |
Q: I hope you can help us with a problem we are having this summer.The bug giving us the problem has a ...
A: In order to help, I will need your geographic location and a good photo or sketch of the insect. ...
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| Mud Cacoons | 8/11/2008 |
Q: I have found several mud cacoons with spiders in them on my front walkway, and want to know what ...
A: Many species of wasps make these mud nests. They put dead spiders in them, and lay their eggs on ...
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| worm like bugs | 8/11/2008 |
Q: I keep finding these wormish type of bugs around the house near the litter box in the bathroom and ...
A: Get a magnifying glass and make a sketch of it. Email me the sketch along with all the information ...
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| Freaked Out! | 8/10/2008 |
Q: We have recently noticed very tiny (1-2mm) white insects on all shelves/desks, etc in my daughters ...
A: They probably are book lice, which like to live in clean, dry book s in libraries. They eat paper ...
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| what is it? | 8/10/2008 |
Q: Under a tree in my front yard. there is a hole with several kinda large flying bugs coming in and ...
A: You didn't say if the insect is furry (most likely a type of bee) or hard and shiny (often a wasp or ...
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| Black insects with forked tails | 8/8/2008 |
Q: I have the same black bugs that another person was describing. They do not appear to have a head, ...
A: If you need the bug identified, sent me a photo or sketch along with all the information in this ...
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| Are spiders attracted to certain colours | 8/7/2008 |
Q: Today a friend and I spent hours pressure washing my front deck, railings, walls and the ceilings. ...
A: You have spiders because there are insects for the spiders to eat. Something about your house ...
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| tiny red bugs that look like ants | 8/7/2008 |
Q: I opened my cabinet where i keep some dishes and bread. I found lots of tiny red bugs that look ...
A: Get a magnifying glass and look at them closely. I bet they look like little tiny spiders and have ...
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| Is there a name for this funny blue bug in my yard?? | 8/6/2008 |
Q: I got out of my car the other day and nearly stepped on a bug hauling in its kill - a big mottled ...
A: Almost certainly it was a large wasp or hornet. Go to www.whatsthatbug.com and scroll down the left ...
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| red/black spider | 8/4/2008 |
Q: We are visiting my Dad in Westchester County NY. We have been watching this spider every night build ...
A: The photo is blurry and hard to see. You also didn't indicate how large it is, which makes the ID ...
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| Bee like critter | 8/2/2008 |
Q: This animal, about the size of a humming bird hovers about my flowers like a humming bird, but its ...
A: It's a type of large wasp. There are many such wasps. Without knowing your geographic location, I ...
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| Kinds of spiders | 7/31/2008 |
Q: 1- What is the smallest size in the bugs world? 2- what is the most poisonous spider?
A: 1. Scientists disagree about which spider is the world's smallest. Here are some answers ...
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| butterfly "pudding" | 7/31/2008 |
Q: What do you mean?
A: I think you are asking about butterflies "puddling." Butterflies need trace minerals which they ...
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| Please help...something wont stop biting me | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I live in Southeast Texas, north of Houston. I am used to summertime bites from mosquitos and even ...
A: Doesn't sound like insect bites. Sounds like a rash from food allergy, or contact allergy, such as ...
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| Sphex pennsylvanicus - Great Black Wasps | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I live in mid Michigan and both last year and this year we have been infested with Great Black Wasps ...
A: Here are links to photos of the sphex pennsylvanicus so you can make sure that's what you really ...
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| Yellow Jackets? | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I sure hope you can help! I suddenly have thousands of these bees swarming very low in the grass in ...
A: These are yellow jackets. There are many different types of varying colors and sizes. I suggest ...
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| science | 7/29/2008 |
Q: Can you tell me six comparisons between an insect relative and an insect? (I am only ten years old)
A: Usually people compare insects to things that look sort of like insects, such as spiders and worms. ...
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| Inchworms? | 7/28/2008 |
Q: My sister said what looked like an inchworm flattened it self and tried to burrow in her skin. When ...
A: It sounds like it was trying to have lunch or dinner. It definitely wasn't an inchworm. If she ...
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| What is it?? | 7/28/2008 |
Q: Where I work we have some evergreen trees at our entrance and I have noticed a couple of weeks ago ...
A: It's hard to tell from your description, but it may be a bagworm. There are many different types, ...
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| identify bug | 7/28/2008 |
Q: Can you help me identify these bugs that are in my garden and tell me if they are pests? About 1/2" ...
A: It look slike a boxelder beetle, a very common pest. Coloring and marking vary somewhat, so your ...
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| cicada killers | 7/28/2008 |
Q: and thanks for your expertise in advance! We have an unusual crop of cicada killers in the south ...
A: Cicada killer adults (the ones you see with wings) don't eat cicadas. They drink nectar from ...
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| Small black worm | 7/28/2008 |
Q: I recently ate some watercress originating from Dorset, England & found a small black very wrigley ...
A: Without a photo, it's impossible to tell from your description if this is a worm or some sort of ...
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| tan insect with four white spots on back | 7/28/2008 |
Q: I live in Dane County Wisconsin. Recently, an insect flew in with four spots on its back and scared ...
A: I'll need a sketch or photo to ID this insect. It's probably some type of beetle. YOu can search ...
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| Insect identity | 7/27/2008 |
Q: My kids were visiting their grandparents at a beach along Lake Michigan and took home a very small ...
A: It sounds like a scorpion. Google "scorpion" and look at photos, or go to www.whatsthatbug.com and ...
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| What Insect is this? | 7/25/2008 |
Q: Photo taken in Portugal, Europe http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/dd171/ValterJacinto/DSC00825.jpg ...
A: Mayflies have very long, long streamers at the tail. I don't see long streamers on this ...
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| Cannot identify this caterpillar | 7/25/2008 |
Q: I recently found some caterpillars in my yard. I have searched for several hours on the internet ...
A: The easiest way is to find out what kind of plant it was eating, which will narrow down your search. ...
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| Bug on tomatoes | 7/25/2008 |
Q: I live in Pensacola Florida. I have a problem with my tomatoe plants. A bug of some type, I have ...
A: the most common black-and-orange insect is the boxelder beetle. Google it and see if that is your ...
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| Small black worm | 7/25/2008 |
Q: I recently ate some watercress originating from Dorset, England & found a small black very wrigley ...
A: I suggest you contact the agriculture office for your town or shire. It warm probably a ...
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| white spider | 7/23/2008 |
Q: I noticed today a tiny white spider that looked like a tiny snowflake. It moved very slow. I am ...
A: There are thousands of little white spiders. Since you didn't give your geographical location, I ...
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| bug | 7/19/2008 |
Q: What looks like a 3/8" piece of fluff until you brush it off, then you have a six legged, hopping, ...
A: Send a sketch or photo along with all the information in this posting to kayton@alum.mit.edu Or ...
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| bugs | 7/17/2008 |
Q: I have a mattress and box spring that have been stored in my basement (on their side) for about 4 ...
A: Bed bugs have to come from someplace. If they were in the mattress when you put it in the basement, ...
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| Flying Ants | 7/16/2008 |
Q: I have a flying ant that I have kept in a container for a while now for a project. I have ...
A: Most flying ants don't eat. The male winged ants only live for a few days. They find a female to ...
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| same big CREEPY moth bug! | 7/14/2008 |
Q: My family and I live in Maine. We have noticed several big bugs that we have never seen before. We ...
A: Please send me a photo, sketch, or link to photo or sketch on the internet. I get so many of these ...
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| Black bugs with white stripe | 7/11/2008 |
Q: I was just reading Michael's question about this bug and I too have these in my home.They are not ...
A: This email comes to you from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Sorry, I get so many emails that I can't ...
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| bugs in my office | 7/9/2008 |
Q: I've been finding many bugs that look similar, yet smaller to a german cockroach, but I don't know ...
A: There are thousands of species of roaches. Without a geographic location and photo, it's impossible ...
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| baby masquito | 7/2/2008 |
Q: what is the other name of baby masquito?
A: Mosquitoes go through four stages 1) egg 2) larva (also called wriggler) 3) pupa 4) adult. The ...
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| Identifying a catapiller | 7/1/2008 |
Q: I am needing to know what the little white fuzzy catapillers are called. I thought they were silk ...
A: To help, I need (1) your geographic location, (2) a sketch or photo of the caterpillar, and (3) its ...
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| can't figure it out | 6/27/2008 |
Q: I keep finding tiny, tiny wood chips on my window sill (inside house.) I clean them up, in a week ...
A: You didn't give your geographical location, which makes identification more difficult. If you live ...
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| mite? | 6/27/2008 |
Q: I live in Orlando, Fl. and have found hundreds of shiny, black bugs on my orchids this morning. I ...
A: Sorry - I can't see a darn thing in the pictures, either. You can either take the plant to a ...
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| Spider... | 6/26/2008 |
Q: I found a black spider on my pillow yesterday morning. I live in the North part of San Diego County ...
A: There are thousands of species of similar-looking black spiders in southern California. The only ...
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| Preserving Dead Hercules Beetle | 6/26/2008 |
Q: I received a dead hercules beetle as a gift in Costa Rica. It's been dead for some months and is ...
A: most craft stores sell kits for this. Tap Plastics and many other sell the stuff. Here's a link ...
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| Preserving Dead Hercules Beetle | 6/25/2008 |
Q: I received a dead hercules beetle as a gift in Costa Rica. It's been dead for some months and is ...
A: A lucite block or encasing it in epoxy are excellent ideas. You can also stick it in a small glass ...
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| beetles | 6/20/2008 |
Q: Sue, I found your information on the internet and have a beetle question. For the past several ...
A: There are more than 10,000 small black beetle species in Michigan. Either send a sketch (indicate ...
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| Small Black bugs with a single horizontal white stripe | 6/18/2008 |
Q: on 6/19/07 you were asked what this bug was. I have found the same bug in my home. Can you tell me ...
A: It sounds like a larder beetle ...
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| Teeny flying moth like bugs | 6/17/2008 |
Q: Living in the Baltimore, MD. suburbs, not near the water, teeny moth like bugs have been invading my ...
A: Take a look at one with a magnifying glass. Are they little moths, or flies, or something else? ...
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| Catapillars (black fuzzywith yellow or orange stripe) | 6/15/2008 |
Q: I have these all over my popular, willow and aspen trees and there are a lot of them. I have tried ...
A: There are many possible culprits. It's most likely a tent caterpillar if you also see what looks ...
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| Large Black Non-Biting Flies | 6/7/2008 |
Q: What type of Fly is very large, black, slow, non-biting. In the last few years in Madison county, ...
A: There are thousands of different large black non-biting flies. An email to the NYDEC may get your ...
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| unknown bug | 6/3/2008 |
Q: my daughter just started seeing small bugs in her room. we just moved in, had the carptet cleaned ...
A: Without knowing your geographic location and seeing a sketch, there is no way to identify these ...
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| teeny tiny hopping bugs! | 6/3/2008 |
Q: Okay, I live in NC and we've lived in our home for almost two years. This year I've noticed these ...
A: grab one and count the legs with a magnifying glass. 6, 8 or more? Compare with online photos of ...
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| insect infestation | 5/27/2008 |
Q: Live outside of Chicago.Have a small evergreen bush loaded with small green caterpillars that are ...
A: Most people blast them off the plants with the garden hose, with a nozzle on the end. Then stomp ...
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| little white bugs, crawling on my laptop and biting | 5/26/2008 |
Q: a few days ago I noticed little insects crawling on my laptop, I thought nothing of it, killed them ...
A: Catch a few of the bugs and get a magnifying glass. Count the legs. If there are 6, it is a type ...
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| chyrsalis/cocoon id | 5/25/2008 |
Q: My daughter found a reddish brown chyrsalis/cocoon in our backyard (in the sand). It is about an ...
A: there are zillions of different insects that pupate in the soil in northeastern North America. ...
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| giant bee | 5/23/2008 |
Q: I moved into a 150 year old house 2 years ago. For some reason, there are bees on occassion in our ...
A: To identify this insect, I would need to know your geographical location and see a sketch or photo. ...
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| Night Insects in Texas | 5/21/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if there is a list of flying insects that are out at night in Central Texas. I need ...
A: The most common and most visible this time of year are the June bugs, which are attracted to lights. ...
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| tiny bugs in our windowsills | 5/18/2008 |
Q: We have tons of tiny dark bugs in our window sills, in our room and our baby's room. They look like ...
A: What is your geographic location? Climate type? Habitat - urban, farm, suburban, etc.? How many ...
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| caterpillers | 5/10/2008 |
Q: My son just found a caterpillar and wants to keep it. What does it eat and how long do they last in ...
A: Please put the caterpillar back on the plant where you found it. Caterpillars eat only the leaves ...
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| spider ID | 5/9/2008 |
Q: I live in TN. I found a small spider in a glue trap we use for brown recluses that is odd. Its about ...
A: Here are some spider photos for you to look through. I'm not a spider expert (spiders aren't ...
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| Interesting wasp or bee | 5/8/2008 |
Q: My office building has a brick facade in which a dozen+ very little wasps or bees drill holes into ...
A: I need more information. What is your geographical location? About how many millimeters (or ...
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| ants | 5/5/2008 |
Q: Living in the Philippines exposes one to a life with ants. Of course they're everywhere on the ...
A: This could be due to air currents, or perhaps variation in the surface over which they are crawling. ...
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| little flat bugs | 5/5/2008 |
Q: every now & then my wife & I see little flat bugs in the house & when we kill them they have a order ...
A: There are many, many different kinds of flat bugs. Please email me a sketch or photo and indicate ...
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| eyebrow loss | 5/3/2008 |
Q: what worm would live under skin and eat eyebrow hair, or take over the pores to live, the smallest ...
A: This is a medical question, not an insect question. It seems highly improbable that it's an insect. ...
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| what is this? | 5/2/2008 |
Q: I found this worm on my orange tree in Miami,fl. Could you tell me what it is?
A: It's a caterpillar of some sort of moth or butterfly, most likely a butterfly. I don't have time to ...
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| caterpiller millapede? what is this? | 4/28/2008 |
Q: Its brown w/ yellow under each segment, many yellow feet, two brown antanae, and brown head, many ...
A: This millipede is known as a "pill millipede" since they roll up into balls. It is named Apheloria ...
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| caterpiller millapede? what is this? | 4/28/2008 |
Q: Its brown w/ yellow under each segment, many yellow feet, two brown antanae, and brown head, many ...
A: Look at the feet. Are all the feet the same size and shape? Or are the front 6 feet very different ...
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| Shower bugs? | 4/26/2008 |
Q: I have found this specific "bug" in my bath tub probably 3-4 times in the past 7 months. I have ...
A: It's probably a silverfish. They come in many sizes and colors. Here are some photos. If it's not ...
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| caterpillers on roses | 4/25/2008 |
Q: hey there I have discovered about seven or so fuzzy yellow and black caterpillers on my rose bush. ...
A: You didn't give your geographical location, so I can't identify them for sure. Most caterpillars ...
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| WEIRD SPIDER! | 4/25/2008 |
Q: About a week ago my brother, cousin, and I found a spider which looked mutated, found inside our ...
A: It sounds like this might be a scorpion. Please send a sketch. Did it have 8 legs or 6? Email ...
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| flying large bug | 4/25/2008 |
Q: I live in Greencastle. We have been seeing a very large, 1-2 inches, round, flying bug here. I got ...
A: 1) Email a sketch of the insect to kayton@alum.mit.edu 2) Include all the information in your ...
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| Unidentified insect | 4/22/2008 |
Q: My 7 yr old son Enzo, keeps seeing these black flying insects with a tail in our backyard. We know ...
A: There are many flying insects with tails. Usually they are members of the wasp family. Go to ...
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| meat bees | 4/21/2008 |
Q: My husband and I had a place in Portola, Ca. In 1989 I was planting flower and my shelve hit an ...
A: Sorry - this is a medical question, not an insect question. Go see your doctor. The insects you ...
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| Bugs | 4/20/2008 |
Q: Are bugs and insects the same thing?
A: Good question. Most non-scientists use the words "bug" and "insect" to mean the same thing, but ...
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| beetle like bug less than 1 cm long | 4/19/2008 |
Q: We live in a townhouse in Southern Florida (near the keys)and in the last few months we have been ...
A: Either you'll need to email me a sketch and/or photo or look on www.whatsthatbug.com and look it up ...
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| Red and black insect | 4/19/2008 |
Q: I live in England and was in the mountains of Andalucia in southern Spain last week and spotted a ...
A: I live in the USA and am not familiar with Spanish insects. Go to www.whatsthatbug.com and scroll ...
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| pillbugs in the pool | 4/15/2008 |
Q: Every morning when I get to the pool there are a number of pillbugs inside the pool underwater ...
A: If you had more chlorine (or other nasty chemicals) in the water, these guys wouldn't stay alive as ...
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| cocoons found on pine tree | 4/13/2008 |
Q: What type of bug spins a cocoon that from a distance looks like a small pine cone, but up close its ...
A: If you live in North America, it's almost certainly a bagworm. Here are links to pages about ...
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| hi i need help. | 4/12/2008 |
Q: there is this weird bug it has a tail like a scorpion and i didn't know if it was bad or not so i ...
A: In order to help you, I'll need your geographical location and a sketch or photo of the critter. ...
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| Silk Worm in my bedroom? | 4/12/2008 |
Q: I live in California. Last night I discovered this strange bug in my room and it's freaking me out. ...
A: This is a caterpillar that will grow up and turn into a moth. There are many, many caterpillars ...
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| They are Bed Bugs | 4/11/2008 |
Q: Ed, i am sorry about not describing what I had. I wrote an e-mail earlier to yuo if you remember my ...
A: Bed bugs have become an epidemic recently in the United States. You can get them anyplace - at ...
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| tiny black bugs with orange wavy stripes on back. | 4/11/2008 |
Q: I just returned home (Upstate NY) from Florida to find about 10 living bugs on the corner of my ...
A: There are hundreds of tiny black-and-orange beetles in the New England area. Without a sketch, I ...
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| math and biology | 4/10/2008 |
Q: thanks
A: There are many, mnay ways that math releates to the study of animals. Each different way will have ...
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| bathroom insect | 3/26/2008 |
Q: i'm Martin, i live in Indonesia. i want to ask you about insect which i found yesterday in my ...
A: The most common animal that meets this description is a centipede. There are many different kinds - ...
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| ladybugs | 3/25/2008 |
Q: One of my friends told me that there are poisonous ladybugs is this true or it a different type of ...
A: I've never seen an insect that looks like a ladybug but is poisonous. There are no such insects in ...
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| ladybugs | 3/22/2008 |
Q: My daughter is doing a project in 9th grade biology on major organisms. She has chosen ladybugs. She ...
A: Like most insects, ladybugs have Malphighian tubes also called Malphigian tubules (sort of like ...
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| mystery shower bug | 3/22/2008 |
Q: but they hard to get rid of they look like they hop but i think they are flying when you throw water ...
A: Get a magnifying glass and draw a sketch. Pay careful attention to how many legs they have, whether ...
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| small dots (bugs??) | 3/20/2008 |
Q: I live in North Texas and have these very small black dots on my window pane outside and all over ...
A: Get a magnifying glass and look at them. Do they have legs, or do they seem like shapeless blobs. ...
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| Cocoon identification | 3/16/2008 |
Q: I think they are cocoons, but I guess they might be larvae - I don't really know. I have attached an ...
A: It looks like the chrysalis form of a butterfy, or the pupal form of a different type of insect. ...
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| moth in the house | 3/12/2008 |
Q: The cats found a moth and we don't know what to do with it. It brown, big and has an eye on each ...
A: It's probably a Polyphemus or other wild silkmoth. Here are a bunch of photos of the Polyphemus, ...
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| Mystery Bug | 3/9/2008 |
Q: Recently, when cleaning my house, I came upon something that was in the shape of a raisin (although ...
A: Please email me a sketch. Make sure to also indicate the overall size in inches or millimeters. ...
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| shower bugs?? | 3/4/2008 |
Q: Every time i shower i get like mosquito bites all over me!! Is it bugs or am i allergic to the type ...
A: It might be an allergic reaction to the soap or shampoo, or the detergent you use to wash the ...
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| small black bugs... | 2/16/2008 |
Q: i find these VERY small black bugs around my bed like on the wall and stuff, not in my bed though. ...
A: What is your geographic location and habitat type (city, jungle, forest, etc.)? How many legs do ...
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| Moth like bug | 2/13/2008 |
Q: My mother in law has these little bugs that look like moths that have infested alot of her dry food. ...
A: There are many pantry pest moths. The most common is the Indian meal moth. ...
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| cocoon | 2/10/2008 |
Q: We live in coastal NC. There are cocoons, cone-shaped, made from either pine needles or cypress ...
A: They are probably bagworms. If that's not it, send me a photo along with the information in your ...
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| small black bugs that look like seeds? | 2/3/2008 |
Q: Just today we have noticed very tiny black dots on our white carpets, and we have no idea what they ...
A: You didn't provide your geographic location, which makes this tougher. They look like Anthrenus ...
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| Strange Spider | 1/10/2008 |
Q: I live in Vancouver Canada. I noticed this spider like thing outside my bedroom window. Could you ...
A: I can't tell from the photo if it has 6 legs or 8. If 8, then it's a spider of some sort that I'm ...
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| Bug ID Please | 12/30/2007 |
Q: There are a few bugs crawling in my house. They are hard-shelled (i think, because they're shiny and ...
A: I need your geographic region and climate type. Also a sketch or photo of the insect, and make sure ...
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| brownish-black worm milipede thing? | 12/22/2007 |
Q: i live in the east bay and have had five unpleasant experiences with some kind of creepy crawly ...
A: It's almost certainly a millipede or centipede. Google both to see pictures. There are jillions of ...
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| ants vs. termites | 12/17/2007 |
Q: What is it about the biology of ants and termites (but mostly about ants) that make them so ...
A: It's not so much the biology as a combination of factors. They exploit an ecological niche where ...
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| Beetle intelligence | 12/3/2007 |
Q: I am doing a science experiment about the intelligence of darkling beetles. My partners and I are ...
A: I've never done this experiment or read of anyone testing intelligence of darkling beetles. My ...
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| Small like catepillar found on bed | 12/2/2007 |
Q: I have gotten bitten(I think) by a small catepillar looking creature. I have been on steroids and ...
A: 1) what is your geographic location? 2) What is your habitat type - city, jungle, forest, farm, ...
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| Tiny silver insect | 12/2/2007 |
Q: I got up last night at about 12:30 to have a drink of water, there was something crawling along the ...
A: You didn't provide your geographic location, sketch, or a physical description. The most common ...
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| Pupating Hornworms | 12/2/2007 |
Q: What do you help a pupating hornworm to make sure it will become a moth? Also, it seems everytime i ...
A: Try silkworms instead of hornworms. They are sturdier. Chameleons love silkworms. What are you ...
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| Black Flies in House - need to get rid of them | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I wonder how to safely get rid of large black flies I have in my home. I've swatted and killed over ...
A: I assume you mean the midwest of the USA, meaning someplace like Missouri. They probably are indeed ...
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| Black Flies in House - need to get rid of them | 11/26/2007 |
Q: I wonder how to safely get rid of large black flies I have in my home. I've swatted and killed over ...
A: You didn't give your geographic location, so I'm going to have to guess what kind of flies you have. ...
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| House gone crazy | 11/26/2007 |
Q: Recently I discovered I have termites in the rafters to my basement and lost an entire joist (so ...
A: Without your geographic location or approximate size of the insect, I can't guess what this is. ...
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| what is this insect-like-thing? | 11/21/2007 |
Q: I can only discribe what it looked like, It was brown and tan, smaller then a fingernail it looked ...
A: I get many, many of these emails each day. This is a follow-up to an earlier posting, but I don't ...
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| imperial/luna moth | 11/18/2007 |
Q: We found a lime green caterpillar at school. We looked it up and couldn't decide what it was. Either ...
A: Different moths take different amounts of time in their cocoons. Some overwinter in the cocoons, ...
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| Worm like creatures appeared on window | 11/17/2007 |
Q: Our friends called us over to see these worm, insect like creatures that "hatched" on their window ...
A: It's really hard to tell what these look like from the photo. They appear to be a caterpillar of ...
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| What insect am I finding? | 11/13/2007 |
Q: I had a question referring to an insect that I have recently been finding in my house. I live in ...
A: Go to www.whatsthatbug.com and scroll down a bit so you can see the alphabetical list down the left ...
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| egyptian human eating beetles | 11/11/2007 |
Q: Did any Egyptian bug eat huan flesh
A: There are many carrion beetles that will eat any kind of dead animal flesh. Some of the carrion ...
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| Bug bites | 11/11/2007 |
Q: We are getting bit by some kind of bug that we can't see. This happens mostly in the bedroom and ...
A: It may not be insect bites - it may be an allergy or sensitivity to something like the detergent you ...
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| Strange bugs all over car | 11/10/2007 |
Q: I noticed tiny, translucent, bugs all over my car, which is covered in sap because I have to park it ...
A: You didn't give a size or say if it has wings or not. Check out this website ...
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| flying bus | 11/9/2007 |
Q: over the last week i noticed some little flying bugs that hang around by my kitchen sink they are ...
A: You didn't provide your geographic location so I can't provide a positive ID. The most common tiny ...
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| pupa/larva of what? | 10/30/2007 |
Q: After we had our drain pipes pressure-cleaned the other day, a tremendous number of abt. 1,5cm long ...
A: There are zillions of differen kinds of pupae that have "handles". For instance, the common tomato ...
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| bug poop????? | 10/26/2007 |
Q: I found black "dropping" between the boards of an inside door frame. Where the boards were not ...
A: There are many possible culprits. You didn't give your geographic location, so the best bet is to ...
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| Thin, black, worm-like bug- not a centipede... | 10/25/2007 |
Q: I am currently in a house in Saratoga Springs, right by the woods. I have been noticing these thin, ...
A: They sound like centipedes or millipedes. I can't think of anything else in upstate New York that ...
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| longest bugs | 10/24/2007 |
Q: What is the longest insect. What is the heaviest insect?
A: The heaviest insect is the Goliath beetle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goliathus Some stick ...
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| cecropia pupa | 10/16/2007 |
Q: i have a cecropia pupa at my house and i found it in the wild on a boxelder tree. i took it out of ...
A: The cecropia pupa will do best if left outdoors. Put it back where you found it, or store it in a ...
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| large lime-green catapiller | 10/13/2007 |
Q: I saw a 3 - 4" lime-green caterpillar while camping in northern Georgian Bay this summer. It almost ...
A: I assume you mean Georgian Bay, Canada. There are many possible caterpillars including several ...
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| pin size white bugs | 10/12/2007 |
Q: I have microscopic pin size white bugs all over my kitchen cabinets- they look like a layer of dust ...
A: They probably are some sort of mite. There are zillions of different mites, of all sizes and ...
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| identification needed!!! | 10/9/2007 |
Q: We found this amazing huge caterpillar crawling in the grass in North central TX (Haslet,TX). Can ...
A: It's a hornworm of some sort. Hornworms are most commonly green, but sometimes turn brown right ...
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| chrysalis | 10/9/2007 |
Q: I have a dill plant outside.lots of black swallowtail cater pillars.There are two different ...
A: Male and female cocoons are the same color, but the males are sometimes a bit smaller. But black ...
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| Spiders | 10/6/2007 |
Q: I have a question for you about spiders. I saw the movie Eight legged Freaks and of course, many ...
A: Spiders don't eat their meals - they drink them. First they inject a paralyzing agent into the prey ...
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| Sow Bug question | 10/5/2007 |
Q: Can invertebrates, ( Specifically the Sow bug ) learn from experience?
A: That's a very good question. Sowbugs have tiny little brains, and probably don't learn very much or ...
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| BUGS ON CONCRETE WALL | 10/3/2007 |
Q: I RECENTLY DISCOVER THAT THERE ARE TINY (DUST LIKE, BLACK...THEY ARE SO SMALL...THEY LOOK LIKE YOU ...
A: Instead send them, or take them, to a local university biology department, pest control company, or ...
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| BUGS ON CONCRETE WALL | 10/3/2007 |
Q: I RECENTLY DISCOVER THAT THERE ARE TINY (DUST LIKE, BLACK...THEY ARE SO SMALL...THEY LOOK LIKE YOU ...
A: Tiny little red flies are usually the common fruit fly, drosophila. They don't come from dust ...
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| Black aunt like bug | 10/2/2007 |
Q: I found a a large black bug with a thick orange strip across his body just below the neck. There ...
A: Is it any of these? If not, email me a sketch (kayton@alum.mit.edu) and indicate how long it ...
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| Tiny Black Bugs in my bathroom on the floor | 10/1/2007 |
Q: I have tiny black and sometimes brown bugs coming out of the cracks in the grout of my bathroom ...
A: Catch a few and look at them with a magnifying glass. Post or email me a sketch so I can see what ...
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| biting bug... | 10/1/2007 |
Q: I live in central Indiana and have been to two different sporting events for my kids this past ...
A: Get a magnifying glass and count legs. If it has 8 legs, it's a tick. If it has six legs, it ...
|
| ROACHES | 10/1/2007 |
Q: i LIVE IN A BUILDING THAT HAS A ROACH PROBLEM, HOWEVER, THE QUESTION HEREIN IS POSSIBLY UNRELATED. ...
A: Can you post a close-up photo? If not, check out this website with common household pest insects. ...
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| Tree Infestation | 9/24/2007 |
Q: I live in Westchester County, NY about 28 mi North of NYC. I have attached a photo of what I thought ...
A: I need to know what kind of tree it is. You can take a branch with some leaves to a local tree ...
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| Rollie pollies | 9/23/2007 |
Q: Are rollie pollies considered insects?
A: No. Roly-polies are NOT insects. All insects have 6 legs. Count the legs on a roly-poly and you ...
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| wierd hairy slug on my oak tree | 9/22/2007 |
Q: This morning I found a strange looking hairy slug or larva of some type on my water oak in my front ...
A: It's the caterpillar of some sort of moth. Is it one of these? ...
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| possible fleas? | 9/22/2007 |
Q: We were outside the other day eating on a blanket and I noticed a brownish, red bug crawling on my ...
A: This is a beetle, not a flea. Since you didn't give your geographic location, I can't even begin to ...
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| possible fleas? | 9/21/2007 |
Q: We were outside the other day eating on a blanket and I noticed a brownish, red bug crawling on my ...
A: The picture is too small to see anything. I suggest you take one to a local college biology ...
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| school bug collection | 9/19/2007 |
Q: My son has been collecting insects for a school assignment for about 2-3 weeks and has stored them ...
A: Sorry I don't do this stuff. My common-sense suggestion would be to gently mist the insects with ...
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| Insect like an ant | 9/15/2007 |
Q: Yesterday I saw an insect that is black and larger than any ant I have ever seen. It had a larger ...
A: I'm in Cannon Beach Oregon. Email a sketch or photo because it sounds like you're describing a ...
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| Sick puppy ate caterpillar | 9/14/2007 |
Q: I hope you can help! Our puppy ate one of these (Acronicta americana)this morning... ...
A: Black locust is toxic, and no it's not oxalic acid. If you have a different type of locust, google ...
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| Sick puppy ate caterpillar | 9/14/2007 |
Q: I hope you can help! Our puppy ate one of these (Acronicta americana)this morning... ...
A: http://bugguide.net/node/view/505 This moth eats plants that have toxic chemicals in their leaves. ...
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| What is this bug with a spiky tail? | 9/13/2007 |
Q: I am from San Diego and was eating lunch outside. I tiny bug had crawled under my arm and I felt ...
A: It's very hard for me to tell what it looks like. Can you email me a photo or a sketch? Or you can ...
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| catepillars | 9/11/2007 |
Q: Recently I was picking sweetcorn in NE pennsylvania and got stung by a green color catepillar that ...
A: Without a photo, I can't identify this since there are thousands of green caterpillars with horns. ...
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| Spider bees | 9/9/2007 |
Q: I am told I have an infestation of spider bees. They seem to be nesting in an old chipmunk hole just ...
A: Check out the photos listed under "bees" on www.whatsthatbug.com and scrolling down the column at ...
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| strange bug | 9/9/2007 |
Q: I was stung in the hand by bug that looks like a long flywasp.It wasn't a aggressive bug ,it landed ...
A: Do you have a photo you can email to kaytoN@alum.mit.edu? If not, send a sketch and indicate the ...
|
| Bald-face hornet look-a-like? | 9/7/2007 |
Q: I have been sitting on my porch during the day and in the evenings, and I have noticed a large black ...
A: What is your geographic location? Do you have a photo of this insect? If not, describe it. Does ...
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| What are these bugs | 9/7/2007 |
Q: About 7 months ago, I rented a flat that was just renovated and put on the letting market here in ...
A: They look like carpet beetles. There are many, many different kinds. Here is a link to the common ...
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| What are these bugs | 9/7/2007 |
Q: About 7 months ago, I rented a flat that was just renovated and put on the letting market here in ...
A: Without pictures, I can't identify them. At the bottom of this email I have put in links to common ...
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| Gnats in my toilet water | 9/6/2007 |
Q: I hope you can answer this question for me. If not, please direct me to a source that can. I have ...
A: If they're not coming from the toilet, then they must be coming from someplace else in the room. ...
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| giant bug | 9/6/2007 |
Q: I live in ga and last night I can this bug scurry across that was a pale brown/ gray color and ...
A: It might have been a palmetto bug. http://www.homestead.com/PALM_Doctor/palm11.html ...
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| found insect | 9/5/2007 |
Q: i found a insect that is gray and black with two long antennas and is grass hopper like which i ...
A: There are many insects that look like grasshoppers. Go to this site www.whatsthatbug.com and scroll ...
|
| tiny "worms" falling from trees | 9/4/2007 |
Q: I live in Central Ohio, and over the past few weeks we have had thousands (literally) of tiny ...
A: These are caterpillars. All summer long they munch on the leaves of the trees. Now they are ...
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| biting tiny spiders | 9/4/2007 |
Q: some appear teeny tiny - and visible with a childs insect maginifying glass. I am being bitten on my ...
A: To eliminate mites, you need to get rid of pets and other warm-blooded animals in the area, wash ...
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| black worm | 9/3/2007 |
Q: i'm sure it's no big deal and i'm not worried about it just curious...i saw a black tiny miniature ...
A: I have no idea what it could have been, either. There are zillions of different types of plain ...
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| Weird group of red bugs | 9/3/2007 |
Q: http://members.cox.net/hpatterson3/Family%20106.jpg I found them by my door... ANSWER: Is this your ...
A: Yes, they could have all hatched at the same time. Suggest submitting your photo to ...
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| what are these little creatures on my walls? | 9/3/2007 |
Q: I'm not sure that these are even bugs. I live in So. Florida and my home and patio are being invaded ...
A: Can you send a sketch or photo? The closest thing I can think of are silverfish, which come in a ...
|
| unseen bugs in carpet | 9/2/2007 |
Q: We are having a problem in our home. While sitting on my sofa with my feet on the floor, I can feel ...
A: It could be hair on the sofa or on the floor, which often makes people think an insect is crawling ...
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| catepillars | 9/2/2007 |
Q: I live in Virginia and have caterpillars that are voracious eaters of my azaleas. The younger ...
A: It sounds like you have the azalea caterpillar, datana major. Here are a bunch of websites ...
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| Weird group of red bugs | 9/1/2007 |
Q: http://members.cox.net/hpatterson3/Family%20106.jpg I found them by my door...
A: Is this your insect? ...
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| An Unknown Insect | 9/1/2007 |
Q: I was recently bitten by a small black insect with white wings while cleaning the beach. Not ...
A: You should go see a doctor. Without knowing your geographic location and without a photo of the ...
|
| black hornet type bug | 8/31/2007 |
Q: for the first year ever I have noticed big (1 inch) black hornet-type flying bugs on my hydrangea ...
A: Check out the photos under bee, wasp, and carpenter bee at www.whatsthatbug.com You'll need to ...
|
| possible red ant | 8/31/2007 |
Q: I need to identify this type of ant. It is very big (I've never seen one this big before). It is ...
A: You didn't give your geographic location, so I can't be totally certain, but it sounds like a type ...
|
| mud looking lump attached to the brick of my house | 8/30/2007 |
Q: We found a (what appears to be) a nest (brown mudd clump)of ??? The attachment of the nest was high, ...
A: Almost certainly a type of mud nest building wasp. The most common in North America is the ...
|
| Flies and their waste products | 8/30/2007 |
Q: I've just heard something twice in the same week. Is it true that everytime a fly lands, on food or ...
A: Not true. They frequently poop when they land, and they always leave icky germs behind even if they ...
|
| unknown muddy nest | 8/30/2007 |
Q: I am at Columbus, Ohio. I recently found (Aug 29,07) a 6-7 inches long of muddy tunnel (nest) in my ...
A: If it's tubular and near the ground it is probably a tube from from subterranean termites that live ...
|
| potatoe bugs | 8/29/2007 |
Q: how do you get rid of them because they're all over my yard!
A: There are two kinds of insects in the USA commonly called potato bugs. One is the Colorado potato ...
|
| unknown bug | 8/28/2007 |
Q: I live in Alberta Canada. I have this black hard shelled bug in my house. They only show up during ...
A: There are thousands of little black crunchy beetles in Canada. Without a photo, I can't help you. ...
|
| Looks like a small red fuzzy spider | 8/26/2007 |
Q: I was sitting out on my patio chairs when I noticed a couple tiny tiny red spiders on the arms. ...
A: If you can, send a photo taken through a magnifying glass. You didn't specify your geographic ...
|
| cocoon identification | 8/23/2007 |
Q: I found a bright green cocoon with a thin gold band near the top with a couple of black and gold ...
A: You didn't provide your geographic location or the type of plant on which you found the cocoon. ...
|
| black worms in toilet | 8/23/2007 |
Q: There are tiny black worms swimming in the basement toilet. What are they and how do we get rid of ...
A: Without a photo or your geographic location, it's impossible for me to identify them. Pour in about ...
|
| Bug bite | 8/21/2007 |
Q: Last Sunday(nite time) I opened up my front door and a bug, which I thought was a beetle, basically ...
A: Assuming you saved the stinger, you can take (or mail) the stinger itself to the entymology (or ...
|
| Bright Red - Ant(?) Dangerous on Plant? | 8/16/2007 |
Q: you recently gave an answer to a bright red ant question (see below). I have a similar description ...
A: There are thousands of different insect species. Without a picture, I can't help you. Go to ...
|
| what is it? | 8/16/2007 |
Q: I have a praying manthas type insect on my plant. Its head is triangle shapped, body is about 5 ...
A: Check out the photos on these two sites to see if you recognize your insect. If not, post a photo. ...
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| unknown bug | 8/15/2007 |
Q: we have a lot of little red 7 black bugs all over our porch. how do I set up so anyone can see a ...
A: The picture is really blurry and hard to see. Check out these photos and see if your beetle is on ...
|
| Mystery bug in our house | 8/14/2007 |
Q: Please help. We have these weird bug's flying around the house. They are black and when they land, ...
A: Do you have a photo? What is your geographic location? The most common such insect is the fruit ...
|
| IDENTIFY BUG | 8/14/2007 |
Q: WHAT IS ABOUT 2"long,1"WIDE tapering down it's back to a point it has one solid shell 2 pincher's on ...
A: Hard to tell from your description. Could be a large beetle or a dobsonfly. Did it have wings? ...
|
| small bug | 8/14/2007 |
Q: today i found a small bug thats 3/8 inch long and it sheds its outer skin. what type of bug is it?
A: To ID this, you would need to send a photo or sketch and your geographic location, along with ...
|
| Weird Bug | 8/13/2007 |
Q: It was dark outside, but it appeared to be light brown or grey in color. It had two very well ...
A: Yup, a photo would have made this a LOT easier to identify. I assume it had wings, judging from ...
|
| biting flies | 8/13/2007 |
Q: I have seen large flies which are over 2 inches in length and have a bright green body which attack ...
A: It's probably the common green American horsefly "Tabanus americanus" with bright green eyes. ...
|
| something is eating my muskoka chair? | 8/12/2007 |
Q: For the last two mornings i have woken up to find saw dust under my muskoka chair on my porch. We ...
A: The most likely culprits are still carpenter ants, kaloterms or powderpost beetles. Google them, ...
|
| small red spider in home | 8/12/2007 |
Q: I don't know what these are, but I live in Tucson and we seem to get getting these small spiders in ...
A: Without a photo, it would be impossible to ID the spiders. Try these sites yourself. If that ...
|
| Vicious Ground-Dwelling Wasps | 8/12/2007 |
Q: .. I live in Seguin, Texas; Guadalupe County midway between San Antonio and Austin, just off ...
A: There are several types of very large wasps and/or hornets. Remember, they come in various stripes ...
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| Vicious Ground-Dwelling Wasps | 8/12/2007 |
Q: .. I live in Seguin, Texas; Guadalupe County midway between San Antonio and Austin, just off ...
A: These are almost certainly yellowjackets. They are very aggressive. Do NOT approach the nest until ...
|
| Bees | 8/11/2007 |
Q: I am trying to identify a type of bee that is nesting in an outside wall of our home. I noticed the ...
A: Bees, yellowjackets, and their relatives are only active during daylight hours. You can safely ...
|
| Strange Cocoon | 8/10/2007 |
Q: I live in Central Florida and I found a strange cocoon today with what appears to be a caterpillar ...
A: There are many, many such insects. Florida is full of them. Perhaps it was a caddisfly. They ...
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| bug in hair | 8/10/2007 |
Q: This is going to sound very weird and possibly gross to you, but here it goes. Tonight while I was ...
A: Can you draw a sketch of it and email it to kayton@alum.mit.edu Or try going to www.bugguide.net ...
|
| Similar to Ashley's "invisible bugs" | 8/9/2007 |
Q: Pretty sure they're not cat fleas, but only myself and my four year old son are being bitten, and ...
A: Could be fleas, chiggers (if you live in a humid, warm climate like the American southeast), ...
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| weird bug found in Ohio | 8/9/2007 |
Q: I found a bug that looks like a cricket mated with a earwig. It has the body of an earwig but with ...
A: There are zillions of different kinds of crickets, grasshoppers and katydids. If you are in North ...
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| Hathing insects looks like black sand | 8/9/2007 |
Q: bld60I live in Connecticut on the edge of the wetlands. The weather has been very hot and ...
A: Look at one of them under a magnifying glass and send me a sketch to kayton@alum.mit.edu. Pay ...
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| unknown little bettle type bug | 8/9/2007 |
Q: I work for an aquarium supply company and one of our recent shipments of fish food from either Japan ...
A: Insects that eat stored grain and other stored items are commonly called "pantry pests" and here are ...
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| red spider with black cross | 8/9/2007 |
Q: My kids and I have been watching a rather large spider every night this week-- I am having ...
A: did you try these spider ID sites? If you have a photo, you can email it to the top one on the list ...
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| please help | 8/8/2007 |
Q: thank you for your time and hope to hear from you soon Amber
A: Email photos to kayton@alum.mit.edu. Include your geographic location and describe their behavior ...
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| Red Mosquito Like Insect | 8/6/2007 |
Q: One night a red insect flew into my room of which i have never seen before, what is it. It is shaped ...
A: Please email me a photo or sketch and specify your geographic location. email to: ...
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| Wasp like insect with long tail | 8/6/2007 |
Q: I found a large wasp like insect with 3 long (6-8") tails in my cottage in Norther Michigan. The ...
A: It might be an ichneumon. Try these photos http://www.whatsthatbug.com/ichneumons.html ...
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| Is it some type of catepillar - Is it safe? | 8/5/2007 |
Q: We found an unidentifiable insect? Is it a catepillar? It is very fury -- looks like an owl (grey ...
A: The description you gave may or may not be a puss caterpillar. Here are some excellent photos of ...
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| what is this bug at my house? | 8/5/2007 |
Q: We have a flying insect/bug around our house. They have 6 legs, antennae, oval bodies, black with ...
A: Email the photo to kayton@alum.mit.edu But they are almost certainly lovebugs if you live in the ...
|
| bugs at night | 8/5/2007 |
Q: We live in the country in central Pa. at night during the summer we have millions of the little ...
A: The most common insect meeting this description is one of the many June bug species(also called the ...
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| Is it some type of catepillar - Is it safe? | 8/5/2007 |
Q: We found an unidentifiable insect? Is it a catepillar? It is very fury -- looks like an owl (grey ...
A: It definitely sounds like a caterpillar - to be sure, look at the feet. A caterpillar will have the ...
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| Large flying insect | 8/5/2007 |
Q: I live in Pennsylvania. Last evening ( very hot) my family and I were out at the pool when we saw ...
A: did you take a photo? Probably some sort of longhorn beetle if it indeed had really long antennae. ...
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| wondering what this bug is | 8/5/2007 |
Q: I have found a bug in st.louis il. It is a larger bug it is about 1.5 inches long and about a ...
A: email a photo to kayton@alum.mit.edu Did you find this outdoors or inside? Describe its behavior, ...
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| FLIES | 8/5/2007 |
Q: WITH IN THE LAST WEEK WE HAVE THESES LITTLE BITTY FLIES NO BIGGER THEN A NAT INVADING OUR HOME. WE ...
A: 1) What is your geographic location? 2) Are they the same shape as a housefly, but smaller? 3) If ...
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| black bugs with pichers like in the back of them. | 8/5/2007 |
Q: i have these black bugs that are everywhere in my home. the are black with pinchers coming out their ...
A: Check out the links I sent you. Earwigs are beneficial insects to have in the house. They don't ...
|
| black bugs with pichers like in the back of them. | 8/5/2007 |
Q: i have these black bugs that are everywhere in my home. the are black with pinchers coming out their ...
A: These are probably earwigs, which are totally harmless to people. They come in a variety of sizes ...
|
| black bugs | 8/4/2007 |
Q: My husband and I just moved into a house about 6 months ago and about a little over a month ago we ...
A: I bet you are talking about an earwig. They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes - here are ...
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| Bug bites | 8/4/2007 |
Q: I went fly fishing in a lake in Pittsburgh. I was standing in the water up to my knees. The ...
A: I'm assuming you mean Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. If it's a tropical Pittsburgh, you may have been ...
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| large flying insect? | 8/3/2007 |
Q: I have a new neighbor. It lives under an old plank in the garden. I have seen it many times.It is ...
A: Check out this website on cicada killers. They are large ground-nesting wasps. Sometimes you find ...
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| HELP | 8/2/2007 |
Q: im living in a apartment and i have little insects running around my sink and on top of the toilet, ...
A: What is your geographic location? By "baize" do you mean bright green like billiards table felt? ...
|
| wasp? | 8/2/2007 |
Q: I live in Michigan and lately we have been seeing what looks like a huge wasp at work. It's all ...
A: There are zillions of different wasp species. Or it might be a carpenter bee, which can be all ...
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| Strange black bug | 8/2/2007 |
Q: Do you know of any black ash like bugs that is the size of a pencil marking. It would also swarm ...
A: Many, many such insects and mites. If you live in a warm, humid temperate region it's most likely a ...
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| Tiny Black Bugs(size of pin head) | 8/2/2007 |
Q: I have had a situation occur in my bedroom. Thousands of these tiny black bugs that seem to have no ...
A: Are you sure they are little animals, and not dirt, sesame seeds, or some other sort of seed, like ...
|
| Flying Insect | 8/1/2007 |
Q: We found in our home in western washington a flying insect. It appears to be a 3 segmented body, 1 ...
A: sounds like a relative of the mayfly. There are many close relatives with varying coloring and ...
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| large flying insect? | 8/1/2007 |
Q: I have a new neighbor. It lives under an old plank in the garden. I have seen it many times.It is ...
A: Can you send a photo? It sounds like a type of wasp. Try some of these sites to see if you can ID ...
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| can't ID this bug | 8/1/2007 |
Q: I live in Central Il and I keep noticing these bugs literally flying OR crawling in something in the ...
A: These are probably the common fruit fly, tiny little things shaped like a house fly but very, very ...
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| help..they falling on me from the ceiling!! | 8/1/2007 |
Q: ok.. i'm at work. i notice a tiny red/orange bug with a black head and antennae.. then another and ...
A: Send a photo and more information 1) your geographic location 2) email photo to ...
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| weird tiny bugs- please help!!! | 8/1/2007 |
Q: we put a new plasterboard wall up about 2 months ago, then put a brand new kitchen unit onto it. ...
A: They could be fleas, springtails or mites. Google these words and then look at the pictures. Or ...
|
| Small red flat worms | 8/1/2007 |
Q: my daughter had a stuffed animal in the corner of her room under her bed and when she picked it up ...
A: There are many worms that eat organic material used to stuff animals. Do you have photos? What ...
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| what is this bug at my house? | 8/1/2007 |
Q: We have a flying insect/bug around our house. They have 6 legs, antennae, oval bodies, black with ...
A: I assume you live in the southern half of the USA. If so, these insects are almost certainly "love ...
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| IDENTIFY | 8/1/2007 |
Q: WHILE DIGGING POTATOES I DISCOVERED A DARK BROWN CACOON LIKE THING, 2" LONG, SECTIONED WITH A COVER ...
A: What is your geographic location? Do you have a photo? Without either, I just have to guess. It's ...
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| insects | 7/31/2007 |
Q: I wanted to know if there's centepede's in Georgia that are poisonis,I found one in my kids room ...
A: The common house centipedes in Georgia are various shades of brown - some lighter, some darker. ...
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| catapillar? | 7/30/2007 |
Q: I live in middle Tennessee, my grandson and I found a catapillar outside to day. It is huge, bigger ...
A: See if your caterpillar is on any of these pages. If not report back, and try to include a photo ...
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| Black and white bug | 7/30/2007 |
Q: We were down close to the Mississippi River in Memphis and saw this black and white bug. It was at ...
A: There are thousands of black-and-white bugs in that area. Use this self-help tool to find your ...
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| White, furry wingless wasp? | 7/30/2007 |
Q: I live in northwestern New Mexico, in a dry region of sandstone and sagebrush. Today I found an ...
A: Yes, there can be many local variations. Also they could rub the hair off their legs with certain ...
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| White, furry wingless wasp? | 7/30/2007 |
Q: I live in northwestern New Mexico, in a dry region of sandstone and sagebrush. Today I found an ...
A: It's almost certainly a white velvet ant, also called a glorious velvet ant or thistledown velvet ...
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| spider identification | 7/29/2007 |
Q: I've lived in FL for 30 years on same property. Never seen this spider before - dime-sized, reddish ...
A: There are more than 10,000 spiders native to North America, thousands of which are found in Florida. ...
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| Is it a larvae or a bug ? | 7/29/2007 |
Q: I found this odd looking insect in our bedroom, few times on the floor(carpet)and once on the bed ...
A: I need more information. Can you email me a photo? kayton@alum.mit.edu Also provide more ...
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| Flying Black Bugs Around My Pool | 7/29/2007 |
Q: I live in Ottawa, Ontario, and for the past two years in the summer I have been getting flying black ...
A: I need more information to ID the insect. What shape are they? Wasp-shaped? Bee-shaped? ...
|
| Mystery insect... | 7/29/2007 |
Q: I had found this insect a while back in Westerly, RI, and I just had to keep it. I haven't seen one ...
A: It's very hard for me to picture what you are describing. Could you try drawing a sketch of it? Or ...
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| Black SwallowTail catapillar | 7/28/2007 |
Q: !! My daughters and I are enjoying watching two of these caterpillars in my herb garden. They love ...
A: The easiest thing is to do nothing - just go out into the yard every day and watch. If you are ...
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| Ticks on June Beetles | 7/28/2007 |
Q: I live in East TX where there are a lot of southern phrases that just do not make sense to me. One ...
A: This is a case of an expression mutating. The original expression was "like a duck on a June bug". ...
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| orange and black bug | 7/28/2007 |
Q: I live in central Alabama.I saw this creature on my front porch.It was a orange and black striped ...
A: Which of these photos does it resemble most? Did it have wings? ...
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| orange and black bug | 7/28/2007 |
Q: I live in central Alabama.I saw this creature on my front porch.It was a orange and black striped ...
A: 1) Did it have 8 legs or 6? Spiders have 8 legs. Insects have 6. 2) How many inches across was ...
|
| Beetles | 7/28/2007 |
Q: We have a hard shelled beetle about 1/4" long, they just show up and walk around the house. They're ...
A: There are thousands of beetles. If you live in North America, try clicking on the sketch on the ...
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| Raising moths/butterflies | 7/28/2007 |
Q: I live in New England and am considering raising moths or butterflies just for fun/education. There ...
A: It's fun to raise butterflies or moths at home. I've done it for years. When my children were ...
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| Scorpion | 7/27/2007 |
Q: I live in maine and one day while camping in baxter state park I came across a bug that looked very ...
A: Scorpions are not native to New England, and can't survive a New England winter. Once in a while ...
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| LARGE BLACK FLIES | 7/26/2007 |
Q: I have large slow black flies in my basement what are they from ANSWER: Flies come from pupas, ...
A: That depends on what kind of fly you have. Most common flies are "houseflies" which suck up their ...
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| centipedes...I think | 7/26/2007 |
Q: We just moved into a new construction in North Carolina. We have these bugs (centipedes) {I think} ...
A: Do you have a photo you can email to kayton@alum.mit.edu? Most counties have an agricultural ...
|
| mystery red bug! | 7/25/2007 |
Q: I was getting out of my car and in the drive way was a giant bug shaped like an ant. It was bright ...
A: It might have been a velvet ant, which come in many sizes and colors. Go to Google, type in "velvet ...
|
| small beige bugs | 7/25/2007 |
Q: I have these small beige bugs. I first found them in my books and now they are in closets and ...
A: You probably have "book lice". They are totally harmless unless you're a book. They eat the glue ...
|
| What do you think?............ | 7/25/2007 |
Q: we keep finding these bugs in our house, we dont know what they are or where they come from , so ...
A: They are probably a type of silverfish. They come in many different sizes and colors. Google ...
|
| unkown bug | 7/24/2007 |
Q: This bug has two pincers in the front and two feelers in the back. It resembles the cross between an ...
A: 1) Do you have a photo? Email to kayton@alum.mit.edyu==u 2) It may be a centipede. Some have ...
|
| tiny jumping insect that bites | 7/24/2007 |
Q: For the last 10 days we have been seeing in our home a tiny small insect (smaller than a small ant) ...
A: San Jose - definitely NOT a chigger unless it followed you here from New Orleans, Houston, ...
|
| heart shaped bathroom flies | 7/24/2007 |
Q: I have an infestation of darl gray/black heart shaped flies (not even a centimeter big) in my ...
A: I'm not an expert on getting rid of bugs, just identifying them. Here are some common-sense ...
|
| Question about a bug | 7/24/2007 |
Q: I found a bug in my bed it is about the size of an ant it is long and skinny. It has antennas and ...
A: Do you have a photo? What color is it? How was it behaving? Is it shaped like an ant? I need a ...
|
| strange insect | 7/24/2007 |
Q: been trying to find this critter in books and on line but to no avail. It appears between July and ...
A: Do you have a photograph? Does is seem to have feathers or does it seem to be an insect? Try ...
|
| white bugs | 7/24/2007 |
Q: i first found them on my clarinet reed, i must admit im not that house proud but i cannot find ...
A: Catch a few of them in a plastic bag, seal it tightly, and take it to your local university biology ...
|
| spider identification | 7/23/2007 |
Q: I found this spider hanging outside my house today. Do you think you can tell me what kind of spider ...
A: I tried to see the photo, but it wasn't there. Try these spider ID sites on the internet, or email ...
|
| bug nest | 7/23/2007 |
Q: I have a nest that formed on my ceiling made out of dirt. It was small, shaped like an oval cocoon, ...
A: Could be a mud dauber wasp or a paper wasp nest, or another type of mud-building wasp. Google each ...
|
| Small insect need to identfy | 7/23/2007 |
Q: In the summer (this year worse than ever) we get a very tiny insect that looks like a flea but does ...
A: Sorry, this is not enough information for me to identify it. Fleas jump - they don't walk. Your ...
|
| Need bee identification | 7/23/2007 |
Q: I live in northern Rhode Island and a bee, wasp, or hornet stung my husband. It did not die ...
A: There are dozens of different types of yellowjackets, each with a distince striping pattern. Do a ...
|
| Small insect need to identfy | 7/22/2007 |
Q: In the summer (this year worse than ever) we get a very tiny insect that looks like a flea but does ...
A: In order to try to identify it, I need to know 1) geographic location 2) climate type 3) can you ...
|
| household pest | 7/22/2007 |
Q: Lately my wife and i have been finding an insect in our house and are unable to identify it. It ...
A: You didn't give your geographical location, so I can't narrow it down. Try clicking on the cricket ...
|
| Small insects in my flat | 7/22/2007 |
Q: i hope you can help me. Me and my 3 flat mates have lived in a top floor flat in Edinburgh scotland ...
A: When you squash them, are they crunchy or do they just collapse into a smudge? If they usually are ...
|
| TYPE OF SPIDER | 7/22/2007 |
Q: SMALL BLACK FURRY SPIDER ALMOST PERFECTLY ROUND BODY HAD A WHITE CIRCLE ON ITS BACK AND WHITE RINGS ...
A: You didn't state your geographic location, so I'm sending you a list of links for you to search for ...
|
| Need bee identification | 7/22/2007 |
Q: I live in northern Rhode Island and a bee, wasp, or hornet stung my husband. It did not die ...
A: They are almost certainly yellowjackets, which are very, very agressive. They usually nest in holes ...
|
| biting bugs-similar to mosquito | 7/21/2007 |
Q: around our Pacific N.W. damp backyard, In the summers, I ocassionaly get bites by a little hefty ...
A: Probably a type of biting fly. Does it look like a housefly but bigger (horsefly) or look like a ...
|
| LARGE BLACK FLIES | 7/21/2007 |
Q: I have large slow black flies in my basement what are they from
A: Flies come from pupas, which come from maggots, which come from fly eggs. Perhaps you brought ...
|
| I need help identifying a worm | 7/19/2007 |
Q: It is ~9 inches long when moving about. "Crawls" in an S pattern. Has a fan shaped head. It has ...
A: THis sounds like a snake. I know of no worms that large that live in your area, and I used to live ...
|
| Insect nest | 7/19/2007 |
Q: I live in an apartment. I have a gray chalky looking hive\nest over my front door. With gnat looking ...
A: In the continental US the most common nest is made by paper wasps or mud dauber wasps. Try googling ...
|
| Small Black Worm In a Cacoon | 7/16/2007 |
Q: We have many small black Worms that live inside of a cacoon. The cacoon hangs from the leaves and ...
A: There are many small black caterpillars that eat these trees. When you say "they live in a cocoon", ...
|
| Bug ID help needed | 7/15/2007 |
Q: I was cut by a bug with claws. I have a photo here ...
A: It doubtless would be easy to identify if I lived in Michigan, or were an expert on bugs in general. ...
|
| Bug ID help needed | 7/15/2007 |
Q: I was cut by a bug with claws. I have a photo here ...
A: You didn't give your geographical location, so I can't be very specific in the answer. I live in ...
|
| reddish larvae or cocoon | 7/15/2007 |
Q: We live in Seattle, Washington. I have found approximately four of these larvae or cocoons in my ...
A: They are indeed the pupa of a moth or butterfly. There are many such moths and butterflies that ...
|
| catapillar | 7/14/2007 |
Q: I live in south central NE and have NEVER seen such a beautiful character here in my life!! A little ...
A: It's the caterpillar of a type of moth - which moth, I can't tell from your description. Try ...
|
| Bugs from a Norway Maple | 7/13/2007 |
Q: I have suddenly got these bugs which are multi-legged and have two orange markings on their backs ...
A: Are they caterpillars? Or beetle-shaped? What is the background color? Have a photo? You didn't ...
|
| cocoon on my front door | 7/11/2007 |
Q: I just found 2 small brown round cocoons attached to a hanging decor on my front door. I shook them ...
A: There are many, many green caterpillars in Virginia. They could be just about anything. You can ...
|
| insect indentifying | 7/7/2007 |
Q: My friend was stung by a red bodied, blue winged, kid of ant looking body insect. Any ideas? We ...
A: This could be just about anything. Was it a biting fly like a deerfly? They are very common near ...
|
| Hairy Green Worms | 7/6/2007 |
Q: I see these green hairy worms/catapillars looking things falling off of our tree here in Texas. They ...
A: Is this what you have? http://roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=1162 If not, it will be a ...
|
| Very big hairy orangish red and black ant. | 7/5/2007 |
Q: I found this in my yard and have since seen several smaller, less colorful ones. Its head is ...
A: This sounds like a velvet ant. There are several different types. See if it looks like any of ...
|
| Bitting Yellow and Black (Fly/Bee) | 7/5/2007 |
Q: Looks like a cross between a fly and a bee My wife and i both have been bitten and it has swollen ...
A: The most common such insect is the yellowjacket. They are nasty and aggressive. Look at this photo ...
|
| worms or snakes | 7/5/2007 |
Q: I found a creature black, about the diameter of a pencil lead, about 4 inches long. It curled ...
A: You didn't give youre geographical location. Perhaps what you saw was a wood louse, also called a ...
|
| biting midge | 7/2/2007 |
Q: I am getting bites from midges. They are so small. It doesn't hurt when they bite but it itches. The ...
A: There are many, many species of midges. I don't know of any that can breed in human skin. There ...
|
| biting midge | 6/30/2007 |
Q: I am getting bites from midges. They are so small. It doesn't hurt when they bite but it itches. The ...
A: Almost all midges breed in stagnant water, like mosquitos. Eliminate stagnant water and they will ...
|
| camel crickets | 6/30/2007 |
Q: I am having a real problem w/these camel crickets - have found them in every room. how do I get rid ...
A: They are very hard to get rid of. Here are some tips ...
|
| What kind of bug is it? | 6/29/2007 |
Q: As I sat on my porch; under a big maple tree, one of many bugs dropped and landed on my chair. The ...
A: There are zillions of types of tree frogs. Check out this wikipedia article ...
|
| bug skins in bed | 6/29/2007 |
Q: I have found shed skin of bugs at the bottom of sheets and on the bedskirt on a bed that no one ...
A: The little black dots are likely droppings from the insects. People shed flakes of skin onto the ...
|
| Undentified bugs | 6/27/2007 |
Q: I've read your answers to similar question, this is not a spider, bed bugs, mites problem. This ...
A: Little tiny bugs like these vary widely from region to region. You didn't say where you live. ...
|
| centipede type insect | 6/27/2007 |
Q: In the past week I have found about 12 of these centipede type insects in my house. When they die ...
A: There are many, many varieties of centipedes. Without a photo, it's impossible for me to guess what ...
|
| tiny reddish bugs~ | 6/25/2007 |
Q: I have found LOTS of tiny reddish ant looking creatures in my pantry. They almost look like tiny ...
A: Here is a picture of a pharaoh ant. Is that what you have? ...
|
| biting bug in backyard | 6/23/2007 |
Q: A new bug in our backyard is a nasty biter, tho the bites don't always last long. It is very small ...
A: They probably are chiggers, which come in a variety of colors and shapes. Try googling "chigger" ...
|
| tiny reddish bugs~ | 6/22/2007 |
Q: I have found LOTS of tiny reddish ant looking creatures in my pantry. They almost look like tiny ...
A: What is your geographic location and climate type? This will help me figure out what you have. If ...
|
| scary looking bug | 6/21/2007 |
Q: We just saw a bug crawling on the floor and hiding under the treshold of the doorstep. Its about 1-2 ...
A: 1. What is your geographical region and climate type? 2. Was it hairy-looking or shiny-looking? 3. ...
|
| Re: Small biting, flying red bug | 6/20/2007 |
Q: I just realized that you are actually the expert, not the one that asked this question. This was ...
A: Is it a chrysops (deer fly)? They come in many colors and sizes. Try googling chrysops and then ...
|
| Small Black bugs with a single horizontal white stripe across their back | 6/19/2007 |
Q: I keep finding these small bugs on my bedroom floor, and once on my bed. They look a bit like ...
A: I know zero about European insects and other creepy-crawlies, and only know about USA critters. ...
|
| Small Black bugs with a single horizontal white stripe across their back | 6/19/2007 |
Q: I keep finding these small bugs on my bedroom floor, and once on my bed. They look a bit like ...
A: I need more information to help you identify this critter. Is the stripe running the long way on ...
|
| big blaack beetle like bug | 6/13/2007 |
Q: we found a big black beetle like bug in our washer the other day and it has pinchers in front of ...
A: What is your geographical location and climate type? I assume you captured the beetle. Take the ...
|
| cocoon | 6/12/2007 |
Q: The other caterpillars I had all flew away (3 of them and 1 large beautiful pyralid moth or ...
A: Most butterflies pupate for only 1-2 months. Some are genetically programmed to over-winter in ...
|
| Springtails! | 6/10/2007 |
Q: I live in Del Rey Oaks on the Central Coast of California. I have been battling Springtails for ...
A: Sorry - I don't know anything about eliminating insects - just identifying them. Boric acid (or ...
|
| Little black bugs (look like tiny beetles) | 6/10/2007 |
Q: I keep finding these annoying black beelt like bugs in my kitchen. I never see them moving. They die ...
A: I need more information - how many millimeters long are these insects? What shape are they? The ...
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| something is biting our family | 6/10/2007 |
Q: We live in Charlottesville, Virginia, and something has been biting my husband and I, and our two ...
A: Believe it or not, bedbugs are becoming an recent epidemic in middle-class America. Many doctors ...
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| small flying, biting insect | 6/9/2007 |
Q: My mother-in-law lives in Durango, Co and is being attacked by these insects on her head, face, and ...
A: google "chiggers" and see if that's what you have. Chiggers normally live outdoors in the grass or ...
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| Tiny yellow bugs with black hair | 6/9/2007 |
Q: I have tiny yellow bugs with black hair investing a flowering vine in my yard. They seem to react ...
A: When you say "tiny", how many millimeters long are they? The most common little pale bug is the ...
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| small flying, biting insect | 6/9/2007 |
Q: My mother-in-law lives in Durango, Co and is being attacked by these insects on her head, face, and ...
A: These are very common this time of year in that area. different people call them by different ...
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| bug in bed | 6/8/2007 |
Q: I have recently discovered 2 bugs in my bed that seem to be unrelated. One was a tiny (like less ...
A: Catch a few of the bugs in a Ziplock bag and take them to your local county agricultural office. ...
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| Ant "looking" bug, reddish in color, most have wings. | 6/8/2007 |
Q: I have just discovered several ant looking bugs in the bathroom of my home. They resemble ants, ...
A: They almost certainly are ants or termites. Once a year when the weather turns warm in the ...
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| bug in bed | 6/7/2007 |
Q: I have recently discovered 2 bugs in my bed that seem to be unrelated. One was a tiny (like less ...
A: If you live in a humid part of the country, you might have chiggers. Or you might be one of many ...
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| Small biting, flying red bug | 6/7/2007 |
Q: We live in N. Virginia. This Spring I've been bitten by a new bug in town, or one I havn't seen ...
A: Try googling "simulium" (the Latin name for the black fly) and "ceratopogonidae" (the Latin name for ...
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| silkworms | 6/7/2007 |
Q: i want to start something new and in this case its silkworms. were do you buy or find them? what do ...
A: read my silkworm website http://www.suekayton.com/silk.htm The most important thing is the food - ...
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| Big black beetle or....? | 6/6/2007 |
Q: My grandfather's house rarely has bugs even in the winter because he sprays a lot but once a month ...
A: I need more information - what shape are they - long and thin, or rounded? Approximately how many ...
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| Fairy insect | 6/4/2007 |
Q: I easily caught in my hands a very small flying insect that looked very much like a fairy.It had a ...
A: It sounds like it was too short to be a damselfly or dragonfly, but just in case check out this link ...
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| Fairy insect | 6/4/2007 |
Q: I easily caught in my hands a very small flying insect that looked very much like a fairy.It had a ...
A: The most common insect that fits this description is a lacewing. There are various types. Go to ...
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| 1 inch Black killing pine trees | 5/31/2007 |
Q: There is a black worm about one inch long that is killing our pine trees. Could you please help me ...
A: There are many, many such caterpillars. Since you haven't said where you live or what kind of pine ...
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| tiny black worm | 5/29/2007 |
Q: i found tiny black worms in my dogs bed. what could that be. do you know what bed bugs look like. i ...
A: There are many possibilities here. How long are they? Are they slender or fat? Do you have a ...
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| very tiny insect | 5/28/2007 |
Q: I have a problem with a super tiny, red, biting,jumping, and flying insect. I purchased one of those ...
A: They might be chiggers, also called harvest mites. Google them and look at the pictures and read ...
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| tiny (almost flesh colored bugs) | 5/27/2007 |
Q: All around my pool (in Tennessee) I have these tiny,light orange, biting bugs. They don't leave any ...
A: They sound like chiggers, also called harvest mites, which are very common in the warm, humid areas ...
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| streange bugs in pool | 5/27/2007 |
Q: for the past 5 years we have been finding these weird water bugs in our swimming pool (they die when ...
A: It's probably a water bug. There are many, many different types. Go to www.google.com and type in ...
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| black worm-like bug | 5/24/2007 |
Q: Recently I found a bunch of black bugs. It is around 2mm long. It crawls like a worm and ...
A: I live in San Francisco, California, USA. The insects in Japan are very different from the insects ...
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| black worm-like bug | 5/23/2007 |
Q: Recently I found a bunch of black bugs. It is around 2mm long. It crawls like a worm and ...
A: It's some sort of caterpillar that will turn into a moth in a few days or weeks. Not harmful to ...
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| Small black and orange bugs | 5/23/2007 |
Q: As of yesterday, our front porch and flower bed is covered in small (approx 1/4") bugs. They are ...
A: Are they love bugs, also known as March flies, with Latin name Plecia nearctica? Check out these ...
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| Small wormy like Caterpillar | 5/21/2007 |
Q: We have hundreds of small little wormy like caterpillar looking things on our short evergreen shrub. ...
A: They are probably sawfly larvae. Here are some resources for you. Spraying them off with soap and ...
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| Black worms | 5/20/2007 |
Q: Help we have trees that have these web/cocoons that are weaved between our tree branches. They are ...
A: The most common caterpillars that cause this are the tent caterpillar ...
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| Bees and Other | 5/20/2007 |
Q: I was outside today in Albuquerque, NM and noticed small bees (maybe 1/4)in my backyard (not ...
A: The most likely little black insect (based on my limited experience of the desert) is the "sweat ...
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| Question | 5/17/2007 |
Q: I have recently in the past 2 years noticed these long worm like bugs. They are brownish black, ...
A: They might be millipedes or centipedes. They come in many sizes, colors and shapes. Go to ...
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| Wasp?? | 5/16/2007 |
Q: My friend got stung today by a bug we think may be a wasp. It has a pink/orange body with purple ...
A: Most likely a yellowjacket. Check out this website. If it's not a yellowjacket, email me back. ...
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| spider/tick | 5/15/2007 |
Q: We live in Troy,MO. near Cuivre river state park. We found a few tick size black & orange ...
A: These are most likely mites. Try googling "mites" and go to google images. Mites come in many ...
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| brown cocoon thing in my garden about 2 inches below surface | 5/13/2007 |
Q: I keep digging up these brown larvae/cocoon things in my garden. What are they? live in ...
A: They are the intermediate stage of some sort of insect. Could be a moth or beetle. If it looks ...
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| tiny bugs | 5/13/2007 |
Q: You have to look close to see these critters. They are black or dark, look like a small Nat but jump ...
A: Alaska has very different critters than we do here in the lower 48. Without seeing your critter, ...
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| house pests | 4/30/2007 |
Q: Small flying moth-like insects invade my Minnesota home in May and June, then seem to disappear. ...
A: do you have a photo of one? If so, post it online so I can see it and try to identify it. ...
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| Bed Bugs in Appt. | 4/16/2007 |
Q: Hai, I live in suburb of Philadelphia. We have been in the appt. for about an year. Now from few ...
A: Bedbugs have become a very big problem recently. I suggest you contact the county health office. ...
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| tiny reddish bugs | 4/16/2007 |
Q: I just moved to Colorado and I find every morning these tiny (size of pin head)reddish bugs that are ...
A: These are most likely mites, a tiny relative of the spider family. Google "mites" or "red mites" ...
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| Hummingbird-like insect in Yucatan | 3/24/2007 |
Q: My family was visiting the jungles around the Coba ruins in the Yucatan last week and saw an ...
A: It may have been one of these nasty insects that spread an often-fatal disease called Chagas ...
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| paper wasps/yellowjackets (V. Sulphurea) | 3/12/2007 |
Q: They are definitely constructing in paper nests in the same type of locations as our paper wasp ...
A: The word "yellowjacket" refers to different insects in different parts of the world. I live in ...
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| paper wasps/yellowjackets (V. Sulphurea) | 3/12/2007 |
Q: Sue - I love insects and have a large garden which, over the past four years, has been home to at ...
A: Yellowjackets are much more aggressive than paper wasps and will indeed drive them out. ...
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| Silkworm pheromone | 2/27/2007 |
Q: Im trying to find out what is bombykol used for. I have found out that its used in farming as a pest ...
A: Wikipedia has this to say about bombykol. Keep in mind that Wikipedia frequently is incorrect or ...
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| Really strange insect (Image attached) | 12/26/2006 |
Q: I live in Singapore and recently I saw a REALLY strange looking insect. I have never seen anything ...
A: This is what's known as an adult "scale insect". There are many different species, of different ...
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| Assassin Bug | 11/2/2006 |
Q: I live on Galveston Island in Texas. I recently bit by the assassin bug. The only reason I know the ...
A: This is a medical question and should be addressed to a medical doctor. Sorry, I can't help you. ...
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| Grey bugs crawling | 10/30/2006 |
Q: Out of curiosity, are silverfish that small? Because all of the bugs I've seen are not more than ...
A: Not all springtails hop. Some silverfish are very small. Have you looked at photos on the ...
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| Grey bugs crawling | 10/29/2006 |
Q: Canada. My house is not warm or cold. These bugs seem to like dark areas, eg. even in daytime, they ...
A: These sound exactly like silverfish or member of the springtail family. Look at some Google images ...
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| Ladybugs | 10/27/2006 |
Q: Do ladybugs give birth to live babies? Please give me some basic facts about ladybugs please.What do ...
A: Here are links to LOTS of information about ladybugs http://www.direct.ca/pestpage/ben3.html#lady ...
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| Grey bugs crawling | 10/25/2006 |
Q: ------------------------------------------- I'm not sure if they're silverfish. I've seen ...
A: Do they prefer the dark or light? Is your house warm or cold? What part of the world do you live ...
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| Grey bugs crawling | 10/25/2006 |
Q: In an old apartment I moved into a couple months ago, I still haven't moved any furniture into the ...
A: From your description these could be just about anything. Are they silverfish? ...
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| Bug bites | 10/5/2006 |
Q: on my hand I have six small red bumps, like mosquito bites, but they have raised and appear to have ...
A: This could be just about anything - an insect such as a mosquito, a spider, fleas, etc. People ...
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| What kind of bug chews off small tree limbs? | 9/26/2006 |
Q: I don't have a photo but the man who brought the tree limbs to my classroom said the beetle was ...
A: It might be the elm bark beetle - have the guy look at a photo on the internet to see if it's the ...
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| Earwig? or not? | 9/19/2006 |
Q: I just read an answer you gave to someone who had found a few black bugs with pinchers. You said ...
A: They might be centipedes. Google the picture and see if that's what you have. They come in ...
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| The name of the insect I'll describe. | 9/16/2006 |
Q: I've had these insects in my home, at one time or another. They're small, dark, smooth like a ...
A: Perhaps they are earwigs, but earwigs don't sting. Do they look like this? ...
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| possible cicada | 9/4/2006 |
Q: There is a sound in the trees that sounded like a sweick sweick. It was like the gurgle of a wet ...
A: There are many different types of cicadas, and they all have a different sound. It probably is a ...
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| type of bug | 9/2/2006 |
Q: I saw a wasp type of bug going into the ground with bird feathers around the hole. A black body with ...
A: These are probably yellowjackets. Go to Google images and look for photos - there are many ...
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| hornets | 9/1/2006 |
Q: I looked at the picture, but they don't look like that. They look more like a honey bee, but are ...
A: I did some checking and found out that some European hornets got loose in the eastern USA. Here is ...
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| hornets | 9/1/2006 |
Q: We have hornets in our backyard and they seem very aggressive. I am not aware of where their nest ...
A: They are probably yellow jackets. Here is a photo of one. ...
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| SMALL SKINNY BLACK BUGS IN MY HOUSE | 8/31/2006 |
Q: I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS TYPE OF BUG. IT BLACK HAS A SHINNY HARD BODY. IT'S BODY IS HARD ALMOST LIKE A ...
A: It's hard to tell what this is without a picture. You might have a common pantry pest that eats ...
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| rollie pollies | 8/30/2006 |
Q: do rollie pollies lay eggs.if how many.is there any experiment you can suggest for me please try ...
A: Roly-polies are also called sowbugs, but scientists call them "woodlice". Like all insects, they ...
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| bug identification | 8/30/2006 |
Q: i have a recurring bug in my apt....it looks like a worm with a large leaf conected to it. i was ...
A: Please post a photo and tell me what geographical location you are in. Several kinds of ...
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| stink bugs | 8/28/2006 |
Q: how to rid the house of stink bugs and when or what should i spray them with.
A: There are many different kinds of stink bugs. Some eat other insects - so eliminate other insects ...
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| bug bite | 8/18/2006 |
Q: my cousin was bitten by some sort of bug the other day. She said it started of as a little red ...
A: Many people react this way to bug bites. Usually they are from a mosquito or spider. You should ...
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| HUGE GREY BUG with wings and pinchers | 8/3/2006 |
Q: I found this HUGE grey bug, it sort of resembles maybe a moth type like creature, it's huge probably ...
A: send or post a photo. Otherwise there's no way to tell what it is. Also tell me the location where ...
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| 'Wishing Fairies' | 8/3/2006 |
Q: What is the official name of a small, white insect that I only know as 'wishing fairies'? They're ...
A: This could be one of many, many insects. Do you have a photo of one? With a photo I might be able ...
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| Unsure of what kind of bug this is | 7/11/2006 |
Q: I have on four different windowsills in my apartment these tiny bugs that are cream to gray colored. ...
A: Post a photo of the bug or provide more information including the geographic location and/or ...
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| Found insect - what is it? | 7/9/2006 |
Q: I uploaded the pictures onto yahoo photos. Here is the link: http://photos.yahoo.com/vansngo ...
A: This is indeed a type of grasshopper. Notice the long antennas and very long rear legs in ...
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| Found insect - what is it? | 7/9/2006 |
Q: It's green, small dark brownish-black eyes, about half an inch long (head to butt), has six legs ...
A: I'd need to see a picture of it. Does your insect look like this? There are many types of small ...
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| silkworms | 6/12/2006 |
Q: Great, thank you sou much! You are definately much better in biology than me :) Thank you! I know ...
A: Here is a link with more information about ahmisa silk. It is made from a different type of ...
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| silkworms | 6/10/2006 |
Q: You have maintained, that silkworms dont even breath for a month in their pupa state. Are you sure? ...
A: I raise silkworms for fun, not for silk, so I don't ever kill the silkworms. I agree that there are ...
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| silkworms | 6/9/2006 |
Q: You have maintained, that silkworms dont even breath for a month in their pupa state. Are you sure? ...
A: Silkworms never breathe, not as a larva, pupa or adult! They don't have lungs and they don't ...
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| black worms in Catalpa Tree | 6/2/2006 |
Q: We have a Northern Catalpa Tree. We have big black worms in the tree and they eat the leaves; they ...
A: Do they look like this? http://insects.tamu.edu/fieldguide/cimg305.html If so, they are Catalpa ...
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| silk worm type insect? | 5/18/2006 |
Q: i have a larva type insect that has stitched leaves closed with a silk type material as they are in ...
A: This could be just about anything. Try to find out what kind of plant the larvae are eating. Once ...
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| Large black bugs | 5/14/2006 |
Q: I live in Southern California and throughout spring and summer we have these large, black/green, ...
A: They are almost certainly carpenter bees, (Xylocopa, in the family Anthophoridae) which are large ...
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| moth website | 5/11/2006 |
Q: What is the best website to go to identify moths?
A: The US government's Geological Survey has these web pages ...
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| what type of bugs do we have | 5/4/2006 |
Q: We have these black and orange/red winged bugs that come out around this time of year in full ...
A: Heather- In the humid southeast part of the United States, these insects are everywhere this time ...
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| It's eatiing everything & everyone believes I'm crazy | 4/10/2006 |
Q: I'm finding a white larvae looking substance on the back of pictures & other items not exposed to ...
A: Sorry - with this vague description I can't help you. It could be just about anything. Almost all ...
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| Moth Raising | 4/5/2006 |
Q: My family and I got home from vacation on Sunday to discover my Polyphemus Moth had hatched. But ...
A: Different kinds of polyphemus caterpillars eat different kinds of leaves. Each species of ...
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| silkworms | 3/13/2006 |
Q: Kayton: Thank you very much for your prompt and thorough answer to my previous question. Your ...
A: Almost all insect pupae are immobile - that's the way they are with no breeding needed. In Japan ...
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| silkworms | 3/10/2006 |
Q: Kayton: I'm not sure if this question was sent or not, so I'm sending it again to make certain. ...
A: They used to be boiled alive. Nowadays, the cocoons are placed in a dry, hot oven to kill the ...
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| the benifits or disadvantages of compound eye | 1/24/2006 |
Q: I am 14 and am Maldivian.MY QUESTION IS THAT, IF AN INSECT HAS A COMPOUND EYE(OPPOSITE TO HUMANS) ...
A: Greetings to the Maldives Islands! The insects with compound eyes see well. Their brains are ...
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| Bombyx mori Nichi #102 | 10/26/2005 |
Q: Do you know a supplier that has the Nichi silkworm strain? Our colony collapsed and we need to start ...
A: Sorry - since I raise silkworms for fun and education, not for silk, I don't keep track of the ...
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| Can moths or butterflys fly if helped out of cocoon | 1/17/2005 |
Q: Is it true that butterflys or moths can not fly if they get help getting out of their cocoons? I ...
A: That depends on why they can't get out of their cocoons. Moths that spin silk cocoons sometimes get ...
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