Can heavy snow and cicada damage from last summer bring down limbs and damage transmission lines?   The first week of January 2022, Mother Nature delivered a one-two punch to tens of millions of people in the eastern half of the US as bone-chilling temperatures and heavy snow blanketed the region. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses were left powerless, sometimes for days, when trees toppled and branches broke, obliterating power lines and transmission cables below. During the aftermath of the storm, an interesting query cropped up in the media-sphere. Did rampant egg-laying ..read more

  Ant or termite? Here’s how to tell. Elbowed antennae, a narrow waist, and forewings and hind wings that differ in size with a few strong veins are the hallmarks of ants, like these citronella ants that swarm each December at my home.   Let’s start the New Year with some unfinished business from the old. A few weeks ago, a short video appeared in the Bug of the Week email inbox from a concerned friend assailed by a horde of suspicious looking insects swarming near the front of his home. Dark amber in color, hyaline wings, vast numbers of insects scrambled near the house and took fl ..read more

  In parts of peninsular Florida and southern Texas, pretty Julia Heliconians brighten days year-round.   As the often-dreary days winter set in, you may be missing the antics and beauty of insects here in the DMV. Let’s take a quick trip to warmer climes to visit some gorgeous butterflies, longwinged heliconiids. Let’s head to Florida where several heliconiids reside or visit.  Heliconiids extract nutrients from pollen grains held in their proboscis. First on the list is the remarkable Zebra Longwinged butterfly, Heliconius charitonia. These beauties live up to six months. Ze ..read more

  Some adult giant bark aphids have wings and others do not. These are the largest aphids in North America.   This week we dive into the Bug of the Week mailbag to learn about some fantastic aphids discovered on limbs of a beautiful oak tree near the Chesapeake Bay. On the branch of a beautiful oak tree, giant bark aphids are tended by ants. This classic mutualism, with ants protecting aphids from predators and parasites and in return receiving honeydew from aphids, is a partnership found in several countries around the world. Image credit: Catherine Carr ‘Twas two weeks before Chr ..read more

  Several giant eyes help the red-backed jumping spider track its prey. Dazzling green fangs ensure prey don’t escape.   Spider egg sacs like these of the Basilica spider on holly sometimes inadvertently enter homes. December 2021 will be remembered for many reasons, not the least of which is supply chain shortages that plague shoppers this holiday season. In addition to shortages of electronic devices and automobiles, choose-and-cut Christmas trees are somehow in short supply.  Ah, but my favorite trusty tree farm had no shortage of trees and, in what has become a regular eve ..read more

  How do woolly bear caterpillars predict winter weather and survive winter’s chill?   The banded woolly bear turns into the pretty Isabella tiger moth. By virtue of the intimate relationship between weather and insect activity, folklore abounds about the ability of insects to predict meteorological events – when hornets build their nests high, a cold winter is on the way, when ants construct tall mounds, heavy rains are just around the corner, stuff like that. An annual preoccupation for many naturalists is taking a guess at what Old Man Winter has in store for us in the upcoming ..read more

  Just behind the beetle’s head, black markings form the letter M on Harmonia axyridis. This clue helps distinguish the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle from other species of lady beetles.   During the last week or so numerous reports of home invasions by lady beetles have surfaced with a modicum of confusion about what these creatures are. Misleading headlines like “Ladybug lookalike invading area homes” surfaced. For starters, let’s untangle the moniker thing. The beetles invading homes in many parts of the country during this season belong to a family of beetles called the Coccinel ..read more

Uh oh, fluffy white wax on the trunk spell trouble for American beech trees infested with beech bark scales. Autumn is the perfect season to explore Appalachian hiking trails and enjoy spectacular changes in foliage color as deciduous trees prepare to drop their leaves in preparation of winter’s chill. On a recent adventure to Savage River State Forest in Garrett County, Maryland, the westernmost county in the Free State, Fagus grandifolia, American beech, displayed its full glory sporting leaves of russet and gold. As I walked trails lined with these forest monarchs, I was surprised to see t ..read more

  Notice the feather-like hairs on the hind legs of the feather-legged fly, a native ally in the fight against brown marmorated stink bug.   Autumn is a perilous time for many beneficial insects as they strive to collect food reserves to help them survive the approaching winter. In last week’s episode we watched honeybees taking advantage of an unusual source of food, honeydew produced by spotted lanternflies. Premier late season nectar sources for honeybees and many other beneficial insects are native goldenrods, brilliant members of the aster family widely distributed in North Ame ..read more

  This little honeybee seems to know exactly where the honeydew will appear.   Back in September we visited spotted lanternflies as they continued their spread across the eastern United States. In the intervening weeks, several counties in Maryland, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts have reported new breeding populations of lanternflies. Recently, we visited infestations in Maryland and Virginia and were astounded not only by the sheer numbers of lanternflies but also by the gushing volumes of honeydew produced by adult lanternflies feeding on the bark of trees ..read more