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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #1 

Hi Y'all,

I feel so stupid, but I have to tell you this--I got my bugs mixed up and gave them the wrong parents.  These are not assassin bug babies--They're lacewing babies!  I apologize for my mistaken identity and needed to correct that error.

They're still cute little things and fascinating to watch.

When I mention assassin bugs as adults, that's what those really are--no mistaken identity there.

Since I've been calling lacewing larvae assassin bug larvae, I am correcting my posts.  Still the same bug, but I've called it the wrong thing.  Sorry about that.....  :( 

If you're interested, please see below:

This afternoon, I was looking at the fig babies and noticed one of those lacewing babies tooling around and decided to let it climb onto a piece of pinebark so it could be put up onto one of the fig leaves.

It got onto the bark just fine, but it wouldn't get back off. Every time I turned the bark to let it get off onto the leaf, it scooted back on top of the bark, so I turned the bark over to kind of gently scrape it off onto the leaf and it rolled over onto its back. Since the fig leaves are so hairy, the poor little bug got stuck in the hairs. I used a tiny twig to nudge it back over, but part of its camouflage was still stuck in the hairs.

Using my thumbnail, I nudged it around to herd it back to the debris it had lost in the hairs. When it ran into the debris, the bug stopped and began to put it back onto its back. They have pretty long pincers on their mouths and I could see it picking the debris up with the pincers and placing it onto its back. The debris had to be just so before it reached for the rest of the debris.

The baby even had picked up some ash to add to its camouflage. When they're burning off the sugar cane stubble, we will get black ash that floats around and gets onto everything. It could also be ash from someone burning off the marsh, not sure which.

The bug didn't seem scared, or upset with the goings on and just kept trundling off across the leaf. Reminds me of a teensy mechanical toy, or the Energizer Bunny.

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
satellitehead

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Posted Reply with quote  #2 
I loooove assassin bugs. Like praying mantis, assassin bugs are one of the best beneficial predators to have in the garden.
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Jason
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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #3 
Hi Jason,

Do they eat figs?  I've found quite a few of the adults chewing at the figs, but I'm wondering if they are searching for moisture and not actually eating the figs.  I don't mind sharing some figs with them because they are predators and so are the babies, which are a kick, walking around in their costumes of debris.  I feel terrible that I killed a few before I found out what they were.

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
satellitehead

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Posted Reply with quote  #4 
i don't know that they eat figs.  i have them on my tomatoes every year, they eat aphids and other predators, but don't touch the tomatoes. 

if anything, the sap of the fig seems like it would be both an irritant to predators and a great natural source of "glue" for camouflage.  this is the only sense i can make of them touching the figs.
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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #5 
The ones I've seen that appeared to be at the figs were the adults.  (Those bugs WERE assassin bugs that I'm talking about here.)  The last one I saw had its head in the eye of the fig and it occurred to me that it might be drinking the honeydew.  The adults don't like to be chased off a ripe fig.  They'll circle around and around the fig before they will get off the fig.

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
hoosierbanana

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Posted Reply with quote  #6 
Most of them have a nasty bite, even the babies, hurts and itches for weeks.  We have lots of wheel-bugs that are serious business and not to be messed with. Many members of the family also have stink glands so that's another good reason not to tangle with them.

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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #7 
Hi Hoosierbanana,

What is a wheel-bug?  Is that what the assassinbugs are?

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
genecolin

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Posted Reply with quote  #8 
Is that my friend Noss that's back in town. It sure has been quite around here with you gone. Just kidding V, I've missed you a lot and looking forward to some adventure stories as only can be told by you.
"gene"
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"gene"

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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #9 
Hello Gene!

We just got back home this afternoon and I'm still a "road zombie"--Absolutely numb.

It was a good trip and the time spent with "Mimi" was precious.  She's an amazing person.  She put up with us for almost two weeks and then wished we didn't have to leave so soon.  I've been so thankful for Mike's parents--Both of them being in-laws I wouldn't have traded for all the riches in the universe.  Dad passed on in 2005 and we will always miss him and his smart-aleck remarks that people from New Jersey would understand right away.  It's that New Jersey Lip.  He was so funny.  Mimi is such a trooper and takes things as they come, with a positive outlook.  She's a lot of fun to be with and is cheerful about everything--Even when she complains about something, she's not ugly about it.  I wish I had a temperament like hers.

Right now, I can't even think of any adventure stories that happened on our trip!  The only excitement I can think of at this minute was when Mike, Mimi and I went to see Barnegat Lighthouse on Long Beach Island.  There is a raised walk along the beach on the bay side of the island.  There is beach in back of it and rocks between it and the water, with a very sturdy metal rail along it.  Mimi started walking along with us and then realized that there was too much water around her and she went back and sat on a bench right at the lighthouse to wait for us to finish taking pictures of the water, beach and lighthouse.  She thinks she's going to drown if she gets into water over her ankles, so when she realized how much water there was around her, she didn't like that one bit!  When we were looking through family pictures, I saw one where she was in a lake (near the shore) with Mike when he was little and she was up to her knees in that water!  I really ribbed her about that one. 

Mimi was so excited to actually see the lighthouse right up close because she'd only seen it from a distance.  It looked like it had been freshly painted because there was no peeling paint anywhere that we could see.  It's white partway up and red the rest of the way to the top.  It's hard to take a closeup picture of a lighthouse, so Mike used the video feature on the camera and that worked very well.

We also ran over to PA to visit with one of my Yorkie friends and her husband and for me to get a good Yorkie "fix" and some Yorkie kisses.  That was a wonderful day.  Cindy and Larry have taken in several beautiful Yorkies after their owners had passed away and it was a feast for my eyes to be able to see such gorgeous dogs up close like that.  Cindy keeps them in full coat and they are just beautiful.

Our visit with Vasile was short, but very good.  The trees I won from him on eBay did very well and are looking good.  He's such a nice person and his little granddaughter is so cute.

We did some maintenance work that Mimi couldn't do herself, so no real adventures with this trip.

Our neighbor, who took care of watering the plants while we were away, did an outstanding job of it.  She had promised that she and here little Pug dog, Gus, would be sure to talk to the fig trees.  You should see the baby Hunt--the I grew from the broken off tip!  It grew so much that I hardly recognized it.  And the other trees looked good, as well.

When I walked down the block to thank her, I asked her what in the world had she said to the trees that they did so well.  She just glowed when I told her how good they looked.  She had worried about the Celeste because of the rust making the leaves look ugly and fall off, but felt better after I told her what was causing them to drop.

I will have to work on the rust problem over the winter.  I can see moldy spots on the branches and trunks.  I'm wondering if I should put some soap on the bare trees, or dormant oil to get rid of the mold and then spray them with copper solution.  That's for another thread, maybe.

:)  V
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
Dieseler

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Posted Reply with quote  #10 

Here is another Yorkie fix for you Noss.   ; )

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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #11 
Hi Martin!

That's a really cute little Yorkie and the other little one is cute, as well.  The Yorkie looks like he? she? has lovely color and texture of coat and a very pretty face.  What breed is the other dog?  It's too cute.  What are their names?

I never get enough seeing/being with Yorkies.  Dogs are my favorite creature of all, though I love animals in general.  I love all the waggles and snuffles and kisses and how they greet you like you've been away three days when you've only gone out to get the mail in and came right back.  I love how dogs make total fools of themselves over us with total abandon and never give it a thought.

Thanks for the great Yorkie fix and the pleasure of seeing the other little one.

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
hoosierbanana

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Posted Reply with quote  #12 
Howdy Noss,
Wheel bugs have a spiked hump on their backs like a wheel's spokes, they are in the same family as assassin bugs and shaped the same, but are much bigger. They move really slowly and are not that intimidating, you can pick them up safely by pinching the sides of their thorax from the top, but do not get under their front legs...

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 all of the victim's bodily fluids. The bite of a wheel bug is painful and may take months to heal (sometimes leaving a small scar), so caution is advised when handling them.

I thought it would be good to caution everyone about handling these types of bugs since I was bit by a wheel bug.  It crawled up my sock, and when i looked down to see what was there I saw that sucker do it's whole beak plunge thing into my ankle, worst bite ever for me.  The little tiny guys are not as dangerous but I would still not let them crawl on me, like I let jumping spiders do.
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Posted Reply with quote  #13 
Hi Noss n thanks
to answer  the Yorkie names is Romeo. A the breeders when we looking at the litter we picked him up and he immediately gave kisses - why his name Romeo. We bought him with limited papers which gave us access to his family history thru the AKC and had it sent to us , turns out its a nice bloodline he has come from.  My wife just wanted a family pet so limited papers is what she chose.

Luigi is a Lhasa mix adopted as a puppy from P.A.W.S where my wife used to volenter . He is a very smart dog and can catch rabbitts when we had the old wooden fence very very quick in his moves as he can zig zag in our very large yard just like a wabitt !
Romeo cannot zig and zag quite as well but hates birds and always goes after them.

Butch the 3rd  is the 3rd named Butch i have add thruout my life, first Butch live 16 then 2nd lived 15 and this the 3rd now 11 yeas old. He is a rot mix adopted from PAWS when 11 months old. A family oriented dog also but very mean to any outsiders. Having visitors over is hard because he reacts to any type of hand movements toward the family in an aggresive way.
As you know about dogs they all have a different personality and i could go on and on about how they play and relate to each other and who thinks is the leader in the house hold amongst them.
Course Butch if he wanted could have them for mini bite snack as he is the largest but gentle with them but once in a while lets Romeo know his place in the pack.

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noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #14 

Hi Hoosierbanana,

Thanks for the info on wheelbugs.  It sounds like that one that bit you was out for a BIG meal!  It sounds like they are related to spiders, liquifying their prey like that.  I'll have to Google them and see what they look up.  It's not likely I'll be picking up any kind of bug, but it's good to know how to pick them up if it were needed.

I knocked a leaf off of the Celeste, out front, today and one of those huge stinkbugs landed on me.  They are grayish in color and match the fig wood color, so I didn't see it.  Thankfully, it didn't "stink" me.  Those bugs look like they could bite, but I don't think they do, but they don't need to, with that stink they have.  My Yorkies would go after them, get stunk and then wonder why
I woudn't want them to lick me...

Hi Martin,

Thanks for reminding me of your dogs' names, info on them and for the picture of Butch, as well.  Have you read the book, Last Dog on the Hill?  It's about a Rottie mix and is a true story.  Romeo, no doubt, thinks he's bigger than Butch, since he's a little terrier.  Most of them just don't have any clue how little they are.  Good for your wife for going for the Ltd. Registration and volunteering at P.A.W.S.  It's always good to know about caring, responsible people.

It's obvious you take very good care of your dogs and love them dearly.  :)

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
noss

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Posted Reply with quote  #15 

Here we go again--Correction below...

Hi,

Thursday, I was moving the little fig trees back to the carport for the night, when I felt a slight pinch on my arm, near the inside of my elbow.  I looked down as I swiped at it and saw a teensy lacewing larva and it was biting me!  I couldn't stop in time and killed it, unfortunately, poor baby, but they're so ferocious I had to laugh.  I had evidently knocked it off one of the trees onto my arm and it took umbrage with me for it.  I wish I'd not killed it.  It's amazing how even the teensy ones put on their camouflage.

noss
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noss/a.k.a. Vivian Lafayette, LA Zone 9a Wish List: Col de Dame Blanc, Col de Dame Noir, Scott's Yellow, Tony's Brown Italian, any other fig that is good in the rain/humidity and has a real figgy flavor.
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