Questions tagged [bugs]

All types of creepy crawlies which bite, agitate, or fascinate those enjoying the great outdoors.

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What spider is this? [closed]

I’m in the northern Dallas Fort Worth area. The spider was bigger than a silver dollar, it was massive. I could see its eyes down the trail on the pavement. It wasn’t an egg sack on its back that’s ...
Jacob Brown's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
91 views

What time of year are biting bugs out in Bon Echo, Ontario?

I'm planning a couple of cottage rental vacations in the Bon Echo, Ontario area this year. (canoeing, hiking, and picnicking) One vacation in spring before the bugs come out. And another vacation in ...
User1974's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
226 views

Is using an electric fly swatter outdoors frowned upon?

When hiking, occassionally there are areas with a ton of mosquitoes (near bodies of still water) or flies (near outhouses, or in the "toilet"). With bug repellent, I still get bitten a lot. ...
fejyesynb's user avatar
  • 113
1 vote
0 answers
80 views

What to do with a hibernating Queen Wasp/Bee [closed]

I'm not sure if this is the correct stack exchange or not - please redirect me if you feel another would be more appropriate. I was swapping out the wreath on my door this evening for a Christmas one ...
Pamela Kelly's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
224 views

What is this insect found swarming in my unmanaged garden?

I’ve an unmanaged garden outside my apartment. It used to have several shrubs and pine straw, but the owners ripped them out and now they just trim the weeds every few weeks. They trimmed a week and a ...
Thomas Markov's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
128 views

What is this insect?

Found several insects like this one on my apartment, size of a tick and only has a tail, or tongue, or tentacle, or antenna, or head. Any idea of what it is?
Jhon's user avatar
  • 11
0 votes
0 answers
96 views

What is this bug?

The bug is about the size of a ladybug its black with gold spots and legs? It also seem to have wings and seem to have a smell that's quite nauseating
Guest's user avatar
  • 1
2 votes
0 answers
106 views

Why do mosquitos prefer my right arm?

I just got back from a 5-day backpacking trip on the Superior Hiking Trail in northern Minnesota and the mosquitos were insane. Like a fool I didn't take the reports seriously enough before I went (...
samglover's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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What is this very small bug with two antennae and 6 legs?

In my bathroom, I keep finding these very small bugs. They have 6 legs from what I can tell, two antennae, and they look grey in color (although the picture makes them look more of a tan): They are ...
Timmy Jim's user avatar
  • 1,207
2 votes
1 answer
30k views

What is this very small bug with brown and tan spots?

Around my house I've been spotting these very small brown/tan spotted bugs: It moves quite slow, and doesn't seem to fly, only crawl (though it does look like it has wings). It's very small, not ...
Timmy Jim's user avatar
  • 1,207
0 votes
0 answers
178 views

Tiny, round black bug found in bed twice

I found a black bug like this on two separate occassions on my bed, both times about morning to midday. I live in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada though not near any major wooded areas. The first time I saw ...
Rob's user avatar
  • 1
2 votes
1 answer
225 views

What is this long brown bug

Seemingly out of nowhere a long insect creature appeared (jumped?) on my PC screen and startled me. Seems to have 6 legs and antennae. Moves slowly, but apparently has a very strong grip. Its size is ...
user23569's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
500 views

What is the least buggy time of year to travel to Michigan's Upper Penninsula?

I have been to the upper peninsula a number of times and some trips have been amazing, but some have been so swarmed with biting flies or smaller swarms of black flies that it was difficult to enjoy ...
progressiveCavemen's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
265 views

Is this a Tick or a spider? [duplicate]

I live in Lubbock, Texas and have never seen a tick in my life. I just moved to a town house that is more outside of town, so there are several cotton fields close by. I have a small dog who is on ...
Ashley's user avatar
  • 11
4 votes
1 answer
123 views

Is there data on how the 17-year cicada population (Brood X) emergence affects other species?

I live in Northern Virginia, the portion of Virginia that abuts DC and Maryland. We had a particularly large emergence of 17-year Brood X cicadas this past summer (summer 2021). I was here for the ...
ab2's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
150 views

What type of ladybug is this?

I found this insect, whatever it is, at first I thought it was a ladybug. But I think it's a carpet beetle. What does it eat? It doesn't eat raisins. And it's trying to escape. How can I make a ...
Mostafa Shaker's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
185 views

What kind of bug is this on my bed

Does anyone know what kind of bugs these are? I have only seen them twice on my bed but it only happens to be when I bring my dog inside.
Destiny Sellars's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
781 views

What Bug is this? Is it a Flea / Bedbug / Chigger / Mite?

I see these very tiny bugs on my walls at home. They are so small that it is very hard to notice unless you are extremely close to the wall and focus at a point. I was able to take a few photos. These ...
Neel's user avatar
  • 133
2 votes
0 answers
99 views

Do people have different reactions to biting insects from different regions?

I grew up in the U.K., but I moved (aged 34) to German three years ago. I fully understand that this may be solely my personal experience, but biting insects seem to affect me more strongly here than ...
Neil Tarrant's user avatar
16 votes
6 answers
6k views

How to deal with hordes of flies in outdoor toilets?

In countryside (rural) tourism, especially when it is single or few houses somewhere in the middle of nowhere (woods), instead of having a water system including proper bathroom one sometimes gets a ...
Matas Vaitkevicius's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
162 views

What specific species of grasshopper is this, and is it an invasive species that I should kill?

I just discovered a huge (6-8 cm, ~3 inches) insect in our potted Astilbe plant. As far as I can tell it's a grasshopper but I don't know which kind exactly. From what I can find in the Dutch species ...
Tinkeringbell's user avatar
2 votes
4 answers
346 views

What bug is this behind my drapes?

I decided to wash my drapes and when I looked behind the couch and the drapes I found a ton of these bugs. I'm freaking out that I might have a tick infestation. What are these bugs? Can they climb ...
Jenia Ivanov's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
3k views

Overtreated a backpacking outfit with permethrin. Safe to wear?

I purchased a spray-bottle of Sawyer 0.5% permethrin to treat some of my clothing in preparation for a backpacking trip. The spray nozzle turns out to have been quite a bit more generous than I ...
Conduit's user avatar
  • 233
2 votes
3 answers
1k views

Is there any repellent against cicadas?

I'd like to prepare for an oncoming emergence of cicadas. I saw one article say the following: Cicadas sometimes confuse the vibrations of power tools with the vibrations of the males. As a result, ...
pacoverflow's user avatar
5 votes
0 answers
140 views

My bees have a mite infestation but not sure whether they are Varroa Mites

There is a slight infestation of a type of mites (I'm not sure whether they are Varroa Mites). I would like to seek some expert opinion regarding this kind of mites that take over in the bee colony. ...
Charith Jayasanka's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
178 views

Rid your tent of insect stowaways

I recently unpacked a tent and discovered a dead scorpion. It apparently was folded into the tent on the previous hiking trip in Arizona. I always shake the tent to rid it of dirt prior to folding ...
Bookaholic's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
212 views

Found these bugs in bed, not sure what they are?

I found these bugs in the morning, my dogs bed is on our bed and he has a lot more in his bed than ours. He does not have any on his body so I decided to exclude fleas. They look like pieces of lint ...
Tyler's user avatar
  • 41
3 votes
1 answer
518 views

What is this bug please? species-identification

Hi, just found this bug and was curious if it was a tick or a beetle? Found on a bedroom pillow, Quebec, Canada, about 1cm long Thank you!!
Stephanie's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
402 views

What type of wasp or bee is this?

What type of insect is this? Is it dangerous to bees? I've seen them feeding on flowers, but I've also noticed that, on the same plant, when they're there the bees are not, and viceversa. The photo ...
Enlico's user avatar
  • 263
19 votes
2 answers
6k views

Identify this insect found indoors in Ireland with a double tail and antennae

About 6 months ago I noticed a new friend in my apartment. It lived in my bathroom and only came out during the night (not sure how it knows when it is nighttime if there are no windows in the ...
Dharman's user avatar
  • 293
20 votes
2 answers
3k views

What coastal creature leaves braid-like trace that has clear landing and take off points?

June 29 around 8 PM EST (within 40 minutes after downpour) the depicted trace was found in swash zone at Jacob Riis Park in NY. For reference the boot size is 12.
Alexander Betser's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
222 views

Where did all the stink bugs go?

I live near Pittsburgh PA, and I just saw a stink bug, possibly the first one I have seen all year. In the last couple of years they have been a major pest. Now they seem to be mostly gone. Where ...
James Jenkins's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
3k views

What attracts Spotted Lanternflies?

Where I work, there is a rather large population of Spotted Lanternflies around our office building. From what I've read, they are considered invasive species and quite a problem this year in ...
Timmy Jim's user avatar
  • 1,207
19 votes
1 answer
7k views

What is this red bug infesting some trees in southern Germany?

I've just recently moved to Europe (southern Germany), so this might be a common sight to someone who has been living here for longer. Yesterday I noticed dozens of these insects walking on the ...
undefined's user avatar
  • 461
6 votes
2 answers
860 views

When do insects normally hatch from insect houses?

I have a bug house and it looks as if several insects have laid in the house over the spring/summer. All of the bamboo seems to be clogged up and has been for a couple of months. Are there still ...
ChrisM's user avatar
  • 349
1 vote
1 answer
162 views

Effective black fly repellent

I am looking for solutions on how to effectively repel black flies while hiking or picnicking. In my experience, repellents that are effective against mosquitoes do not work at all with these ankle-...
oscilatingcretin's user avatar
8 votes
4 answers
37k views

What is this tiny round shiny black bug that bites?

Can anyone tell me what type of bug this is? I found two of them in my bed in Tennessee, United States. It's not a tick. The shell is hard. It was alive and you could see it moving. It's .016", ...
Terresa Morris's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
192 views

How well do mosquito clothing patches work?

They are said to be little patches that simply stick onto clothing, lasting for 12 hours. They are made from "natural ingredients" and DEET-free so I have my doubts. How well do they work?
Martin F's user avatar
  • 4,030
7 votes
2 answers
819 views

Using paddles to support a bug net

Would it be possible to use canoe paddles - and eventually some cords and beach stakes - to hang a bug net such as this? Our paddles will be about 2 meters (6.5 feet) long and can be split in half, ...
Dakatine's user avatar
  • 4,565
9 votes
2 answers
11k views

Is this tick or spider?

I found this bug in my back yard and walls outside of my house. Can you help me identify? I was worried if this is a tick.
user2958481's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
5k views

What kind of spider is this half dollar sized brown one with a darker brown body and a lighter brown strip down its back?

I found this spider yesterday running across a sidewalk next to a canal, it was bigger than a quarter and I think it was carrying an egg sack. Does anybody know what kind of spider this is?
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
26 votes
9 answers
10k views

How to keep bees out of canned beverages?

I drink canned beverages when I'm gardening and camping. I know several people who have ended up in the hospital due to swallowing bees that were stuck in their beverage (stung in the mouth). How do ...
User1974's user avatar
  • 581
7 votes
1 answer
133 views

Flying insects enjoying broccoli flowers

Do you recognize these flying insects that seem to enjoy broccoli flowers? I have several almond trees around, and bees are busy these days but I'm not sure these particular insects are of any ...
ammoun's user avatar
  • 173
5 votes
2 answers
388 views

What foods attract mosquitoes to your body, and what can you eat that will repel them?

I know that eating bananas is one way to turn yourself in to a mosquito magnet. The potassium in the bananas apparently attracts them to whomever eats them. Whenever I meet someone who says they ...
ShemSeger's user avatar
  • 53.3k
8 votes
2 answers
278 views

Best field remedy for small cockroach in the ear

What are best methods for non-medically-trained personnel to remove a small cockroach from their own or someone else’s ear?
mmcc's user avatar
  • 3,486
4 votes
0 answers
178 views

What is this just-hatched black caterpillar with white and black hairs, found in India?

Can anyone tell me which caterpillar this is? Its body looks black and it has hairs that are white and black, with a little bit of brown. It was on a utensil which was kept in a dark place. I ...
user64501's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
286 views

Are chiggers moving north, and if so, how do I protect myself against them?

I thought I knew every pest in our woods and on the trail to Great Falls National Park, and had been bitten by all of them, but I have never encountered chiggers. Not in our woods, not on hikes to and ...
ab2's user avatar
  • 22.8k
9 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is there any effective repellent against deer flies (Lipoptena cervi)?

Is there any effective repellent against deer flies (Lipoptena cervi)? It should be safe for humans as well as dogs. All related information I could find is about a different deer fly (Chrysops).
user avatar
9 votes
2 answers
1k views

How dangerous is a swarm of bees?

Sometimes, bees will split from a hive, and a bunch of them (including a new queen bee) will swarm, and move to build a new hive. As you can see, there is an awful lot of bees huddled together around ...
Charlie Brumbaugh's user avatar
25 votes
11 answers
13k views

How to fight bugs when hiking?

What's the best way to repel flies and bugs when hiking in summer? Where I hike is not really humid (southern California) but it's hot on summer days and a lot of insects and flies gather around me ...
doubleE's user avatar
  • 365