101
votes
Accepted
Can HIV be transmitted via mosquitos?
No, this is not possible. There are a few reasons for that, but most important are that the only thing a mosquito injects is its own saliva, while the blood is sucked into the stomach where it is ...
- 51.3k
81
votes
Accepted
What's up with this leaf?
That is the work of a leaf miner. A leaf miner is the larval stage of an insect that feeds on the inside layer of leaves. Notice how the galleries (tunnels) start small and then get larger as the ...
- 7,647
63
votes
Accepted
Insect identification - Is this a bedbug?
Unfortunately, you're the first I've seen on here actually to have a bed bug.
See this picture from University of Kentucky for comparison:
Here is one moving (more footage & info here):
Below ...
- 29.6k
45
votes
What kind of creature is this?
This actually looks like a Gaudy Sphinx caterpillar (Eumorpha labruscae). It only mimics the appearance of a snake!
You can find more information about this species here.
Range: Argentina north ...
- 29.6k
43
votes
Accepted
What do butterflies eat?
Adult butterflies don't eat! I mean.... not in the sense of chewing on food. They rather drink. They get their nutrients via ingestion of liquid substances. Their mouth consists of a long tube called ...
- 67.9k
42
votes
Accepted
What is this wasp killing insect?
Given the large eyes, the almost non-existent antennae, the humped back, elongated abdomen and the wings, I'd say it is a robber fly.
It is one of many insects known to prey on wasps.
Note the ...
- 24.5k
37
votes
Accepted
What is this bizarre looking animal we found in the forest? Bug identification
That is the caterpillar of a lobster moth (Stauropus fagi), family Notodotidae. It is mimicking a scorpion to help protect it from predation. An amazing insect.
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36
votes
Accepted
Why is a mosquito feeding on human blood not a parasite?
A mosquito is a biological parasite, it is not a medical parasite.
There are two definitions of parasite. A biological/ecological definition and a medical/physiological interaction definition.
A ...
- 14.2k
32
votes
Accepted
What is this yellowish insect?
It is the larva of Harmonia axyridis (Asian lady beetle).
The image posted by timbernasley is more accurate because the larva you have shown is in its late instar ,a stage not an early as this one.
...
- 8,784
29
votes
Accepted
Identification: Creepy 'nope'
That's some kind of mole cricket (Gryllotalpidae).
According to this website there's only three species found so far in Romania:
Gryllotalpa gryllotalpa
Gryllotalpa stepposa
Gryllotalpa unispina
It'...
- 736
28
votes
Accepted
Is this a hornet?
This is not a hornet, this is an Ichneumonidea wasp, which is a superfamily of parasitoid wasps with about 100,000 species. I would go so far as to think it is within the Ichneumonidae family and ...
- 10.5k
24
votes
What do butterflies eat?
Several species of the order Lepidoptera don't feed at all in adult form, surviving entirely on the reserves made while they were larva. Two examples I'm aware of are the Atlas moth (as well as most ...
- 883
24
votes
Accepted
What is the name of this biting bug?
It's a larva of a green lacewing (Family Chrysopidae). Yes, they can bite hard but you're not its intended victim and they're not only harmless but beneficial as they're aggressive predators of aphids ...
- 1,136
23
votes
Accepted
What is this grasshopper doing?
It's its ovipositor & it's trying to dig a hole to lay its eggs.
"How Do Grasshoppers Dig Holes to Lay Their Eggs? After breeding, female grasshoppers dig a hole in the ground in which to lay ...
- 801
22
votes
Accepted
How to get rid of mosquitoes in a small lake
There are a number of environmentally destructive methods that would be effective, including draining the lake, covering the surface with a continuous layer of oil, or adding toxins to the water, but ...
- 3,348
21
votes
Accepted
Do mantises stalk cicadas?
Yes, mantises hunt cicadas...
Mantis eating cicada. Source: Dreamstime.
...and yes, orioles hunt cicadas too...
Oriole eating cicada. Source: Bird Ecology Study Group.
.., and what may be more ...
- 52.3k
20
votes
Accepted
Why does black and yellow indicate danger?
First of all, great question! What you describe here is known as aposematism. Aposematism is the adapation of warning signals against the predator. This word is used for any sound, coloring, and odor ...
- 3,079
20
votes
Accepted
How do ants follow each other?
The chemical we are talking about here is called pheromone, trail pheromone to be specific.
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the ...
- 14.1k
20
votes
Accepted
Are some people more 'attractive' to mosquitos? If so, is that a hereditary trait?
There is a genetic component to mosquito's attraction to humans.
Female mosquitoes display preferences for certain individuals over others, which is determined by differences in volatile chemicals ...
- 14.2k
20
votes
What's up with this leaf?
This leafminer is a moth in the genus Phyllocnistis (Gracillariidae). If you knew what plant the leaf came from, the moth could probably be identified to species. The marginal leaf fold at lower right ...
- 301
19
votes
Accepted
I saw these patterns on a hill. Which insect makes such a pattern?
It could be an antlion. Antlions are a group of about 2000 species that can be found all around the world (including India). Antlions mainly live in the kind of dry areas you describe and that we see ...
- 67.9k
19
votes
Accepted
What animal/insect is this?
It is an insect of family Chrysopidae under the order Neuroptera (net-winged insects).
The insects of this family are commonly called Green lacewings.
Neuropterans have large lateral compound eyes, ...
- 8,784
19
votes
Accepted
What insect is this? (Central Africa)
It is a Rove beetle of the Genus Paederus.
Why Paederus sp.?
They are brightly colored rove beetles, Coleopterans with short elytra.
Have metallic blue or green-coloured elytra.
Have bright ...
- 8,784
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible