Archive for the year 2026

No. 884 | January 18, 2026

European Striped Shield Bug

Graphosoma lineatum is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is also known as the Italian striped bug and minstrel bug.

No. 883 | January 17, 2026

European Firebug

The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognizable due to its striking red and black coloration, but may be confused with the similarly coloured but unrelated Corizus hyoscyami (cinnamon bug, squash bug) (see comparison). Pyrrhocoris apterus is distributed throughout the Palaearctic from the Atlantic coast of Europe to northwest China. It has also been reported from the USA, Central America and India. It has been reported as recently expanding its...

No. 882 | January 16, 2026

European Firebug

The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognizable due to its striking red and black coloration, but may be confused with the similarly coloured but unrelated Corizus hyoscyami (cinnamon bug, squash bug) (see comparison). Pyrrhocoris apterus is distributed throughout the Palaearctic from the Atlantic coast of Europe to northwest China. It has also been reported from the USA, Central America and India. It has been reported as recently expanding its...

No. 881 | January 15, 2026

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis, most commonly known as the harlequin, multicolored Asian, or simply Asian ladybeetle, is a large coccinellid beetle. This is one of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of color forms. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in...

No. 880 | January 14, 2026

European Firebug

The firebug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, is a common insect of the family Pyrrhocoridae. Easily recognizable due to its striking red and black coloration, but may be confused with the similarly coloured but unrelated Corizus hyoscyami (cinnamon bug, squash bug) (see comparison). Pyrrhocoris apterus is distributed throughout the Palaearctic from the Atlantic coast of Europe to northwest China. It has also been reported from the USA, Central America and India. It has been reported as recently expanding its...

No. 879 | January 13, 2026

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis, most commonly known as the harlequin, multicolored Asian, or simply Asian ladybeetle, is a large coccinellid beetle. This is one of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of color forms. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in...

No. 878 | January 12, 2026

European Striped Shield Bug

Graphosoma lineatum is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is also known as the Italian striped bug and minstrel bug.

No. 877 | January 11, 2026

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis, most commonly known as the harlequin, multicolored Asian, or simply Asian ladybeetle, is a large coccinellid beetle. This is one of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of color forms. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in...

No. 876 | January 10, 2026

Seven-spotted Lady Beetle

Coccinella septempunctata, the seven-spot ladybird (or, in North America, seven-spotted ladybug or "C-7"), is the most common ladybird in Europe. Its elytra are of a red colour, but punctuated with three black spots each, with one further spot being spread over the junction of the two, making a total of seven spots, from which the species derives both its common and scientific names (from the Latin septem = "seven" and punctus = "spot").

No. 875 | January 9, 2026

Common Red Soldier Beetle

The common red soldier beetle (Rhagonycha fulva), also misleadingly known as the bloodsucker beetle, and popularly known in England as the Hogweed Bonking Beetle is a species of soldier beetle (Cantharidae).

No. 874 | January 8, 2026

European Striped Shield Bug

Graphosoma lineatum is a species of shield bug in the family Pentatomidae. It is also known as the Italian striped bug and minstrel bug.

No. 873 | January 7, 2026

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis, most commonly known as the harlequin, multicolored Asian, or simply Asian ladybeetle, is a large coccinellid beetle. This is one of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of color forms. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in...

No. 872 | January 6, 2026

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis, most commonly known as the harlequin, multicolored Asian, or simply Asian ladybeetle, is a large coccinellid beetle. This is one of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of color forms. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in...

No. 871 | January 5, 2026

European Paper Wasp

The European paper wasp (Polistes dominula, often misspelled as dominulus) is one of the most common and well-known species of social wasps in the genus Polistes. Its diet is more diverse than that of most Polistes species (many genera of insects versus mainly caterpillars in other Polistes), giving it superior survival value over many other wasp species during a shortage of resources.

No. 870 | January 4, 2026

Ant Damselbug

Himacerus mirmicoides, common name ant damsel bug, is a species of damsel bugs belonging to the family Nabidae, subfamily Nabinae.

No. 869 | January 3, 2026

Asian Lady Beetle

Harmonia axyridis, most commonly known as the harlequin, multicolored Asian, or simply Asian ladybeetle, is a large coccinellid beetle. This is one of the most variable species in the world, with an exceptionally wide range of color forms. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in...

No. 868 | January 2, 2026

Bee-eating Beetle

Trichodes apiarius is a beetle species of checkered beetles belonging to the family Cleridae, subfamily Clerinae.

No. 867 | January 1, 2026

knapweed rhopalid