Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar

TaxonomyBrowseInfoImagesLinksBooksData
Photo#1513066
Strange symmetrcial form on tree branch - Arilus cristatus

Strange symmetrcial form on tree branch - Arilus cristatus
Springfield, Sangamon County, Illinois, USA
April 26, 2018
Size: About .5" across
This appeared on the tree in the backyard this morning.
It looks like a honeycomb but little tiny octagons. The whole thing is about a half inch across.
I am suspecting stinkbugs, or possibly wheel bugs.
I have raspberries, blueberries, planted and citrus trees in pots in the yard, so I would rather it were wheelbugs (allegedly a predator of stinkbugs) than the former because I understand they will prey on/ruin the fruit.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Well they hatched, and they'r
Well they hatched, and they're surprisingly colorful.
It was hard to get good focus because the gnats and chiggers are ravaging out there in the backyard already this year.
Its wall to wall bugs out there.
Still... does this confirm Wheel Bugs? Sure seems to.

http://oi65.tinypic.com/28u66u0.jpg

 
Yep
Those are Wheel Bug nymphs.

You're in central Illinois not south Texas
Worrying about Chagas there is probably equivalent to worrying about a shark attack. You have ticks and mosquitoes there, but not kissing bugs that defecate at their bite sites. If you start worrying about things that have maybe a one in a billion chance of happening you will drive yourself crazy.

They certainly look like Wheel Bug eggs, but...
...those egg masses are typically less than an inch across.

 
Hi yes, I was incorrect. It
Hi yes, I was incorrect. It is about 1/2 inch across.
How can I confirm? It appears that wheel bugs would be useful help control any would-be fruit raiders?

 
Given the size revision...
I'm fairly certain these are Wheel Bug eggs. They are most definitely not Stink Bug eggs, which look quite different.

 
My only concern is this:D
My only problem is this:

Do Wheel bugs bite people?
When disturbed, the wheel bug can inflict a painful bite. The bite has been described variously as worse than stings from bees, wasps, or hornets. Barber (1919) and Hall (1924) described in detail the effects of such bites. In general, initial pain often is followed by numbness for several days. (Google)

A concern?

 
No!
There is no concern at all about them biting you. Those cautions are for people that like to pick bugs up and hold them. They will NOT bite you if you don't treat them like a pet and hold them.

 
OK I have one more question.
OK I have one more question.
I think I have actually seen this bug before around the yard in past years, and have killed it (and hated to, because it was interesting looking) because it sort of resembled a kissing bug. It was close enough that the thought of Chagas disease just didn't make it worth risking.

If I see these around what do I look for to confirm the difference that the insect IS a Wheel Bug and NOT a Kissing Bug? Because they seem to resemble each other at least at some points in their life cycle.

 
-
I don't think they look that much alike, BUT I wouldn't kill either of them. When I make a list of the 1,000 things most likely to do me harm.... bugs don't make the list. You can't sterilize the world.

 
They look pretty alike here:
They look pretty alike here:
https://media.nbcdfw.com/images/620*349/is-kissing-is-not-kissing.jpg

In fact the wheel bug doesn't get its telltale "wheel" until the 5th molt, it says.
Understood but kissing bugs do creep me out, at least the thought of delayed onset heart failure after one crawls into my bed and poops on my lips(?) after sucking my blood while I'm sleeping just makes having them looking at me in my backyard a little uneasy lol.

Comment viewing options
Select your preferred way to display the comments and click 'Save settings' to activate your changes.