Weird insects!

stevej37 · 09-14-2022, 12:27 PM

This guy has been hanging around on my garage siding for a couple days now.
What do they eat to survive? And how do they stay so thin?

masraum · 09-14-2022, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37

This guy has been hanging around on my garage siding for a couple days now.
What do they eat to survive? And how do they stay so thin?

They bicycle daily, eat like they did when they were in HS, and chill with turtles.

On a related note, crane flies (mosquito hawk or sometimes daddy long legs).

They look like giant, gangly mosquitos that fly/move pretty slowly. There's a rumor going around that they eat mosquitos. I heard it growing up, and I've heard folks repeat it recently.

Quote:

Despite widely held beliefs that adult crane flies (or "mosquito hawks") prey on mosquito populations, the adult crane fly is anatomically incapable of killing or consuming other insects. Although the adults of some species may feed on nectar, the adults of many species have such short lifespans that they do not eat at all.

They are also not venomous which is, apparently, another myth attributed to them.

We get these, dobsonfly, here.

I used to find them on our outdoor light pole with the mercury vapor bulb in the mornings (as well as Luna moths and a bunch of other big bugs). I stopped leaving the light on so I wouldn't impact the migration of birds, so I don't see them any more.

stevej37 · 09-14-2022, 12:55 PM

^^^ that last pic is the size of a small bird!
We have lots of bats at night...no bugs that size though.

JFK713 · JFK713's Garage

That is a phasmid or stick bug. Their diet is mostly leaves.

stevej37 · 09-14-2022, 01:42 PM

^^^ We always called them 'walking sticks'
Why would one stay on my garage door for a couple days? No leaves there.

masraum · 09-14-2022, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37

^^^ We always called them 'walking sticks'
Why would one stay on my garage door for a couple days? No leaves there.

He's a Buddhist contemplating life.

masraum · 09-14-2022, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevej37

^^^ that last pic is the size of a small bird!
We have lots of bats at night...no bugs that size though.

Those things are just as creepy looking in person too.

I've lived many places that had bats that would fly around at night. I've always thought they were cool to watch. When we lived in an apt near Houston, we lived ~1/3 mile from a bridge that was home to a colony of ~300k bats. The flooding from Harvey knocked that back a bit. Several years ago, they said it was ~200k. The 6.5 years that we lived there, I think I saw mosquitos about 5 times. Also, there was a time before I lived there, but I worked on the 9th floor of a building downtown that was ~3 miles from the bridge, and I would frequently see the bats stream past the 9th floor windows just about the time it was fully dark. It was pretty cool, and also reminiscent of something out of a horror flick with thousands of bats streaming past the window for 10-15 mins.

Sooner or later · 09-14-2022, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by masraum

We get these, dobsonfly, here.

I used to find them on our outdoor light pole with the mercury vapor bulb in the mornings (as well as Luna moths and a bunch of other big bugs). I stopped leaving the light on so I wouldn't impact the migration of birds, so I don't see them any more.

A Hellgrammite is the larva of a dobsonfly.

john70t · 09-14-2022, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by masraum

On a related note, crane flies (mosquito hawk or sometimes daddy long legs).

They look like giant, gangly mosquitos that fly/move pretty slowly. There's a rumor going around that they eat mosquitos. I heard it growing up, and I've heard folks repeat it recently.

Around here Crane flies occasionally cover buildings and pile up in heaps like snow drifts.
(Or so I've heard and seen pics of)

I've only seen in once next to the big water near Detwaah..but it was remarkable.

Daddy long legs are the spider found in MI basements.
They are actually poisonous technically but their fangs are too short to worry humans.

masraum · 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john70t

Around here Crane flies occasionally cover buildings and pile up in heaps like snow drifts.
(Or so I've heard and seen pics of)

I've only seen in once next to the big water near Detwaah..but it was remarkable.

Daddy long legs are the spider found in MI basements.
They are actually poisonous technically but their fangs are too short to worry humans.

Right. I've always know "daddy long legs" as spiders, but according to the Internet there are people that call crane flies daddy long legs, and so there's a myth around them (crane flies) being venomous. I'd never heard that. I have heard that the spiders are venomous. I think pretty much all spiders are. That's how they get food. Yes, the venom in DLL spiders is not anything that we have to worry about because they aren't really equipped to bite us, and the venom isn't a big issue for us anyway.

I've seen lots of crane flies before, but nothing like you describe. Wow!

DLL spiders are odd. They look like a tiny bean with legs. You don't see the usual spider body parts.

flatbutt · 09-15-2022, 08:50 AM

I wish some sort of natural predator would start harvesting those durn lantern flies.

masraum · 09-15-2022, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I wish some sort of natural predator would start harvesting those durn lantern flies.

Yep, bad stuff.

I hear they are tasty when sauteed with a little garlic.

john70t · 09-15-2022, 10:11 AM

mosquito burgers
https://files.catbox.moe/g4466u.mp4

bugstrider · bugstrider's Garage

Found a few of these at our house. The smaller, wimpier North American cousin to the larger Camel Spider of the Middle East. When in Oman, my brother found one under his tent. It was dead and it’s legs were folded under itself. When he took the pic of it, he used a one dollar bill as scale. With its legs curled under its dead cold body, the first joint from front leg to front leg was at the far corners of the bill. Ahhh no thanks!!!

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masraum · 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flatbutt

I wish some sort of natural predator would start harvesting those durn lantern flies.

https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/spotted-lanternfly-wheel-bug-praying-mantis-pennsylvania-invasive-species/521-28c62dbb-69ca-4fa0-a03c-dcc728349ef2

Quote:

According to a study from Penn State University, the public has aided them in finding several predators for the bug. Chickens, cardinals, praying mantises, ants, wasps, and spiders have all been reported and captured eating the invasive species.

The bugs aren't the main diet of these predators, but they're generalists that are making use of a rapidly increasing and abundant food source, according to experts.

One known predator that has been spotted increasingly snacking on the lanternflies is the wheel bug.

If you've never heard of these predators, they're typically found in Southwest Pennsylvania, but they've become more common throughout the state within the past decade.

This bug has a piercing beak-type mouth. They will lay eggs right next to spotted lanternfly egg masses. Since the wheel bug hatches first, they will sit and wait for the spotted lanternfly eggs to hatch. A quick and free meal!

Wheel bugs are crazy looking. We've got them here.

What triggered this post is that I saw the following on FB, which made me think of your post.

Quote:

**PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT**

This is a wheel bug. This little fellow is NOT an invasive species in Pennsylvania. Please do not kill them.

Wheel bugs are our largest native assassin bug, and our best defense against lanternflys.

They will lay their eggs next to lanternfly nests and because they hatch earlier, the wheel bugs will eat the lanternflys as they hatch.

DO NOT handle these little badasses with your bare hands. Though they are not aggressive, wheel bugs will bite if they feel that they are being threatened. Their bites hurt like an MF because they’re walking around with what is essentially a tiny machete on their face.

If you have to move one, use a stick or object that keeps them at a distance. Though they do slowly lumber around, don’t be fooled. Wheel bugs are capable of striking with quickness and they can also fly.

If you see a wheel bug please just leave it alone. It has a very important job to do and that’s fighting the good fight against the lanternfly.

God speed, tiny assassin. God speed.

**Update**

The wheel bug can be found throughout most of the southern and northeastern United States, so these little native assassins are helping to dispose of pests all over the US. These guys also love to predate on the brown marmorated stink bug, which is an invasive insect species in the US from Asia. One more reason to not harm wheel bugs.