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Ambush bugs
Bluff Spring Fen, Elgin IL USA
I think ambush bugs are fascinating. They're like tiny armored vehicles or mini-dinosaurs.
"BUGGED" is about AGGRAVATION.
IT'S ABOUT BEING HASSLED and HOUNDED and BITCHED AT. It's about every little AND BIG PROBLEM that continuously shadows us during our lives.
Like the buzzing of a mosquito in your ear at night, these problems and hassles and often, PEOPLE ... will not leave us alone! Thus, we are "BUGGED!"
It’s that time of year when stink bugs think they should be living inside the house. This one was on my office window back in April 2016. The ones that enter get gently picked up with a tissue and escorted back outside.
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Don't really do bugs or Macro but couldn't resist this little chap. He decided to get in the boot of the car while I was cleaning it.. he would have been splodged but I carefully removed him to a plant following his photoshoot, always grateful for a subject!
Camera: Canon 6d
Lens: 4x microscope objective lens
1 flash + DIY diffuser
113 images stacked by ZS, retouched by LR, PTS
The wheel bug (Arilus cristatus), in the family Reduviidae, is one of the largest terrestrial true bugs in North America, being up to 1.5 inches (38 mm) in length. A characteristic structure is the wheel-shaped pronotal armor. They are predators upon soft-bodied insects such as caterpillars, Japanese beetles, etc., which they pierce with their beak to inject salivary fluids that dissolve soft tissue. Because most of their prey are pests, wheel bugs are considered beneficial insects. The are as beneficial to the garden as ladybugs. They are notourious for eating stinkbugs.
Wheel bugs are common in eastern North America, although many people in the region have never seen them. They are camouflaged and very shy, hiding whenever possible.
Wheel bugs are highly regarded by organic gardeners because they consume a variety of insects and their presence indicates a healthy, pesticide-free ecosystem.
The wheel bug has a characteristic dorsal crest, shaped like a wheel or cog. It moves and flies slowly, and in flight produces a noisy buzzing sound. As with other assassin bugs, its proboscis arises from the anterior end of its long, tubular head and unfolds forward when feeding. The bug plunges its beak into its victim, pinning its prey with its front legs. It then injects enzymes into the victim, paralyzing it and dissolving its insides, and proceeds to drain the resulting fluids. The bite of a wheel bug is very painful and may take months to heal (sometimes leaving a small scar), so caution is highly advised when handling them.
The wheel bug is also noted to be very vicious in the wild, and cannibalistic behaviors between them have been noted; for example, nymphs may prey on one another and the female may feed on the male after mating is concluded.
It possesses two scent glands (red-orange in color) that can be everted from its abdomen, usually in reaction to being disturbed. The scent produced by it is not as powerful as that produced by the stink bug, but is still strong enough to be detected by humans.