Bugged Out at Night!!

Below is a collection of things found in our overnight Moth Trap that aren’t moths!

I think the most impressive insect found this week was a Grapevine Beetle! We used a ruler to capture the size of this giant. Predators of this large beetle are raccoons and blue jays. As the name implies, grapevine is a host plant.

https://beetleidentifications.com/grapevine-beetle/

Placed at the bottom of the Moth Trap, egg carton sections provide mini "rooms" for insects to rest after being attracted to the light. Insects drop down a hole below the light and find a spot to settle. There was a crowded party in one room!

Dozens of Asiatic Garden Beetles were in the trap. They are an introduced species.

Banasa Calva is a species of Stink Bug found throughout North and South America.

Common Red Soldier Beetle

I have been intrigued by Mantidflies ever since I saw my first picture of this species several years ago. I got to see two this week which were found in a friend's moth trap. The Says Mantidfly looks like a cross between a Praying Mantis and a Lacewing fly. They are found along forest edges and meadows where spiders are present. Adults feed on small flying insects. Larvae hunt for just about any species of spider eggs, but major hosts are Wolf, Hunting, and Running Crab Spiders!

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/155111-Dicromantispa-sayi

A Hermit Flower Beetle visited our moth sheet last night. Adults lay eggs in the dead and decaying wood of hardwood trees where the larva dine on wood. Adults are sap drinkers.

https://beetleidentifications.com/hermit-flower-beetle/

Although not a night time flyer, Great Golden Digger Wasps have returned to our garden! They are solitary and are considered to be gentle. Nests are built in the ground in sunny areas where the warmth of the sun helps the eggs and larvae to develop. The female digs a tunnel with cells off to the side. In each cell she places a paralyzed insect. She then lays one egg on top of each helpless insect. Once the wasp larva emerges, it has an insect meal to enjoy all to itself. Each adult female wasp lays about 10 eggs in her lifetime.

https://www.honeybeesuite.com/the-solitary-great-golden-digger-wasp/