Ok I notice strange shit….

[sparkwizard]

Japanese beetles are pea sized at best, or so I thought....

What I call a June Bug is a monster as big as an average man's thumb [first joint]. I think we might be victim to regional colloquialisms.

My North Carolina experience agrees with these names. Those big, scary green ones make great fish bait. When Japanese beetles get in the pool, we call them 'butt beetles'. The big green ones I see down here, have a big rhino horn on them and they are not shiny, more like green olives.

 

[f4radar]

I sure wish we were running low on chiggers...those things are eating me alive this year!

 

[I74]

Other than flies & tons of Ant's,, Insects have been pretty mild so far this year,, here in E central Iowa.

Am think'n that,, it might be because of all the pesticides ect. that they use in the corn & soybean fields,, that pretty much surround us,, where I live.

No wonder the cancer & Thyroid problem rate is so high in this state !!

All that shit runs off into the rivers & water supplies ect.,, plus mixes together with other chemicals..

I

 

[massacre]

Saw the first cicada wasp yesterday, they always come out of the ground about this time every year

 

[sparkwizard]

Has anybody seen a "cow killer"? It's a bug that crawls on the ground like an ant, but it is a wingless wasp, or so I have been told. They are red and black, usually travel alone, and their sting is very painful. I didn't die, but I didn't walk right for a month, either.
I have not seen one since I got stung about 5 years ago, but I have seen THREE of them this year!

 

[cl350rr]

Red Velvet Ant

 

[Skipp]

Saw the first cicada wasp yesterday, they always come out of the ground about this time every year

Big yellow bastards? If it’s the same thing we call them sand hornets….never heard of one stinging anyone…but the are menacing…

 

[Harquebus]

Saw the first cicada wasp yesterday

I don't know what that is. Pics or it didn't happen!

 

[sparkwizard]

Red Velvet Ant

View attachment 323423

That is the bug! Do NOT step on him with bare feet!!!! It is NOT an ant. It is a hornet/wasp/ nasty stinging bug.

 

[RobertC]

Has anybody seen a "cow killer"? It's a bug that crawls on the ground like an ant, but it is a wingless wasp, or so I have been told. They are red and black, usually travel alone, and their sting is very painful. I didn't die, but I didn't walk right for a month, either.
I have not seen one since I got stung about 5 years ago, but I have seen THREE of them this year!

Yeah Dave , we have them down here too.

We rarely see them, but definitely avoid them when we do !

I don't recall seeing one yet this season though.

 

[sparkwizard]

Yeah Dave , we have them down here too.

We rarely see them, but definitely avoid them when we do !

I don't recall seeing one yet this season though.

I stepped on one, and now, I wear boots all summer while walking in the yard. Ambulance was called, because we thought it was a snake bite.
I thought it was worse than several hornets to the head.

 

[RobertC]

I recall April 4th specifically, (cause I sent my family a text about it that day) I went to the Inlet, like I do most mornings. And there were hundreds and hundreds of dragon flies swarming everywhere.

That was so refreshing, and a sure sign that spring was here.

 

[massacre]

Big yellow bastards? If it’s the same thing we call them sand hornets….never heard of one stinging anyone…but the are menacing…

they are bright orange and yes menacing
aggressive like. But never been stung in all these years.
the males can't sting and the female can sting but she is underground.
the whole thing is kinda nuts the way they reproduce.
they flit their wings in a creepy way too

 

[JimN]

they are bright orange and yes menacing
aggressive like. But never been stung in all these years.
the males can't sting and the female can sting but she is underground.
the whole thing is kinda nuts the way they reproduce.
they flit their wings in a creepy way too

Even though they can't sting, I've had them annoy the heck out of me by dive bombing when I was working in the garden.
The weirdest insect I've seen so far is this guy. Some type of assassin bug. I seen it snatch a bee out of the air.

 

[VeritableFox]

I've been helping re-side my sisters place since memorial day, mostly on weekends, and the flies have been horrendous. This last weekend had the mosquitos finally come out. Sitting on a roof trying to get siding into a spot where 2 roof lines meet is annoying enough, doing it while horse flies eat me alive was absolute murder as they tried to eat every part of exposed skin in 87 degree weather. She has a garden to attract pollinating insects so I got to see bumble bees on top of wasps and butterflies. Outside of the flies and recently mosquitos, it's been sparse though.

 

[panchothedog]

I know that recently there has not been a lot of good reasons to be in California. ( Been here my whole life, so not going anywhere ). But man, you guys have some horrible sounding insects in different parts of the country. Even though I live in a typical tract home, I have more than a 1/3 acre lot with a small house on it. Back yard has about a 10,000 sq. ft. Section with about 30 mature trees and I kind of let mother nature do her thing. ( gives me a lot of privacy ). I sit in the patio like area of my yard and watch the butterflies cruise by, listen to the buzzing of the honey bees up in the trees, and watch the beautiful hawks soar over head. As long as I stay home, I guess I'm pretty darn lucky.

 

[VeritableFox]

I know that recently there has not been a lot of good reasons to be in California. ( Been here my whole life, so not going anywhere ). But man, you guys have some horrible sounding insects in different parts of the country. Even though I live in a typical tract home, I have more than a 1/3 acre lot with a small house on it. Back yard has about a 10,000 sq. ft. Section with about 30 mature trees and I kind of let mother nature do her thing. ( gives me a lot of privacy ). I sit in the patio like area of my yard and watch the butterflies cruise by, listen to the buzzing of the honey bees up in the trees, and watch the beautiful hawks soar over head. As long as I stay home, I guess I'm pretty darn lucky.

Ever seen a Cicada Killer? I got to see 2 of them last week. They aren't really harmful to people but they're freaky with that giant stinger.

 

[superflea]

I know that recently there has not been a lot of good reasons to be in California. ( Been here my whole life, so not going anywhere ). But man, you guys have some horrible sounding insects in different parts of the country. Even though I live in a typical tract home, I have more than a 1/3 acre lot with a small house on it. Back yard has about a 10,000 sq. ft. Section with about 30 mature trees and I kind of let mother nature do her thing. ( gives me a lot of privacy ). I sit in the patio like area of my yard and watch the butterflies cruise by, listen to the buzzing of the honey bees up in the trees, and watch the beautiful hawks soar over head. As long as I stay home, I guess I'm pretty darn lucky.

 

[sparkwizard]

Funny that someone mentioned horse flies...honey bees and horse flies seem to congregate in or near our pool in hot, dry weather.
The bees, or yellow jackets, whatever they are, seem to like the lowest rung on the ladder, closest to the water. They don't bother anybody, we assume they are thirsty. The horse flies, on the other hand, land and float around on anything in the water, like floats, chlorine dispenser, and once they get out there, they stay there. If I try to get in the pool and scare them away. they land on ME and start digging holes to claim the newest island.

 

[Harquebus]

Alright, but what about the bugs on the windshields, guys and gals? More, or less than a decade+ ago?