Almost every year, starting in Spring, these red and black insects with reddish eyes start to show up on many Florida lawns and gardens, often in large numbers.  Children playing in the yard sometimes stain clothing with reddish spots from these crawling insects, sending their moms into a tizzy!

So, what are these little cotton stainers, and why are they showing up in such high numbers at times?  They are known as Jadera Bugs. These bugs feed on an assortment of plant seeds and are especially fond of seeds from the Golden Raintree.  When conditions are favorable, Jadera Bugs will invade properties in large numbers in search of plant seeds.  As to why numbers are higher some years than others, the verdict is still out.

Now, don’t get the Jadera Bug confused with its northern and western cousin the Boxelder Bug, although they do look very similar.  Boxelder Bugs do not occur in Florida.

Jadera Bugs will congregate on or near its host plants and buildings.  They have been known to enter structures in the Fall to seek out a warm place to overwinter.  These bugs are more of a nuisance than anything else, causing no damage to the plant it feeds from.

Even though Jadera Bugs are a nuisance, it is still considered a pest and at times may need to be controlled.  If they get out of hand at your home, call us we’ll be happy to take care of them for you.

The Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle was introduced from Asia and is now found throughout the United States from coast to coast.  It was first released as a biological control for mites, aphids, and other pests during the 1900s.  By the mid 1990s it was well on its way to becoming a beneficial insect and a pest at the same time.

It’s well known that Lady beetles (ladybugs) and their larvae consume aphids, scale insects, moth & butterfly eggs, etc., that infest many of our shrubs and trees.  This is what they do for most of the year.  While feeding on all these pests, they’re also increasing in numbers.  It’s when the weather begins to cool these very beneficial insects become a nuisance.

Many of our native ladybugs will gather in large numbers to wait out the winter season.  However, unlike our native species, Multicolored Asian Lady Beetles will use light-colored structures (including our homes) to overwinter in.

They will enter homes through cracks and crevices around doors, windows, and attic vents, sometimes in large numbers; 15,000 or more is not uncommon.  With numbers this large, some say they can actually hear these insects moving as they look for a suitable spot to enter dormancy.  Because Lady beetles are in constant search of a suitable area, they sometimes enter the interior of the structure.  This is where the trouble begins.

Once inside where it’s warm, they fly around and land on furniture, walls, drapery, etc., becoming quite an annoyance.  When people try to remove them by sweeping or using a vacuum cleaner, this beneficial beetle may secrete a foul smelling, yellow staining defense compound.  Right away, you can see the problem here!

The Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle is a very beneficial natural predator of many insects and should be tolerated if possible.  However, if they’ve become an extreme nuisance in your home, contact us.  We may be able to help

During the Spring and Summer months, social wasps such as Paper wasps and Yellowjackets are busy building their nest and gathering food to feed their brood.  Although they will protect their nest and sting if they feel threatened, they are fairly passive.  Some of you may be thinking right now, please define fairly passive!  That’s understandable, but please read on.

As Fall approaches, many of these colonies reach their maximum size and begin to decrease in size because there are no more workers being reared.  The only ones left to feed are the future developing queens and food is beginning to get harder to find.

Paper wasps feed their larvae liquefied insects such as caterpillars, but as adults, they feed on nectar.  On the other hand, Yellowjackets will feed on insects, carrion, fruit, sap, and plant nectar.  The photo shows Eastern Yellowjackets gathering meat from the remains of a snake to take back to their larvae.

During the Fall, the workers are out looking for food and may become a nuisance during Autumn outdoor activities.  They are very aggressive at this time and will sting if agitated.  During this time of the year, they have a very important job to do and that is gathering food for the future reproductive larvae back in the nest.  They will take sips from your favorite beverage and help themselves to your sandwich, as well.  So, be careful!  Your favorite beverage may be too much of an invitation for them.  They will readily fly into the can or glass to collect liquid.  If you unsuspectingly take a drink while the insect is there, it may get into your mouth, or worse, into your stomach.  This is a very dangerous situation.  You may be stung repeatedly before the insect dies.  It’s hard to imagine how painful a sting would be in your esophagus or stomach!!

Once the reproductives mature, they leave the nest and mate, becoming less aggressive once again.  The males (drones) soon die after mating, leaving the fertile queen to find a safe place to overwinter.  With the exception of some Yellowjacket colonies in central and south Florida, the old queen and workers will die by the first hard frost.  The old nest is not reused and will eventually fall apart.

The queens will often gather in homes and other structures to overwinter.  They seem to prefer tall buildings and homes with peaked attics and chimneys.  During warm periods, they may enter the structure and cause all sorts of excitement.  The good thing is…they are not normally aggressive at this time.  Now, that should make you feel much better about them!

Kudzu Bugs (also known as Bean Plataspids, Globular Stink Bugs, and Lablab Bugs) are fairly small stink bugs, ranging from about an eighth to a quarter of an inch long.  They have a rounded oblong appearance as seen in the photo.

Oddly enough, the Kudzu Bug that’s found now in the U.S. has a different appetite than its Japanese counterpart. In Japan, it is not considered a major crop pest and does not seem to do much damage to soybeans there.  However, the Kudzu Bug we have in the U.S. now has become a major pest of soybeans in the states where it has been found.  As a side note, Japan does have one other species of this little round bug that is a major pest of soybeans, but this species hasn’t been found in the U.S. as of yet.

Not only do Kudzu Bugs damage crops, but there is also another dark side to this invasive stink bug… During their fall migrations to seek a place to overwinter (hideaway till the weather warms up again), they aggregate on light-colored structures in very high numbers, often taking up winter residence there. In nature, they like to overwinter in leaf litter and behind tree bark, which by itself isn’t a big problem.  However, your house will do just fine as a substitute for their natural hiding places. Just like many other stink bugs, Kudzu Bugs secrete a foul-smelling defense chemical that is capable of staining painted and unpainted surfaces on buildings and other structures.  This is not a desirable trait!

If you encounter this pest in and around your home, give the Florida Pest Control office nearest to you a call. We’ll be able to help!

You’re probably thinking, what on earth are The Beneficials?  Well, we’re talking about beneficial insects and spiders.  You may be surprised at just how many insects feed on or parasitize other insects.  You have Hemipterans (True Bugs), Dipterans (Flies), Coleopterans (Beetles), and even Hymenopterans (Ants, Bees & Wasps).  In this article, we are going to focus on beneficial Hemipterans, the True Bugs.

 

The best way to recognize these bugs is by the wings.  When seen from above, the wings look as though they’re divided into triangles.  These predatory True Bugs feed on an insect by piercing its body and sucking out the juices…What a way to die!  This sharp hypodermic needle-type apparatus is actually a complex structure that forms two channels, one for spitting saliva into the prey and the other for sucking out the juices.  That’s just wonderful, don’t you think?  By the way, they are equal opportunity assassins.  True Bug predators will feed on any insect they can overpower, from caterpillars to bees.  They may even feed on each other at times.

 

So, why are these predators so beneficial?  Research tells us only about 5% of the insects found in our gardens are actually pests.  While it’s true that harmful pests, (such as aphids and scale insects) get all the attention, the vast majority of insects are pollinating, recycling organic matter, or feeding on other critters.

 

That should open some eyes.  Speaking about opening eyes, the next time you’re admiring your vegetable garden or ornamental shrubs, look closely.  You may see one of the insects in these photos hanging around.  Look at them and say…Thank you.

In The Beneficials…Part One, we focused on beneficial “True Bugs”…Assassin Bugs, Ambush Bugs, and Predatory Stink Bugs, also known as Hemipterans.  In this edition, we will introduce beneficial ants, bees & wasps (Hymenopterans).

Let’s start with ants.  Scientists say there are over 12,000 named ants and possibly two to three times as many waiting to be discovered…That’s incredible!  So, why are ants beneficial?  Ants do a wonderful job tunneling through the soil.  This tunneling aerates the soil, brings nutrients to the surface, and aids in the circulation of rainwater below the surface.  Harvester Ants help disperse seeds as they carry them back to the colony, often dropping them along the way.  In the nest, some seeds may even sprout and grow.  Another important benefit of ants is they prey on all sorts of bugs such as caterpillars, flea larvae, ticks, and just about any other critter they can overpower.  They are also extremely efficient at cleaning up dead insects and small animals that die on the ground.

How about those bees, the pollinators?  It’s hard to dispute how beneficial they really are.  Most of us know how wonderful and beneficial Honey Bees are to certain crops they pollinate and we all love the honey, but did you know they only pollinate a small percentage of flowering plants?  It’s true!  Beetles are the main pollinators, performing over 80% of the work in nature.  Other bee species jump in and pollinate, as well.  For example, we have Bumble Bees and Leafcutting Bees sharing the load.

Let’s not forget about wasps.  I bet you didn’t know wasps pollinate, as well!  Yes, and they do a lot of it.  On any warm fall day, check out the Goldenrod plants.  They will be covered with wasp species.  You’ll see Chalcid Wasps and Scoliid Wasps, along with several other wasp species.

There are wasps that parasitize other insects and insect eggs.  The Ensign Wasp lays her eggs in the ootheca (egg case) of large cockroaches, such as the American Cockroach.  Other wasps, like the Spider Wasp, collect spiders, bury them in a hole and lay eggs on the paralyzed spiders for their larvae to feed on when they emerge.  Mud Daubers collect spiders to feed their larvae, as well.  Potters Wasps and Paper Wasps feed their larvae caterpillars.  Now, don’t you find that interesting?

What would we do without these beneficial ants, bees, and wasps?  We would certainly be battling pest insects all by ourselves and good pollinators we are not!  However, sometimes ants such as Red Imported Fire Ants and wasps like Paper Wasps may become a nuisance and a possible threat to the wellbeing of people and animals nearby.  When this occurs, control may be necessary.

Many of you have probably seen these handsome beetles on flowers, never realizing their medical and veterinary importance (more on that later).  Blister Beetles belong to the family Meloidae, which is estimated to contain about 3000 species worldwide, out of which 400 species are found in North America.  Florida is fortunate enough to have only 26 species.

Their larvae feed mainly on other insects and some on the eggs of certain grasshoppers, which makes them somewhat beneficial.  But some may hitchhike on a bee (known as phoresy) and ride back to her nest where they will feed on the food meant for the bee larvae and sometimes even eat the bee larvae, as well.  How can such a good insect go so wrong!  The adults are herbivores, feeding on pollen, nectar, flowers, and leaves.

 

But wait, there’s a much more insidious and sinister side of Blister Beetles!  Their blood contains a toxic irritant called cantharidin and is known to be troublesome to both man and beast.  This natural compound protects them from many predators.

Only the male produces cantharidin.  The female receives it when she accepts the male’s sperm packet.  She is given enough to help protect her and her eggs.  That’s all good and well for the beetles, but now for the bad news.  Because some species of Blister Beetles feed on alfalfa, many may be baled up during harvest time.  When livestock, including horses, feed on this alfalfa, they may become sick and even die!

 

So how did they get the name Blister Beetle?  Read on.

The beetle shown here is a Bronze Blister Beetle (Lytta polita).  There’s nothing polite about this beetle though!  It’s a somewhat harmless beetle that feeds on pine pollen and pollen from various fruit tree flowers.  I set up a UV light to draw in moths and beetles one night.  What I didn’t expect was a dozen or more Bronze Blister Beetles crashing the party.  I brushed several off me while I was photographing the moths.  Apparently, one took issue with that and slimed me with cantharidin.  This chemical is released through leg joints.  The result is what you see in the photo below.  By the way, that’s the left side of my neck, hence the name…Blister Beetle.

During the Spring season, you may see more snakes than normal due to the ending of their brumation period (hibernation-like state) and it’s also the beginning of the mating season.  If we experience drought this Spring, many snakes may move nearer to human habitats because of irrigation systems and food availability.  This increases the likelihood of human and snake encounters.

Let’s face it when most people see a snake, they either run or figure out a way to kill it.  If you run from it, the snake will more than likely slither away and you probably won’t see it again.  Now if you kill it, here’s something you want to keep in mind.  The snake can still bite even if it’s been dead for an hour or so!  If it happens to be a venomous snake, this could be a real problem!

Some years ago, a couple of doctors at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Phoenix treated 34 snake bites in a 10-month period. What amazed them was 5 of those bites were from dead rattlesnakes!

One man was bitten when he handled a snake 3 minutes after he had shot it several times in the head.  Another was bitten when he tried to cut off the rattle of a snake he shot several times, including once in the head.  One patient picked up a snake whose head he had beaten in with a piece of wood.  Two men were bitten when they picked up rattlesnake heads that they had cut from the bodies.  All of the men survived, although one lost a finger.

What these guys didn’t know was a snake’s strike reflex can remain active for up to 60 minutes after they are dead or decapitated.  The moral of this story:  Do not handle a recently killed snake!

The Arizona doctors reported in an issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, “Young men – particularly while intoxicated – suffer a disproportionate number of ‘illegitimate’ rattlesnake envenomations.”  In other words (and this is not news to anyone), guys are more apt to mess with rattlesnakes and get bitten after they’ve been drinking!

The first aid rules for snakebites have changed over the years.  If bitten by a venomous snake and you’re near medical help, don’t try to cut into the bite, or suck out the venom, or apply ice, or apply a tourniquet.  Physicians say that any of these self-help methods can make the situation worse.  Just stay calm, keep the bitten area lower than your heart and get medical attention immediately.

You should not harass or handle any snake unless you’ve been trained to do so.  Any snake bite, even from a non-venomous snake, is potentially dangerous.  Snake saliva is full of bacteria that could cause infection if a bite does occur.  So, stay clear of snakes and they’ll stay clear of you!

The quick answer: no.

You may be surprised to learn that mosquitoes are always hanging around, even in the winter months. It’s likely, however, that we won’t see them in December and January – with the exception of those unseasonably warm Florida days.

Many mosquitoes make it through the winter months by remaining in the larval stage. Female mosquitoes lay eggs toward the end of the fall, and those eggs will remain dormant until spring. The eggs are carefully placed in damp soil and will not hatch until conditions become favorable again – when the temperature rises and plenty of rain begins to fall.

There are even quite a few species of mosquitoes that can live as adults through winter. Once again, it’s the female mosquito that does all of the work in keeping the species alive.

At the end of the fall, the mosquitoes mate, and the males die off. The females remain alive by hiding in protected areas such as hollow or damp logs, garages, or even doghouses. Once the warm weather comes rolling back in, the re-awakened females emerge from their hiding places in search of food in the form of blood. This is why we are so often bitten by mosquitoes in spring and early summer.

To avoid an overwhelming number of hungry mosquitoes come springtime, the winter months is the time to take action. Here are some things you can do to reduce the number of mosquitoes that are able to make it back when the warm weather does:

• Empty any standing water that collects in tarps, toys, birdbaths, gutters, machinery, and pots.
• When we near the warmer months, add round cakes of bacteria called mosquito dunks to ponds and pools of water. These cakes will dissolve and kill any mosquito larvae that were left during the winter.

Even though you may not see them as often as in the summer, mosquitoes are always there. Try not to let your guard down and keep an eye out for them all year long, especially here in Florida where winter is warm. If you have trouble keeping them at bay, feel free to contact Florida Pest Control for a no-obligation inspection.

Glowworms (also called Railroad worms) are a unique species of beetle that are seldom seen because they hide in self-made burrows in the ground under leaf litter and debris during the day.  Female glowworms can be seen on the surface of the ground after a good summer rain.  Females are seen more often than males, so keep a sharp eye out for them.  Interestingly enough, females appear to stay in larviform for their entire life.  Larviform is when the adult insect stays in the same form as the larva.  Much like a caterpillar growing into an adult without pupating and becoming a butterfly.

Adult male glowworms look similar to other beetle species with the exception of their forewings (elytra).  The elytra are reduced in size exposing the hindwings.  Many other beetle species have large, hardened elytra, which allow the hindwings to fold and hide beneath them.  Adult male glowworms have comb-like antennae and large mandibles.  The antennae are used to detect pheromones emitted by the female, which makes it easier to find them during mating time, especially in the dark!  Very much like moths and many other insects, adult male glowworms will fly towards lights at night and are occasionally seen resting on walls near the light.

 

Larviform females and male larvae appear to feed exclusively on millipedes.  The adult males are short lived and probably die soon after mating.  There’s no evidence if males even feed as adults.  They don’t eat and die soon after mating.  That’s just not right!  It’s tough being a male glowworm!

Did you know female glowworms and some species of male glowworms are bioluminescent (meaning they can glow in the dark), much like a firefly!  That should light you up!

 

Now, go out and try to find one so you can watch it glow in the dark!