Archives: My Crazy Name

A dragonfly is a fast-flying, predatory insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera, known for its four transparent, independent wings and massive compound eyes that provide nearly 360-degree vision. They are among the world’s most successful hunters, with a capture rate of up to 97%. [1, 2]

Key Characteristics

• Aerial Predators: They hunt other flying insects like mosquitoes, flies, and even smaller dragonflies in mid-air.
• Exceptional Vision: Their eyes are composed of up to 30,000 individual lenses (ommatidia), allowing them to see in high-definition and detect movements far faster than humans.
• Fast & Agile: Some species can reach speeds of 30–36 mph. They can fly in six directions—up, down, forward, backward, and side-to-side—and even hover.
• Ancient Origins: They have existed for over 300 million years, predating dinosaurs. Prehistoric ancestors had wingspans as wide as 75 cm (2.5 feet). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Dragonfly vs. Damselfly

While often confused, they can be distinguished by these features:

• Resting Posture: Dragonflies hold their wings out horizontally (like an airplane), whereas most damselflies fold them closed along their backs.
• Eye Position: Dragonfly eyes are huge and usually touch at the top of the head; damselfly eyes are smaller and separated.
• Body Shape: Dragonflies have shorter, bulkier bodies; damselflies are much thinner and more delicate. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Life Cycle

Dragonflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis (no pupal stage): [1, 2]

1. Egg: Laid in or near water.
2. Nymph (Naiad): The aquatic larval stage can last from several months to five years. They are fierce underwater predators that breathe through gills in their rectum.
3. Adult: The winged adult lives for only a few weeks to months, focusing primarily on mating and laying eggs. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Would you like to know which specific species are common in your area, or are you interested in how to attract them to a garden pond?

Dance Flies are sometimes called ballerinas or Ballerina flies.

“Dance fly” is the primary name for a family of insects known for their intricate mating rituals.

However, “Ballerina” is often used as a creative term for these same insects.

The Dance Fly (Insect)Members of the family Empididae are commonly called dance flies because of the way males gather in swarms and fly up and down in a rhythmic, dance-like motion to attract mates.

Courtship Gifts: In many species, the male must bring a “wedding gift”—usually a smaller insect—to the female to initiate mating.

Balloon Flies: Some are also known as balloon flies because they wrap their prey in a silk ball before presenting it. Ballerina Reference: Some observers informally refer to them as “black dancing ballerinas” due to their graceful aerial movements.

Deer flies (genus Chrysops) are small to medium-sized biting insects in the horse fly family (Tabanidae) that are notorious for their aggressive behavior and painful, persistent bites. Unlike many other insects, they primarily hunt by sight and are attracted to movement, dark colors (especially blue), and carbon dioxide. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Key Characteristics & Identification

• Appearance: They are roughly 0.25 to 0.33 inches long (smaller than horse flies) with yellowish-brown to black bodies.
• Wings: Their wings are distinctive, usually clear with prominent dark bands or patches.
• Eyes: They possess large, often brightly colored or iridescent eyes, frequently featuring gold, green, or purple patterns.
• Antennae: Their antennae are longer than their head, a key feature that distinguishes them from shorter-antennaed horse flies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Biting Behavior

Only the female deer fly bites, as she requires the protein from blood to develop her eggs. Males feed solely on nectar and pollen. [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Bite: They use scissor-like mouthparts to slash the skin and then lap up the

The Black-eared Catbird (Ailuroedus melanotis) is a striking emerald-green bowerbird found in the rainforests of New Guinea and northern Queensland, Australia. It is named for its distinctive black ear patch and its vocalizations, which sound remarkably like a cat’s wailing or yowling. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key Characteristics

• Appearance: It has bright green upperparts, a thick ivory-colored bill with a hooked tip, and dark red eyes. Its underparts are typically pale green or olive with heavy scalloping or spotting.
• Behavior: Unlike most bowerbirds, catbirds do not build elaborate bowers to attract mates. They are monogamous and build simple cup-shaped nests.
• Diet: They primarily forage for fruit and large arthropods in the middle and upper stories of the rainforest canopy. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Bed Bugs: These ugly little beasts are small, reddish-brown, wingless insects that feed on human and animal blood. About the size of an apple seed (4–7mm), they have flat, oval bodies that swell and turn a deeper red after feeding. While they do not spread infectious diseases, their bites can cause intense itching, rashes, and significant psychological distress.

They spread through travellers luggage.

The assassin bug is a predatory insect belonging to the family Reduviidae, known for its stealthy hunting tactics and a unique, curved mouthpart used to liquefy and suck out the insides of its prey. [1, 2, 3]

Key Characteristics

• Physical Features: They typically have elongated, oval bodies with narrow heads and long, thin antennae. Most are dark-coloured (black or brown), but some species can be vibrantly orange, red, or yellow.
• The “Beak”: Their most distinctive feature is a sharp, three-segmented rostrum (beak). When not in use, it rests in a groove between their front legs.
• Venomous Saliva: To kill, they inject a toxic saliva that contains neurotoxins to paralyze the victim and enzymes that dissolve complex tissues.
• Global Presence: There are thousands of species found worldwide, including common types in the southern United States like the Wheel Bug and the Kissing Bug. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Common Species & Their Risks

• Wheel Bug: North America’s largest assassin bug, named for the cog-like crest on its back. Its bite is considered more painful than a bee sting.
• Kissing Bug (Triatominae): Unlike most predatory assassin bugs, these feed on blood. They are famous for spreading Chagas disease through their faeces, which can be rubbed into the bite wound.
• Masked Hunter: Known for its nymphs that camouflage themselves by sticking dust and lint to their bodies. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Interaction with Humans

While beneficial for natural pest control in gardens, they can deliver a highly painful bite in self-defence if handled. Some species, like the Platymeris biguttatus, can even “spit” venom at eyes, causing temporary irritation or blindness. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Are you looking for information on how to identify a specific bug you found, or are you interested in pest control?