PestPoolandLawn.com

[entophiles]

[insectlove]

entophiles: Frying Flies by scott cromwell on Flickr.

[buggirl]

New meaning to an extra set of hands in the kitchen..

[buggirl]

Birch Shield Bugs look like they are wearing brown socks.

[buggirl]

This Geometer Moth known as the Common Gray (Anavitrinella sp) was chillin’ on the window of the Bio building at CSUN this morning.  Despite being common, it is quite beautiful.  Here are some others on bugguide.

[buggirl]

A beautiful False Widow (I believe) that haleytwentysomething sent in.

[buggirl]

Sometimes my favorite bug finds are those I least expect.  I was driving home from school and this adorable Jumping Spider in the family Salticidae was just hoping along on my dashboard!  Luckily for me, I had a little bug-catching container right in my purse on the passenger seat.  I scooped her up and brought her home for a photo.  I am rather proud of myself because I believe I correctly identified her as a Black Jumper in the genus Sassacus.  Here is a very close match and better photo on bugguide.

[buggirl]

I’m pretty sure this is the actual egg sac that Kim, my Black Widow has laid.  It’s small and a little ball of silk.  Maybe a fertilized one would be more robust? 

[buggirl]

Maybe that little orange thing is her eggs…it kinda looks like there are eggs in there.

[buggirl]

Can you see the difference??  Laying eggs has totally deflated my chubby globular fatty, Black Widow, Kim into a little deflated skinny girl!  She even looks a little wrinkly!

[buggirl]

Here is a photo of Kim the day I found her, a year ago.  Notice the pretty marbled pattern on her abdomen?  Black Widow females don’t get that trademark black glossy body until they reach sexual maturity.

Here is the very first Kim post.

[buggirl]

Caterpillar Hunters

[archiemcphee]

Archie McPhee has a long, colourful history of celebrating the humble and almost universally despised cockroach. So we were delighted when we stumbled across the top photo of a tiny shrine created beside the body of a departed roach. 

It is just one of the Carmichael Collective’s awesome series of Bug Memorials, set up on the streets of Minneapolis to mark the passing of various insects where their tiny bodies were found, on the city’s sidewalks and windowsills. 

One of the things we love most about street art is how it urges the viewer to stop and pay closer attention to one’s surroundings. These little memorials do just that while adding a cute and bittersweet significance to sights so common and unremarkable that they would mostly likely go completely unnoticed otherwise.

[via Neatorama]

[buggirl]

I think this is adorable. Look at the time spent on the memorial!  So I suppose I’d be nit-picking if I pointed out that it looks a Madagascar Roach in the photo, which I doubt would be on the streets of Minneapolis.  That’s ok, close enough!  What an amusing creative idea.

[buggirl]

Another beautiful photo sent in by lopshirephotography.  This one of a Dragonfly, you’ll have to settle for that ID for right now, I have a Molecular Cell Bio final tomorrow…  Besides, Odonata are tough!

[buggirl]

“So the other day I was walking to class and saw these caterpillars on a tree across the street. They were sitting like this all day. I was wondering if you could tell me if this was abnormal or what? Thanks :]”-olivemylife

Hi!  HOW cool!  I’m pretty sure your moth caterpillars are Forest Tent Caterpillars but if anyone has a correction please speak up!  The species along with a few others (like Walnut Caterpillars) are known to form masses such as this. 

I, along with many people, get Eastern Tent Caterpillars (I think that was the last submission), Gypsy Moths and Forest Tent caterpillars confused- they all form some sort of nest.  Here are a few pointers about each from this site.

[textless]

From this angle, it does look a lot like a water boatman or a very tiny backswimmer… but it was at least a mile from any water, and seemed to be able to hop and fly after it got its bearings.  It also looked very much like this hopper.  Could it still be a water bug?

[buggirl]

It really does look a hopper but I think it’s b/c they’re related. Those legs and the fact it was “swimming” on its back.  Maybe it got accidentally shuttled away from water?? Perhaps on a car or something? Hmmm. let’s get a second opinion.  Any ideas guys??

[buggirl]

I at first thought this was a Mouse Spider but I actually think it’s a Ground Spider but they look rather similar.   I found it when I moved the couch to vacuum.  I think it got injured when I moved the couch but spiders seem to do ok with broken legs, I hope this one does…

Makes me wonder just how many spiders are living with us!

[claggy]

Second opinion guys!

manatapped replied to your post: There’s been a spider chillin’ in my bath tub for…

Pervy Spider lol

He says hi.

[buggirl]

Wolf Spider, yes?

[lunacy-im-home-deactivated20161]

Look at the sweet lil’ younsters :3 you did great, momma whateverthehellkindofbugyouare. Kudos.

[buggirl]

What a cool photo! I can see why you thought the large one was the mom because it looks to be giving birth. However, the “babies” are aphids and the “mom” a Ladybug Larva who is devouring the aphids and probably pooping them out.