For Tim (tpe) Wheelbug

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salden
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:40 pm
Location: Pennsylvania
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For Tim (tpe) Wheelbug

Post by salden »

Image

This is the wheelbug that got the hummingbird moth (another post) that you asked about. This time he was on the fence post next to my butterfly bushes (where the moths hang out).
Sue Alden

tpe
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Location: Copenhagen Denmark

Post by tpe »

Wow, thank you very much Sue. This is a wonderfull bug. They are morbidly facinating. Quite frankly they frighten me, that there are some that carry trypanosomiasis, and crawl up on your face in the night to suck blood, and just that they can stick that beek in to things, although how they manage is a mystery to me they must hold on tight to get the leverage?

How big is this monster? Can you get near them, did it react to you or ignore you, and can these things bite humans (and do they travel well in the post, J/K). They look like they don't move too much but to take a hummingbird moth is quite a feat, even with a butterfly net, so must be pretty agile and with their predetory behaviour I imagine they are pretty tricky to get so close?

Pennsylvania must be a fantastic place to live I went for a walk today to try and collect some specimines to get a shot of, but got nothing other than a harvest spider and a ladybird larvae. Perhaps it is time to move :).

tim

salden
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Joined: Thu Jul 27, 2006 1:40 pm
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Post by salden »

They are around 1-1/8 inches to 1-3/8 inches (28-36 mm). It will "stab" you and it is rather painfull from what I hear. So far I cannot speak from experience on this and I hope that I never get to that point.

They seem to move slow and hide under leafs. They do not hide from me, but rather seem to be interested in what I am doing.

I do have a variety of insects in my garden. I just wished I had more time to spend in it. Everytime I go out, I always find something else to photograph.
Sue Alden

jmlphoto
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Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:09 am

Post by jmlphoto »

the saw like back looks really cool with the serrations, id love to see one of these around just hope it doesnt bite me.

beetleman
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Location: Southern New Hampshire USA

Post by beetleman »

I remember seeing a show on the Discovery channel about blood sucking animals and they showed a Hemiptera (true bugs) crawling on a persons face at night and sticking the proboscis in the persons lip and sucking blood. Was in central America I think. :shock: Thats why most are called "Assassin Bugs" http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2082.html
Take Nothing but Pictures--Leave Nothing but Footprints.
Doug Breda

Ken Ramos
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Post by Ken Ramos »

You know when I lived in California, I used to stay up late on Saturday night to watch the horror movies, mostly the old ones that were in black and white and the wolves always howled in them, though some were in color (Hammer Productions), don't know if many of you remember them or "Wolfman Jack." How about "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark?" Anyway what does all this have to do with Sue's "Wheel Bug?" Well, I don't have to watch horror movies anymore before bed time. I just read these forums! :shock: :lol:

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