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Identify Insect ?

vidapura · 2018-07-26 11:16:29

Hi, Anyone able to point me at a website or organisation that can help me identify various bugs I'm finding around my house and garden? The hot weather seems to be throwing up some pretty amazing looking things and I'm just concerned to know if they are dangerous or not seeing as we have a 2yr old in the house... Thanks

26-07-2018 12:16pm

#1

vidapura

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Hi,
Anyone able to point me at a website or organisation that can help me identify various bugs I'm finding around my house and garden?

The hot weather seems to be throwing up some pretty amazing looking things and I'm just concerned to know if they are dangerous or not seeing as we have a 2yr old in the house...

Thanks

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#2 09-08-2018 12:52am

New Home

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Hi there,

Lots of people post here . I'll see if I can think of more non-Boards sites, if I do I'll post them here.

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#3 14-08-2018 6:58pm

monster1

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Just wondering what this is? Haven't seen it before I think

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#4 14-08-2018 7:01pm

monster1

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Just wondering what this is? Haven't seen it before I think

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#5 14-08-2018 7:09pm

fritzelly

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A wasp

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#6 14-08-2018 7:14pm

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The head and the antennae are a bit strange for a wasp, this reminds me more of a soldier fly, but EDIT the ones I know of are completely black with green/blue hues. Their larvae do an amazing, unbelievable job at breaking down compost heaps - a couple of days, maybe three, and you'd go from leftovers and cuttings to compost.

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#7 14-08-2018 7:21pm

fritzelly

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Can you get a better picture?
Maybe an honey bee?

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#8 14-08-2018 7:24pm

monster1

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There was 2 of them. But I put them outside, thought the dog might go for them. I took a few pics, il see if there is a better picture

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#9 14-08-2018 7:50pm

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Not a honey bee, either.

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#10 14-08-2018 8:02pm

monster1

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Sorry, that was the best pictures I took.. Was a bit nervous around them.

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#11 15-08-2018 12:35am

monster1

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Found it I think for anyone that's curious. Sawfly
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Tenthredo_brevicornis

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#12 16-08-2018 9:22am

vidapura

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Ohhkay,
Well the beastie I was wonderin about originally... was this .. found crawlin round the bath.. about 3cm long...

No wings..

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#13 16-08-2018 9:42am

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Black and orange banded Sexton Burying Beetle. http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/6337/black-and-orange-banded-sexton-burying-beetles/

At least according to google images.

Oh, and the wings are hidden/ folded away.

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#14 17-08-2018 1:22pm

vidapura

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Jayses...

says about dead bodies...

No dead bodies in our bath .. honest !!

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#15 24-09-2018 3:00am

MichaelR

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Found in county Limerick. My 7 year old son thinks the bug might be poisonous because of the red dot on its back, not sure what he heard or where.

What might this bug be?

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#16 24-09-2018 7:55am

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That's a shieldbug (also known as stinkbug for a very valid reason). It's probably a native one, but if you can PUT IT IN A LITTLE JAR AND STICK IT IN THE FREEZER, AND NOTIFY BIODIVERSITY IRELAND IMMEDIATELY. There's a very good chance that it could be HALYOMORPHA HALYS or Brown Marmorated Shieldbug, a highly invasive Asian shieldbug that's created absolute mayhem both in Anerica and in Southern Europe, where it's wiped out close to 80% of the crops of soya and of fruit like peaches, nectarines, apricots, figs, pears, etc.

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#17 24-09-2018 8:29am

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BTW, are the colours in the picture accurate? Is it actually purple? Because if it is, it's unlikely to be a halyomorpha halys. If it is purple, it's very unusual.

EDIT: If it's brown with an orangy-red dot on its back and orangy-red legs, it's probably a Forest Shieldbug, and I don't know if it's a navive species or not*).

https://atrampinthewoods.wordpress.com/2014/08/03/forest-shieldbug/

(*I'm just assuming you're in Ireland)

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#18 24-09-2018 2:54pm

MichaelR

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We did not catch the bug, only photographed it. But if I see it again I'll catch it if there might be an issue.

Of the two linked species, the forest shieldbug appears more likely. There is a very distinctive red dot on this bug's lower back, while the Halyomorpha Halys does not have a bright dot in that location on any images I could find. The forest shieldbug does have it.

Biodiversity Ireland does list the forest shieldbug https://species.biodiversityireland.ie/profile.php?taxonId=85495&keyword=Shieldbug%20Survey though this one has a dot that is green, not red, but the Latin name is the same. The map has yellow dots close enough.

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#19 24-09-2018 3:19pm

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That's good news - in that case, don't worry about catching it.

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#20 25-09-2018 4:50pm

seagull

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It's a shield bug of some sort. Quite a lot of them are unpalatable.

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#21 25-09-2018 9:45pm

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seagull wrote: »

It's a shield bug of some sort. Quite a lot of them are unpalatable.

Whatever diet it is you're following, I don't think I'd like to try it. :pac:

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#22 26-09-2018 1:05pm

seagull

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New Home wrote: »

Whatever diet it is you're following, I don't think I'd like to try it. :pac:

I'm going on what my entomology lecturer said. I've eaten a variety of creepy-crawlies down the years, but shield bugs were never on the menu.

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