Bug o’the Week – Bugs in the News XVI
Greetings, BugFans,
Let’s take some time off from the relentless, 24-hour news cycle and enjoy a few bug stories.
02.18.26
Reports from the Field
02.18.26
Bug o’the Week – Eastern Amberwing Redux
Greetings, BugFans,
When the BugLady wrote this episode in February of 2013, she kicked it off by griping about the weather – a favorite, February, indoor sport. This year, we’ve had many days of below average, below freezing, and below zero temperatures. How cold is it? Three weeks ago, one of her water pipes froze and burst, and when she tossed the sodden beach towels out the door into the yard, they froze instantly. They’re still stuck solidly to the ground.
This rerun contains a few new words (because who can look at a 13-year-old manuscript and not tweak it?), but all new pictures, because the Eastern Amberwing is a wondrous creature to photograph, even when it’s hovering just out of range.
02.13.26
Bug o’the Week – Long-jawed Pedunculate Ground Beetle
Greetings, BugFans,
BugFan Dave shared these spectacular pictures of a very cool beetle that he found last summer – a ground beetle in the family Carabidae, a huge family with 40,000+ species. It’s in the subfamily Scaritinae, the “Pedunculate ground beetles,” so-named for the constriction – peduncle – between the wider thorax and abdomen. The wonderful “MOBugs” blogspot (“Missouri’s Majority”) suggests that they should be called “Scary pincher ground beetles.”
02.04.26
Bug o’the Week – Bee Moth
Greetings, BugFans,
BugFan Danielle sent these shots and wondered if the moth might be a Bee moth (Aphomia sociella). The BugLady agreed that it could very well be, but she emphasized that if there is a secret handshake for moth identification, she hasn’t learned it yet.
Bee moths are in the family Pyralidae, the Grass or Snout moths (the family Crambidae shares the name “Snout moths,” and for the same reason – because the sensory mouthparts (labial palps) of some members are prominent and protruding.
01.28.26
Bug o’the Week – Giant Leopard Moth
Howdy, BugFans,
Honorary BugFan Lisa sent the BugLady a picture of her glove posed next to a big, fat caterpillar and asked if it might be a wooly bear. There are a number of species of caterpillars that are called wooly bears, but the wooly bear in question is the caterpillar of the Isabella Tiger Moth, a caterpillar that has found a place in folklore for its (supposed) ability to predict winter weather. When a wooly bear has wide, black bands, it’s predicting a harsh winter. Mistaking this black caterpillar for a wooly bear that’s gone all in for an Armageddon winter is a common mistake
Turns out that the caterpillar was something less common and way more exciting.
01.21.26
Bug o’the Week – Eastern Parson Spider
Howdy, BugFans,
One of the BugLady’s inquilines is an Eastern parson spider. An inquiline (from the Latin inquilinus meaning “lodger” or “tenant”) is an animal that lives in the dwelling of another animal. Like the Tree frog that overwintered with the BugLady last year, the Parson spider is finding enough to eat.
01.14.26
Bug o’the Week – Tri-colored Harp Ground Beetle
Howdy, BugFans,
What an awesome beetle – thanks to BugFan Dave for sharing it!
There’s not a whole lot of information out there about this species, and there’s some misinformation (more about that in a sec), so let’s sneak up on it, taxonomically.
01.07.26
Bug o’the Week – Carrot Wasp Rerun
Greetings, BugFans,
It’s the week between Christmas and NewYear’s, and the TV stations that aren’t showing sports and reruns are airing Hallmark Holiday movies. Here’s a rerun from 2012 – old words, new pictures.
Here’s the “take-home” – when you meet a critter with a name like Gasteruption, you just have to stop what you’re doing and embrace the Gasteruption experience.
12.31.25
Bug o’the Week – The Twelve Bugs of Christmas
Howdy, BugFans,
It’s that time of year again – time to put our feet up, sip adult beverages by the light of the tree, hum “The Twelve Bugs Days of Christmas,” and dream of spring (the days are getting longer, you know). Here are a Baker’s Dozen from 2025.
12.29.25
Bug o’the Week – Redspotted Antmimic Spider
Howdy, BugFans,
In mid-summer, BugFan Dave shared these dynamite pictures of a pretty spiffy little spider that the BugLady has never seen – the (unhyphenated) Redspotted antmimic spider (Castianeira descripta). Thanks, Dave!
Antmimic spiders used to be in the “catchall” Sac spider family Clubionidae, but now they’re found in the family Corinnidae, the Corinnid sac spiders. Antmimic spiders don’t spin trap webs – they pursue their prey on foot – but they do use silk to encase their eggs and to spin retreats in sheltered places. They tend to be drab, fast-moving spiders.
12.17.25