Black Field Cricket

One of the most common sounds of autumn is the call of the cricket in the family Gryllidae. These are known as the true crickets. The persistent chirping that these insects make drones on and on for what seems like an eternity; for some it is a sound that is almost musical. Their outdoor experience would not be complete without this beautiful chorus. For me however the sound these little ebony colored musicians play is akin to the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard. It is a brain piercing noise that makes my eyes twitch. So whether you love them or hate them one thing is for certain they are sure to be back each year.

The field cricket is a cold-blooded creature, just like all insects. They will take on the temperature of their surroundings. In essence what this means for the cricket is; the warmer the outside temperature, the faster and more energetic the he will sing. So in contrast when the temperature outside drops his chirping will slow down. Why do crickets sing in the first place? There are several reasons for all the noise. They advertise their presence to other males and chirp to warn them away, in theory it works like a no-trespassing sign “Keep out.” They also sing happily when they locate a particularly tasty food source. The most important reason for their singing is to attract nearby females with which to mate. With so many kinds of crickets out there how do they find each other? Each species has its own distinct call and females of their own kind can home in on the male’s song and locate the would-be suitor. How are they able to hear each other? They have special membranes located behind the middle-joint of each front leg, so essentially they have ears on their knees.

Mating takes place in the late summer or early fall. Females will use a long apparatus at the end of their abdomen called an ovipositor to inject, or deposit eggs within the soil. The eggs will stay protected within the soil all winter and hatch the following spring. The young nymphs are born looking very much like their adult counterparts, minus wings. As they feed and grow they will attain wings and reach their adult size by mid-summer. Crickets are omnivores and feed on a wide variety of foods including organic materials, decaying plant materials, fungi, and some seedling plants. Crickets will even eat their own deceased and weakened kind when there is no other food source available to them.

Crickets do have powerful mandibles (jaws) and can inflict painful bites, although these bites rarely break the skin. They are considered harmless to humans, as they do not spread any diseases or contaminate our foods. They can however be a nuisance, when they enter our homes. Sometimes they make it into our basements or worse yet our bedrooms. When one of these noisy creatures ends up in our bedroom I am up and out of the bed like a shot tearing apart the bedroom until I locate the trouble maker, all the while my husband is giving me the one-eyed, sleepy, what the heck are you doing look! I cannot sleep with one of these creatures chirping, I literally feel my eyeballs twitching with every chirp. To complicate matters, turning on the light to try and find it only makes the bug shut-up. Turn the light off, climb back into bed and it starts up again! GRRRR! After what seems like hours I finally track down the culprit and throw him outside (resisting the urge throw him in the toilet). There really isn’t any full proof way to keep them out of your house short of spraying chemicals along foundations to try and prevent them from coming in. Once the temperatures drop to freezing the crickets will die and it is up to eggs in the soil to carry on the next generation.

Crickets are found throughout history depicted in many cultures throughout the World. In China they are popular pets and are considered good luck. They are often kept in cages. In Mexico and Southeast Asia they are also used as a gambling or sports betting pastime. They are even considered a delicacy in Mexico and are consumed as part of their diet. In Brazil the singing of the cricket signals impending rain, or a financial windfall. In other parts of Brazil a black cricket in a room is said to predict illness within the household; gray one means money; and a green one signals hope. Still in other areas of Brazil they are killed immediately because of their association with death. In the United States cricket chirping is often used when a comedian tells a joke and it flops. Instead of laughter or clapping you hear the sound of chirping crickets. Walt Disney made one cricket very famous; Jiminy Cricket played the part of Pinocchio’s conscience, and continues to be the most recognized off all cartoon insects.

Crickets are nocturnal, and therefore typically only heard close to sundown and throughout the night. During the day they hide out under rocks, rotting wood, or in dense vegetation. It seems that their populations vary year to year. Some years they seem to be everywhere we look, and other years their numbers are small by comparison. These crashing populations could be victims of severe winter temperatures and ground freezing. They could also be victims of predation as there are many ground dwelling insect larvae that feed on the eggs of crickets. In years when these predators are more abundant then the cricket populations are sure to suffer as a result. Then the following year after a majority of the crickets have been consumed, the predator’s population will dwindle and the crickets rebound.

So while these noisy little creatures can be a nuisance and drive many of us crazy with their insistent singing, I have to admit being outside would not carry with it the same attraction without them. Sitting outside near a campfire, fishing and enjoying a starry night is made all the more special by the chorus of crickets in the background.

Batty for Bugs...or...Buggy for Bats

 Bats are mammals, and certainly not an arthropod, but I figured since they feed on numerous insects it would be okay to feature a couple of bats that came into my possession this past week. They have long been one of my favorite creatures. I've put up bat houses to encourage them to take up residence on our farm. So far they have not used the houses, but I do see bats feeding on the insects at the pole lights.

This face that only a mother could love belongs to an Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) and it showed up in a persons house in St. Joseph. Animal Control was called and rescued the bat. I received a phone call asking me if I would take it and find a safe place to release it. It is very difficult in the winter to rescue these little guys. Releasing them outside is obviously out of the question and not just any location will meet their requirements. The area must be cold in order to encourage hibernation, yet not too cold to freeze them to death. It cannot be too warm or it will encourage them to awaken and fly around. This activity will cause them to use up valuable fat stores and may result in them being unable to survive the rest of the winter. Fortunately on our farm we have such a location in the form of an old farrowing house. It is a large building with a peaked ceiling. We have a small amount of heat in the building to keep water lines from freezing. You can still see your breathe in the building. So I captured a few quick images of this little beauty and then quickly placed it in the farrowing house.

Evening bats are very common in the Southern half of the United States, and are often found with Big Brown Bats and Brazilian Free-Tail Bats. They very much resemble Big Brown Bats and are often mistaken for them. Evening Bats are smaller, uniformly dark brown in color, and have black ears, wings and tail membrane. Their nose lacks fur. They measure up to 3.5 inches in length and have a wingspan up to 11 inches. They weigh up to 1/2 ounce.  In the northern part of their range they are less common and will migrate to hibernation locations. Sometimes they travel great distances to reach these winter roosting sights. In Missouri they seem to use attics and other locations to spend the winter.This species is often seen roosting in towns and rural areas. Males will form harems and defend their females from other male Evening Bats. Females give birth to one or two pups. Occasionally three pups may be born. They seem to suffer separation anxiety from their mothers and are very vocal when their mothers are out of their sight. The young are ready to leave and fly at 20 days. In autumn the young males are cast out of the colony and may show up in odd places like the eaves of houses or outdoor stairwells.

 Large colonies (up to several hundred individuals) will be found roosting together in old buildings. Smaller colonies (up to 40 individuals) will roost under the loose bark of trees where they squeeze close together to accommodate the tight quarters. In early spring they come out of hibernation and begin foraging for insects early of an evening. They feed on beetles, leafhoppers, flies, moths and ants. Evening Bats are important predators of the Spotted Cucumber Beetle, making them a friend to farmers and gardeners alike. These particular bats often find themselves prey to feral cats and many are sacrificed to hungry wild kitties all over the southern states.

This tiny little bat is a Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus). This species is a member of the "Mouse Eared Bats (myotis) and were at one time the most common bat found in their range. There are reports however that claim their numbers are declining and they are becoming more difficult to find in the populations that they previously occurred. No one seems to know how or why this is. Is it a disease? Are they victims of predation? Is it loss of habitat and suitable roosting sights? Hopefully research will bring about the answers before their numbers fall too dramatically. This one too showed up in a persons house and needed rescuing. The gentleman at Animal Control wanted to know why bats were suddenly showing up in peoples homes, especially now during the coldest spell we've had so far this winter. I told him it could be one of several reasons. First being the actual cold that should keep them sleeping. It seems that at 30 degrees or warmer they rest contentedly. When the temperature drops another 30 degrees like it has this past week they become aggitated and begin  looking for warmer environs. This often leads to them finding their way into the living quarters of whatever dwelling they are roosting in. Second reason could be a disturbance of some kind. Perhaps loud noises or unusual activity awoke them and roused them out of their winters sleep. This too would result in them flying around and becoming disoriented and ending up in your house. Too many disturbances is dangerous for them. It is imperative they return to slumber quickly and with as little fuss as possible.

The Little Brown Bat species is very small at 2.4 -4.0 inches in length and a wingspan up to 11 inches. They weigh a mere 1/2 ounce. They have shiny pale brown to dark brown fur. Their coat is evenly covered, and the hairs on their toes extend to cover the toenails. This is a long lived species and may live up to 34 years, with males living longer than females.

Little Brown Bats roost in hot attics during the summer in colonies they may number up to 1,000 members. They will roost in bat houses and other man made structures in smaller numbers. They will even use dead or decaying trees as roosts. Their roosts will generally be located near water. They mate in the fall and the females will store sperm until the following spring. This ability to delay fertilization assures the pups won't be born while the mothers are hibernating.  The female will give birth to one pup sometime in May, June or July. They are born furless, and with their eyes closed. They will rest under their mothers wings during the day, then at night the mothers leave them in the roost so they can go out and forage for insects. They typically eat mayflies, crane flies, moths, gnats and beetles. They are capable of eating their entire body weight in insects in a single night.  Most hunting grounds are located near water, like ponds. They capture several hundred mosquito sized insects in a single hour. Pups are able to fly at 2 weeks of age, and will be adult sized in approximately 20 days. When fall returns they will seek their winter hibernation spots that may contain up to 300,000 individuals.

There are fourteen species of bats living in Missouri and each of them are insect eaters. We do not have vampire bats or fruit bats in Missouri. Therefore all Missouri bats are helpful to us by controlling insect populations. It has often been said that they eat thousands of mosquitoes in a single evening. While it is true that they are capable of eating mosquitoes, they however prefer larger prey insects like moths. The larger the insect the more energy and calories gained. It is kind of like showing up at a buffet and choosing to eat a salad. Does any of us really do that? Nah, of course not.....

 Bats do however carry rabies, and this is a very real threat. Approximately 40 cases are reported annually in Missouri of bats that test positive for rabies. Considering there are millions of bats living in Missouri this is a relatively low number. There are about 1/2 of 1 percent of bats that carry the virus. Bites typically occur when people find a bat out during the day and handle the bat, or they handle one that mistakenly makes its way into your home. Never under any circumstances handle a bat that is out during daylight hours, instead call your local Animal Control Center. If one makes it into your home, use caution and never try to handle one without sufficient gloves. It is best to call Animal Control.

Our local Animal Control has me on their call list to take bats for release and rehab. I have completed training through a licensed Wildlife rehabilitation Center and have my name listed with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

There is no reason to live in fear of bats, they are one of the cleanest animals in existence. They spend a huge amount of time grooming themselves. The chance of rabies infection is low, and they provide valuable insect control. Lastly they are just plain cool!!!!

Fruit Flies

There are two families of fruit flies, Tephritidae (pictured here) and Drosophilidae. Fruit flies in the family Tephritidae are large, colorful flies with elaborate wing markings and are sometimes referred to as Peacock Flies. There are over 5,000 species of fruit flies in 500 genera. Therefore there is no shortage of specimens to study. Many fruit flies cause significant damage to agricultural crops, especially fruit trees. One species Bactrocera oleae targets Olive Trees and when they invade an olive grove they have the potential to destroy the entire crop production. Most of the species that wreck havoc on crops are within this genus (Bactrocera).

Females lay their eggs in the plant tissue of a wide variety of plants, when the eggs hatch the young maggots begin feeding on the soft tissue of the plants. In large numbers these flies can cause substantial financial loss for agricultural producers. Other species are considered beneficial because of the preference for preying on other species that are causing the damage. Most of these flies have very short lifespans and only live up to one week or less.

I find these flies occasionally near our garden, and they are most likely after the veggies growing there. We have never found them in large numbers, generally just a few once in awhile. I think they are one of the most beautiful flies I've ever seen. They are exceedingly difficult to photograph and be able to do all those brilliant colors justice.

Then there are the pesky little fruit flies in the family Drosophilidae, these are the tiny little flies that magically appear in our fruit bowls. It doesn't seem to matter if the fruit is fresh or on its way to the compost bin, they are there flying around, landing on the fruit, hovering near our eyes. Where do they come from? Are the eggs in the fruit when we purchase it? Are they hiding out in our homes just waiting for the tempting aroma of fruit to appear? It really is a mystery, and one that I have never been able to solve. We've always called them gnats because of the diminutive size. They are dark in color and have bright red eyes. Because of their tiny size seeing these fine details can be difficult.

 (internet image)

For all their annoyances, these are really one of the most beneficial flies that exist, to science at least. These flies have long been studied in laboratories all over the world. They are easily kept and only require small containers to be kept in, and a little water. They complete their lifecycle in about 10 days making research much more rapid. Then there is the added advantage that very few if any people will object to scientific studies being done to a mere insect. About 75% of known human diseases have genome matches in the common laboratory fruit fly. This makes them significantly helpful in solving many of the mysteries surrounding common and maybe not so common diseases that plaque mankind. They are being used as a marker in the study of Parkinson's, Huntington's, Alzheimer's, diabetes and many forms cancer just to name a few.


Next time we swat at those pesky fruit flies perhaps we should gives thanks for the all the good they do for us.....and just maybe we should consider it is worth losing a little fruit....

Eight-Spotted Tumbling Flower Beetle

This wedge shaped little bug is the Eight-Spotted Tumbling Flower Beetle (Hoshihananomia octopunctata) and they are found throughout Eastern North America. They are easily overlooked because of their diminutive size and at just 1/4 of an inch in length it is easy to see why. The wings and thorax are dark with distinct yellow markings. The head is flattened and wide and the abdomen comes to a point. They are found most anywhere flowers are found including gardens, meadows, prairies along roadsides and open fields. The adults eat pollen and nectar especially that of Queen Anne's Lace and the larvae apparently eat the plant material on which they are reared. Very little is reported on their lifecycle, although it is known that the female will lay her eggs on or near decaying pithy wood of hardwood trees. The resulting offspring feed on this decayed wood or on the fungus associated with the dying tree.

 

(Photo by: Steve Scott)

These beetles get their common name from their habit of "tumbling" off flowers and feigning death when disturbed.

Bean-Leaf Beetles

This tiny beetle is a Bean-Leaf Beetle (Cerotoma trifurcata). They are up to 1/4 of inch in length and can vary in color from red to yellowish-tan as pictured here. They will generally have four rectangular shaped spots on their elytra (wings). 

Because there is so much variation in the appearance of this beetle, including specimens that are free of the rectangular spots, that the most reliable source of identification is the triangular black marking at the base of the thorax where the wings attach. This marking is ALWAYS present on this species and will accurately help you identify them from other species of bean beetles. This particular species is found throughout the Eastern United States, parts of Canada and Mexico.

They overwinter as adults and become active in the spring with the return of warm weather (50-55 degrees). Soon after becoming active again they will begin feeding on the early foliage of soybeans and other legumes. If the spring is wet and cooler and planting of soybean crops is delayed until after June first, the chances of the first generation of these beetles becoming established is greatly reduced. Successfully bred females will deposit their eggs in soil and after hatching will feed on the roots of the plants. A single female is capable of producing up to 200 eggs. This root feeding does not usually cause significant damage to the crops, instead it is the late season feeding of the adults on the plants themselves that causes the biggest problem for soybean farmers. These adult beetles attack the foliage and the pods, and a veritable feeding frenzy will occur once the pods begin to dry out in August and September as the pods are tender and tasty, something any self-respecting adult bean-leaf beetle cannot refuse.

 Originally they were a secondary pest of soybean crops, but by the 1970's their numbers had begun to increase exponentially and they are now tied for second place as an important pest of soybean and other legumes. There are even reports of this species transferring its feeding preference over to pumpkins.

(Damage of feeding adults on soybean pods--picture taken from University of Missouri)

This intensified feeding of the adults can cause moldy beans by enabling infection to spread through micro-organisms present at the feeding sights. These micro-organisms is what leads to moldy beans. This mold may lead to incomplete development of the bean,it may also allow the beans to adhere to the pod which are then lost during the harvest process, and the presence of mold can greatly reduce the quality of the harvest and leads to dockage when selling. They are capable of having up to three generations per year, although there is only two generations in Missouri. The first and second generations are the ones most likely to cause the moldy beans syndrome. Even though late planted fields generally won't be attacked by the feeding of first generation adult beetles, they still are not free from harm as the possibility of first and second generation beetles migrating into these fields from nearby fields is a very real threat.

Early sweep netting of soybean fields can help determine the presence of these beetles and to what extent the infestation is. If there are two or more beetles per sweep and 15% or more of damage to plants, then a rescue treatment may need to be applied to the plants to offset any further damage.

Rose-Haired Tarantula

Chilean Rose-Haired Tarantulas do not call Missouri home, except maybe as someones pet; as in this case. I bought the one pictured here several weeks ago from a local pet store for $17.00. They are native to Chili and for many years were imported by the thousands to the United States. Chili ceased all importation of these spiders and now all Rose-Haired Tarantulas are from breeding stock already in the United States.  These  tarantulas are often recommended for people who wish to own a tarantula but have no experience with them. It is relatively easy to locate a breeder and often they are available at your local pet store.  They are generally gentle by nature, relatively slow moving for a spider and beautiful to look at. The cost is low in comparison to other tarantulas, mostly because of their commoniness and their hardiness in captivity.  This is the second species of tarantula that I own, the first being the Oklahoma Brown which is native to Missouri. 

These tarantulas are considered a mid-sized tarantulas with a legspan up to 5 inches. Males will usually have longer legs and furrier bodies than females. Some even claim that the males are more colorful, but this is probably not true, simply because there is so much variation in the breed. In fact the variation is so complex that many say there are three species of Rose-Haired Tarantulas, depending upon color formation.  Grammostola rosea would be the standard Rose-Haired with the black or dark brown body and pinkish colored hairs. Then there is Grammostola cala which has reddish colored hairs, and lastly is Grammostola spatulata, which has brownish colored hairs.

This is consequently one of the most difficult spiders to identify to species. There is so much speculation as to whether or not each color morph should be considered its own individual species, plus the species itself has gone through numerous name changes. 

These tarantulas are one of the easiest to keep in captivity, they  require little room and only moderate humidity levels. They like a little hide to be able to crawl into and a few crickets or grasshoppers each week. They are easy to handle, just place your hand in front of them and gently coax them onto your hand. 

 (Rosy eating her cricket)

They do stress easy so handling should be kept at a minimum. Occasionally if they are feeling particularly cranky they may flick their abdomen hairs. If there is a bald spot on their "rump" it is a pretty good indication that they have recently been stressed. If mine begins flicking hairs I leave her in peace and handle her another day. Just like us humans, they have days where they just don't feel like being messed with. Your spider won't remain bald, it will eventually shed its skin and reveal brand new beautiful hairs where previously there were none. 

Shedding is a difficult time for a tarantula. The process begins many weeks before the actual shedding. It starts by growing new skin underneath the old skin that will be shed. They may act lethargic and stop eating at this time. When they begin molting they will flip onto their back (so don't be alarmed if you see this, your spider hasn't died). From this position it will slough off its old skin, including the inside of its mouth, respiratory organs, sexual organs and stomach. So you can see where this would be an extremely trying time for the spider, but if the humidity level is correct within the enclosure all should go well and within minutes the old skin will be shed. They will be very vulnerable  at this stage. Their new skin is soft and delicate and must harden, which depending upon the size of the spider may take a couple weeks. Smaller spiders require less time to harden their skin than do larger spiders. During this time, the spider will most likely not feed. 

It takes these spiders approximately 3 to 4 years to reach their full adult size. It is at this time that they may breed in the wild. Males will begin by producing sperm webs indicating he is ready to breed. If you have a male and female in captivity you may try placing them together at this time and see if the female is receptive to his attentions. That is if you wish to have little baby tarantulas (more than 500 at a time). Males will seek out the female and tap a little dance with his legs to lure her out, he will then pounce on her and use his front legs to lift her chelicerae out of the way so he doesn't become her next meal. He can also lift her almost completely onto her hind legs from this stance allowing him access to her epigyne so he may deposit his sperm. If she is fertilized; within a few weeks she will produce an egg sac that may contain more than 500 spiderlings. Usually the male will die shortly after a successful mating, unless of course the female kills him first. 

If you have been thinking about owning a tarantula, let me recommend this docile, beautiful creature as your first foray into the world of tarantulas, you won't be disappointed.

Bee Fly

Bee Flies are very unusual looking insects....all legs and beak. Their bodies are covered in dense hair that gives them a fuzzy appearance. They are in the order Diptera and family Bombyliidae. The name Bee Fly is a very apt name for these hovering bee-like insects. They move very rapidly and rarely stay in one place very long. The ones here were photographed on a Bradford Pear that was blooming this past April. All manner of insects were attracted to the tree as nothing else was in bloom yet. Not only were the bee flies eating their fill of nectar, but so were hover flies, honey bees, paper wasps and ladybugs.

There are hundreds of bee fly species Worldwide and many of them live in the United States. I noticed at least two different species nectaring that the pear blooms. They proved quite difficult to photograph. I brought out the 8 foot step ladder and placed it near the tree. I climbed the ladder and sat on the very top rung, right amongst the blooms and buzzing insects. Insects darted and flew past my head on their way to tastier booms. Each time the bee fly would come into camera range, it would dart off before I could line up the shot. After about 2 hours I managed a half dozen decent shots.

These flies can be found in gardens, meadows, parks, prairies, in scrubby areas with native wildflowers, and even near cropland edges. Two years ago I spotted a pair of these flies hovering around in field corn stubble at the edge of the field. I chased them all over the place and never did manage to get a picture. I will be back out next spring trying once again to capture some images of these flies.

After mating, the female will seek the nest of bees and wasps or even the egg pods of grasshoppers to lay her eggs near. When the eggs hatch the larvae must seek the bees, wasp or egg pods on which to attach themselves and feed. Some species feed on blister beetles and even butterflies. This family of flies is considered neither beneficial nor injurious as they feed equally on harmful and helpful insects.


Look closely at what hovers about your flowers and maybe you will find yourself lucky enough to spot these unique and rapid fliers among the blossoms.

Soybean Leafminer

This adorable little red beetle is a Soybean Leafminer (Odontota horni). I had taken this photo last spring and subsequently forgot about. While sorting through photos tonight I came across it and realized I did not have an ID on it. I posted it to Facebook and within minutes Margarethe Brummermann of Arizona provided an accurate identification for me. If you have not visited her blog, please take a few minutes to do so, she is an amazing photographer and artist and has a true passion and knowledge about the natural world.

These little beetles are found throughout Missouri, typically near soybean fields. They are not known to cause an significant damage to soybean crops, and are usually found near the field margins. The adults nibble at the leaf tissue causing a skeletonized appearance to the leaves. The larvae of these beetles "mine" the leaves, creating a blister-like damage between the lower and upper leaf surfaces. The soybeans generally are not adversely affected by the feeding habits of these beetles. There is some risk that they may pass along bean pod mottle virus. In some areas there is as much as 80% damage by this pathogen that is passed on to the plants by these beetles.

(Damage caused to soybean leaf, by soybean leafminer: photo taken from IAState University website)

This species is small at about 1/4 of an inch in length, they are brick-red with a black stripe down their back that does not extend to the wing tips. There is a similar species called the Locust Leafminer (Odontata dorsalis) that is also found in Missouri. They are also reported to sometimes feed on Soybeans, but much more often they feed on the food source they are named after, the locust trees. This beetle is also red, but the black stripe widens and extends all the way to the wing tips. Look at the first two beetle photos and compare it to the last one and the difference are obvious. It would however be easy to mistake one species for the other without having both in hand to compare.

Some of our most beautiful insects are often the easiest to overlook, keep your eyes peeled for the tiny species, as they often are some of the most remarkable in coloration and design.

(Locust Leafminer: photo by Tom Murray)

Green Bottle Flies

Green Bottle Flies are in the genus Lucilla and range Worldwide. These are small flies measuring up to 3/8 of an inch. They are bright metallic green or golden with black markings. They have three horizontal grooves on the thorax and bright reddish colored eyes. These flies are associated with animals and can be found most anywhere, including farms, stockyards, rural areas, as well as urban and suburban areas.

These flies are prolific breeders and will have numerous generations per year. Mating takes place soon after the flies emerge from their pupal stage. The female will lay eggs on carrion or in the wounds of animals. The eggs hatch in 12 hours or up to 3 days later (depending on the outside temperature). The little maggots feed on carrion and reach full size anywhere from 2 to 10 days. At this time they will drop to the ground and burrow into the soil to pupate. In a few days the newly formed adult will emerge from underground and begin the cycle all over again.

 How do you tell a male fly from a female fly? Males have eyes that touch, females have wide set eyes.  ( Therefore the one pictured in the first and second pictures is a male)

The adults of this fly feed on sweets, especially nectar or picnic favorites like soda pop.
It is best to keep them away from food meant for human consumption. These flies are capable of spreading disease. They crawl around on manure, and dead carcasses, then fly to Aunt Junes' potato salad and bring with them whatever they may have picked up while crawling around on those unsavory piles of poo and carrion. This in turn can spread very nasty germs to our food, then on to us as the consumer of the potato salad. Best to be careful, and keep food covered as much as possible.

This particular species was bred in captivity for "Maggot Therapy". What is maggot therapy, you ask? It is a  very disturbing medical treatment that involves placing the maggots of these flies on necrotic wounds. The idea behind this is the fact that maggots only consume things that are rotting or already dead. Therefore they clean up the dead, unhealthy flesh of a wound that refuses to heal. While it might make our skin crawl (literally) to imagine anything so unsettling, if it meant saving your life I bet you could do it. With todays modern antibiotics the use of maggot therapy only occurs in extreme situations.

Flies are rarely anyone's favorite insects; they can be annoying as they hover around our faces, or our food. They invade our houses and drive us crazy as they fly around and buzz their whining little wings near our ears. They seem to have developed super fast reflexes and can dodge our attempts to swat them with flyswatters. For all the bad that is associated with flies, I need to point out there is much good as well....the maggots aid us by consuming the rotting and dead flesh of animal carcasses, and maggot therapy has saved numerous lives. Overall flies aren't the bad guys that we often make them out to be.

Spotted Apatelodes Moth

This grandfatherly-looking caterpillar is the offspring of a Spotted-Apatelodes Moth(Apatelodes torrefacta). The caterpillars can vary in color from gray (pictured), to yellow or even white. There are tufts of black hairs and black spots along their side, which aren't readily visible because of the fluffy nature of this caterpillar. There are many fuzzy caterpillars crawling around outside and most of them are the larvae of Tiger Moths and we call them Wooly-Bears. So how do we tell the difference? This species has hair that lays flat along its body, rather than sticking up wily-nily all over its body like other caterpillars, this one also features those long black tufts of hair.I read one report that claimed they have bright orange feet; how I wish I would have flipped this one over to see that!

As adults; the puzzle grows even more, whereas the young favor tiger moth caterpillars, the adults favor sphinx moths. When I first spotted this moth on the grass in our front yard I thought it was a Sphinx moth, although I had no idea which one. I sent this image into Bugguide and within minutes it was identified as the Spotted-Apatelodes Moth. They are in the family Bombycidae, which are silkworm moths. These differ from the  Giant Silk Moths like Luna Moths and Cecropia Moths in several ways......

For one thing they are much smaller(wingpan up to 2 3/4 inches), but also one member of this family are the producers of the silk we humans have come to favor. (Bombyx mori) are native to northern China and have been used extensively in the production of silk for over 4,500 years. These caterpillars are no longer found in the wild and are bred entirely in captivity. They are fed a diet of Mulberry leaves.China continues to be one of the top manufacturers of silk. 

The Spotted-Apatelodes is closely related to the Silkworm Moth that is used in silk production.

The spotted-apatelodes caterpillars feed on Cherry, Ash, Maple and Oak. There is also documentation that they feed on other fruit trees as well.  The adults are not reported to feed, nor could I find any
information of their lifecycle beyond one report that stated mating takes place in the summer and the caterpillars will overwinter in the pupal stage. In their Southern most region they may produce up to 3 or more generations per year.
In their Northern most range they will only have one generation. They can be found in deciduous forests and nearby areas, presumably where the host plants would be found.

While doing my research on this species, I visited the www.butterfliesandmoths.org (BAMONA) website and discovered that there were no reported sightings for this moth in Missouri. I contacted our regional representative for BAMONA and told him about my finding this particular species in NW Missouri and sent him this picture. He thanked me and assured me it would be added to the data base.

(Last two caterpillar pictures were taken by Lindalee Brownstein, in Columbus, Ohio. Thank you Lindalee for sharing your beautiful images of a spectacular caterpillar.)