Anybody know what kind of bug this is?

[polo1665]

We have bunches of these around right now. They are flying insects of some kind. Look like a big mosquito, but they don't bite. They seem to be cleaning up the June bug population a bit, or at least the dead ones. Just kind of curious.

Someone asked about these last year..... I think.
Assassin Bug

Assassin Bugs & Ambush Bugs of Kentucky - University of Kentucky Entomology

 

[jimmyj]

Didn't Godzilla battle one of those once?

 

[JeremyL]

If it isn't doing any kind of harm, then it is just part of the food chain and should be left to go about it's business. If it is harming your plants, that will give you a clue about what type of insect it is. Wasps don't eat leaves.

I think it is an immature stage of an insect, but my only entymology class was 20+ years ago.

Good luck.

 

[jinman]

You can easily spot the good guys if you can catch them having lunch.

 

[polo1665]

You can easily spot the good guys if you can catch them having lunch.

Gotta love a Praying Mantis. Pretty impressive creature. See a few up here now and again. Sure wouldn't mind seeing more.

Mark

 

[waldersha]

Ok, so went to the experts. It is a Micropezidae (Stilt-Legged Fly) according to bugguide.net. Seems they don't hurt anything, well except for the bugs that they eat, so they are fine by me. Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.

 

[jinman]

Ok, so went to the experts. It is a Micropezidae (Stilt-Legged Fly) according to bugguide.net. Seems they don't hurt anything, well except for the bugs that they eat, so they are fine by me. Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.

On no, thank you! After this discussion, I noticed a couple of these critters in my garden. Thanks to you, I know the "definitive" answer that this critter is beneficial. I was just guessing before.

Unfortunately, it is hard to impossible to spray insecticide and not get the good guys along with the bad. I try to spray around blooms and blossoms to avoid killing bees, but I'm sure I kill a few of them and certainly a lot of ladybugs too.

 

[waldersha]

On no, thank you! After this discussion, I noticed a couple of these critters in my garden. Thanks to you, I know the "definitive" answer that this critter is beneficial. I was just guessing before.

Unfortunately, it is hard to impossible to spray insecticide and not get the good guys along with the bad. I try to spray around blooms and blossoms to avoid killing bees, but I'm sure I kill a few of them and certainly a lot of ladybugs too.

Well then, you are quite welcome. Just glad to know what they are myself.

You are absolutely right about spraying and killing stuff that you don't want to. I really try to avoid spraying anything if I can help it, but sometimes these things just set out to bother me.

Ladybugs are fine by me, but the last couple of winters we've had Asian Lady Beetles, which I guess are something different. They are crazy annoying and keep getting in the house. Those I wish would just go away.

 

[polo1665]

Ladybugs are fine by me, but the last couple of winters we've had Asian Lady Beetles, which I guess are something different. They are crazy annoying and keep getting in the house. Those I wish would just go away.

We have the same trouble with them here when they are growing soybeans around us. No soybeans, no Lady Beetles.

Mark

 

[tallyho8]

We have vast quantities of the Asian Lady Beetles in our area now too. There were none in Louisiana 20 years ago and they have increased in numbers unbelievably. The worse part about them is that they bite. The native ladybugs did not bite and I was quite surprised the first time one of these new ones bit me. They often fall off vegetation and down your back while you are bush-hogging.