Pest Identification Photos

6145  We are finding the bug on our window. I have pleaded blinds in the front window and they are crawling I’m the pleats. They are half a inch or three quarters of a inch they have wings and are brown with a light stomach. 

This is a brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), an introduced species that has become a pest in much of North America. See https://tinyurl.com/nkexo3 for more detailed information.  Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6142   I didn’t see anything else like this odd little thing on your site. It was found at Victoria Beach, Manitoba, in August (summer), outdoors on a nice day – 25-ish degrees Celsius. Thanks for looking at it – your site is great.  Ida

I cannot tell for certain what this is – if it was moving and very soft in texture, it would be a slug, a shelless mollusk related to snails. If it was hard to the touch and immobile, it might be a chrysalis of a small butterfly. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6140  Hello I’m hoping to identify this insect that was on our dock by the lake in Renfrew, ON. Taken late August. It was as large as the top of my thumb.

This is a cicada, specifically one of the so-called dog-day cicadas in the genus Neotibicen – see http://tinyurl.com/y8ngs5m9 for an image. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6138  Hi! I’m hoping someone can help me identify this bug. I found a few on my bedding today, my dogs also sleep on the bed. They were tiny… not even a millimetre, the few I saw were reddish brown in colour. The attached is under 4x magnification.  thank you,  Juliana.

Your photo is a bit dark for identification but is does look like a mite. Definitely not a bed bug.

6136   Hi   I found this shiny brown bug inside, on the cold tile floor. The location is lakeside, at Seeleys Bay, about 30 minutes north of Kingston, Ontario.  The bug is about 1cm in length (about the size of a dime).  I looked through beetle (and cockroach) references on- line but didn’t see any creatures with this kind of hind end. Would be so pleased to learn what it is.   Thank-you, Jennifer. 

This is a metallic wood-boring beetle (Coleoptera: Buprestidae); it looks like a member of the genus Dicera – see http://tinyurl.com/yck2f6ox for an example and http://tinyurl.com/yb2k33qe for additional information.  Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6134   Hi.  This bug was just inside my house in Nova Scotia. Is this a form of tick?

This is a masked Hunter. Both adults and nymphs are predators that feed on other insects including flies, carpet beetles, mealworms and bed bugs. The adult bug is dark brown or black and about 3/4 of inch long. The nymphs or immatures are covered with microscopic hairs which catch and hold dust, lint, and other small particles of debris.
See https://pestid.msu.edu/insects-and-arthropods/masked-red-hunter for more information.

6132 Hi.  We found this beetle by the garage in July in Grand Forks BC. I couldn’t find any photos to match on the website.  Can you identify it?  Thanks,  Lennette. 

This is a long-horned wood-boring beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae); it looks like Prionus californicus – see https://tinyurl.com/2ue3qel for an image and detailed information on its life history.  Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6130    On September 8, 2017 we found aprox. 50 bugs in our home. We have never had a bug problem in the past. We spent the night vacuuming and were hoping that they were gone, unfortunately two days later they are back.   Size :  aprox 2 mm,  month: September,  after a hot dry summer, we first found them after the first rain fall.  These photos were taken on Sept 10 after another short rain fall. We are a one story home with a cement/ dirt crawl space. They are in all of our rooms. We are hoping to find out whether this needs to be taken care professionally and what they are. We are in the regional district of Nanaimo BC, in the village of Cedar. Thank you.  Laura and Gordon

This is a reproductive termite that has shed its wings; it appears to be a Reticulitermes sp. As termites in this genus can be quite destructive, you should consider contacting a reputable termite management company for a thorough inspection of your premises. See https://tinyurl.com/yblhwske elsewhere on this site for listings. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6128  Hi there.  Would you mind please helping me identify this beetle. Found on a grapevine in Southern Okanagan,  Duncan

These appear to be flea beetles, possibly grape flea beetles, Altica chalybea (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae); see https://tinyurl.com/y9sfpcuo for an image. Foliage feeding such as shown in your image seldom causes any serious harm to the plants, but overwintering adults feeding on developing buds in the spring can have an impact. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6126  My name is Amanda. I am located in downtown Toronto & I have just found an accumulation of these dead bugs in my window sill. They are approx. 2mm in length. There appears to be 2 different kinds – one with a bronze coloured body, the other with a speckled grey body. They appear to have wings.The apartment has been closed up while we were away on summer vacation and these were located between the blind and the window.

These are carpet beetles (Coleoptera: Dermestidae); the brownish elongate ones appear to be in the genus Attagenus (black carpet beetles and allies) and the round gray one appears to be in the genus Anthrenus (varied carpet beetle and allies). See https://tinyurl.com/zl9w25c elsewhere on this site for more information including control recommendations. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6124   Hadashville , Manitoba , destroying my bean crops ,especially the fava beans worst ,thank you …..Sam 

This is the larva of a lady beetle (Coleoptera:, Coccinellidae); specifically, it is an Asian multi-coloured lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis). These are not damaging your plants, but feed on aphids and other small, soft-bodied insects – see https://tinyurl.com/3cc75vc for more detailed information. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6122  Good day,Today when I arrived at my home this very distinguished bug was on my steps. I am curious to know what type of bug it is. I’ve never seen this one before!!  Claudette Pine Falls, MB.

This is an American carrion beetle, Necrophila americana (Coleoptera: Silphidae); see https://tinyurl.com/y9fseycx for an image and more detailed information. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6120   Hello,  This was discovered on the hood of a car downtown Ottawa mid-August 2017.  All that I can gather from Web research is that it may belong to a wood boring insect, but nothing is matching any descriptions for Ontario.  It is close to an inch long. I’d appreciate any extra information if you may have it. Thanks,  Christa

This is not a wood-boring insect of any kind, it is a rove beetle (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), which are general predators on other small arthropods. Your specimen has its flight wings exposed; these usually are tightly folded under short wing covers (elytra) – see https://tinyurl.com/y7rudl85 for a more typical image. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6118   Hello! I found this guy outside of Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan in the middle of August on a cool cloudy day around 10AM. It was about 1-1/4″ long from the end of the stinger to it’s head. Would love to know what it is!! Thanks!

This appears to be a female Mormon cricket, Anabrus simplex (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) – see https://tinyurl.com/ydh24fee for an image. The ‘stinger’ is its ovipositor, used to insert its eggs into soil. Although called a cricket, this insect actually belongs to a group known as shield-backed katydids; see https://tinyurl.com/ycwdxf8v for more detailed information. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6116    My name is Sonja and this little guy was on my lawn furniture this morning. Never seen anything like it before. Location is  Simcoe County Ontario. It is Aug. 2017, cool out 13°C, rained last night, we live in a maple bush.  Thanks.

This is a nymph of a stink bug (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Pentatomidae); it appears to be a green stink bug, Chinavia hilaris – see https://tinyurl.com/yb6ptpsj for an image. This species can be a garden/orchard pest; see https://tinyurl.com/yaks7dbm for more information. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6114  Hi. I’m in Saint John, New Brunswick.  The photo was taken on Aug 20th 2017 in the Red Head area of Saint John.  I searched on line but could not find a beetle exactly like it.  However, it does seem to fit in with soldier beetle category.  Might that be correct?    Thank you. Betty 

This appears to be a red-shouldered pine borer, Stictoleptura canadensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae); see https://tinyurl.com/ya9gqtot for an image. It does not appear to be a serious pest.   Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6112    Hi my name is Catherine and I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I was sitting on my bed reading  and all of a sudden my foot began to feel like a bug was crawling on me. So I scratched my foot, then I see this BUG crawling next to my foot. Can u PLEASE tell me what it is, where it might have come from, and if I need to be concerned about there being more of them in my home?? One thing that might help is that we have 2 dogs, they are both indoor dogs. However they do have to go outside for their bathroom breaks, and unfortunately my husband lets then BOTH SLEEP INSIDE our BED. That being said Im extremely concerned about this BUG being a serious problem within my home. A DESPERATE, SCARED, and Grateful for ANY & ALL Advice n help you can Offer my family.

This is a bed bug, Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Cimicidae). See https://tinyurl.com/hwz5tea elsewhere on this site for detailed information including control recommendations.  Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6110    Good evening.  We are trying to identify the insects in the attached pictures. These were recently found in caragana trees, as well as lilac flowers gone to seed. We also found a few in green ash trees which are situated close to the lilacs. Could you assist us in the identification of these insects and offer suggestions as to how to rid us of the insects? Any additional information about them would also be appreciated. We are located in rural Manitoba (Cooks Creek). Graham

Most ladybugs are beneficial and good for the environment, but the Asian Lady Beetle can be a bad bug for certain plants and in the home. More information:  https://www.thespruce.com/good-and-bad-ladybugs-2656236

6108  My name is Lorie Hayter from Lower Sackville NS. These flying, bitting bugs have been on my black locust tree for the past 2 summers. Not sure what they are or how to get rid of them.

This is a plant bug (Hemiptera/Heteroptera: Miridae) in the genus Lopidea, possibly Lopidea media; see https://tinyurl.com/y7c5986w for an image. They likely will not cause serious harm to the trees.  Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6106  Hi there the picture I have attached I found in the basement of my parents house in Canada, I live in Edmonton Alberta. I was wondering if these are Mahogany also known as paper wasps and if so how to go about finding the best and how to kill it.  A picture is attached. Thanks.  Jaimie 

The three larger insects are wood wasps (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), likely in the genus Sirex; see https://tinyurl.com/y8rortn5 for some images. Commonly known as horntails, their larvae tunnel in the wood of dead or dying trees.  Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6104   Attached are the following 2 photos of a bug mostly in the basement and they now are appear to be moving up to the main and second floors of our house. We live in Calgary.  What kind of big is this and how do we get rid of it?  Thanks JT.

This is a short-snouted/broad-nosed weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae; subfamily Entiminae), but I am uncertain as to its specific identification. The adult weevils often enter buildings where they basically are nuisance pests that cause no serious harm, but their larvae can be serious pests – see http://tinyurl.com/monvaej for detailed information. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6102   Hi,   Attached is a photo of a beetle we found by an outside doorway of our home. We live in Lake Country, BC Canada where it is summer and has been very hot and dry. It is 2 inches long.  It does have a bit of white dust or something on its body, antennae and legs.  Thanks!

This appears to be a tile-horned prionus, Prionus imbricornis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae); see https://tinyurl.com/y7t26gw3 for an image and more detailed information. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6100  Aldershot area which is on the border between Hamilton and Burlington, Ontario. I searched through the spiders on your website but couldn’t find this one.   Found this spider today in an empty plant container. Took its pic and let it go. It’s body was about 1/2″ long. What’s curious is the three red orbs that seem to be attached to its body.  Maybe the red orbs are eggs? And it seems to be missing a leg.

This is a female wolf spider (family Lycosidae) with her egg sac; the red objects are mites. Many mites seen in such situations are phoretic (essentially hitchhikers getting a free ride), but some, such as those in the genus Leptus, are ectoparasitic, feeding on the spider’s fluids. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.

6098  Hello.   I have had the attached bugs for approximately 4-5 months (spring until end of summer).  They are approximately an inch (adult) and are mostly in the kitchen. They come out at night. They are indoors.   I am in Ottawa Ontario. Joanne, Thank you. 

Like No. 6097, these also are German cockroaches, an adult and two young nymphs. See https://tinyurl.com/h3nd9z8 elsewhere on this site for some control recommendations. Ed Saugstad, retired entomologist; Sinks Grove, WV.