Thursday, February 7, 2008

Tater Bug

I don't know the proper name for this but I've always called it a tater bug. At certain times of the year they come inside on your clothing, in your hair, and any other way they can. They usually lite on the windows or ceiling. I've never been bit by one but they are a nusiance.

43 comments:

Lilli & Nevada said...

That looks like a lady bug I have never heard of a tater bug he is pretty tho

Andrea said...

I call this a lady bug also....some people call them beetles but I have never heard of a "tater bug" They come out on warmer days in the winter. I remember a time when they were not around then when they came they came in thousands....or millions....another words, high numbers.

Anonymous said...

Yep ladybug or ladybird and they are a type of beetle. They are very good to have around for plants. They eat Aphids off plants so they are one of nature's insecticide.

patsy said...

I think this is a lady bug. The insect that has black strips is named potato beetle and they are orange but don't have black spots instead they have black strips.those bugs will destroy a potato crop.

gaz said...

we call them ladybirds over on this side of the pond. i think i'v ebeen reading too many american blogs as i've started to call these lady bugs too and my boys say "no, ladybiiiird!"

Edmund (the explorer) Nesbitt said...

A ladybird?
Mummy is still busy! She said you would know why! LOL!

Anonymous said...

There are all kinds of bugs or beetles that look similar. I like your photo of this one. Those we call Lady Bugs up here in Ohio are orange with black spots but otherwise the same and they do eat aphids. In fact, when I didn't know any better, and still bought roses, I would buy boxes filled with thousands of Lady Bugs, and open the box and let them fly out. An hour or two later I would look at the aphids on the rose bush and they seemed happy enough, sucking the life out of the rose. My Lady Bugs took off, where, I have no idea but none found the aphids on the rose.

ArneA said...

In Norway we call them Marihøner (Coccinellidae) (Mary hen) and is a small beetle with a domed back, typically red or yellow with black spots. Both the adults and larvae are important predators of aphids.
convergent ladybug
• Family Coccinellidae: several genera and species, including the familiar convergent ladybug ( Hippodamia convergens).
In Norway we have 54 different sorts, and there are over 5000 world wide.

pts said...

bugs here in Kerala are dark red withblack spot. anyway i like it.how can i join the sky watch?thanks for your comments on my blog.

Galla Creek said...

They are bad when they get on your potato vines. Seven dust does the trick.

Daniel J Santos said...

Great photo, excellence details...
With Images

Tina Leigh said...

Mother those lady bugs are very valuable!!!!!!!! Thats what we bought last year to help us when we were infested with aphids!! GOOD NIGHT!!!!!!!!!! Dont harm a one of them!!!!!!!!!!!

Tina Leigh said...

THEY DONT EAT TATERS!!!! I REPEAT>>>>THEY ARE VERY VALUABLE!! DONT HARM THE LADY BUGS FOLKS!!!!

Michele said...

What a beautiful bug... I love how you are able to get nose to nose with these little critters... so amazing!

Daryl said...

I know it as a lady bug .. now of course I want to know how it got that name ..

Anonymous said...

Lovely pic. We Brits call them ladybirds. And don't worry - they don't bite. They're very good things to have around, as they eat aphids and other nasty things that eat flowers and crops.

Thanks for visiting me.

Jean Campbell said...

Get down real close and say to her,
"Lady bug, lady bug, fly away home.
Your house is on fire and your children alone."
Supposedly then she will fly away. Or, you can leave her alone and she will eat aphids.

I've seen one little lady bug cleaning up a several inch area of aphids on an infested plant. If there are no lady bugs I use a non-toxic soap spray. Aphids have soft bodies, so the soap spray takes them out.

smilnsigh said...

Cute photo of a 'Tater Bug'!

If red, we call them 'Lady Bugs.' And they can do the same thing... Get in and almost swarm on windows.

But they've never been a problem to me. Never had that many of them come in.

I love Lady Bugs, in fact.

Mari-Nanci

Gerald (SK14) said...

ladybirds - lovely insects that eat nastier bugs like aphids - treasure them!

Nancy said...

If it were red I would call it a lady bug.Have never seen one that color.

Kahshe Cottager said...

Yes, we have these ladybugs as well but some of them do bite. Because they eat aphids, a different kind was imported into Canada to control pests. These are the ones that will take a nip and they are more orange than our homegrown red ones.

Nice photo!

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Hi Dot,
I can't inform you either about the English name, in Dutch we say "Lieveheers beestje" Hmmm how to translate that. "Sweet dominating bug?" or Sweet male bug?" No haha That can't be right..

I've seen them mostly in orange, with black stips/dots? Not the same kind thoug. welldone to make such a clear shot!:)

Dick said...

We call them "Lieveheersbeestje" I can't translate that, but I give it a try: Sweetlordanimal, what do you think about that
???????????????????????????????

Susan Skitt said...

I see others have voiced my thought. I call it a lady bug :)

Tom said...

Hi Dot
I know these as LadyBirds Bettles

have a look here if you get the time..

http://www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/lbird.htm

Great capture of a great little bettle

duopastorale said...

It's a bit like our ladybird...fly away home, your house is burned down and your children are gone! Know that one?

Happyone said...

I call them ladybugs too and I've seen them in all shades of red and orange. They are good for your garden.
When I see one I put it on my hand and say a little saying something like what mike said.
Ladybug, ladybug fly away.
Your house is on fire
And your children are away.
Then I blow it off my hand and it flies away.
I've done that since I was a kid. :-)

madretz said...

WOW! How come I haven't visited you before? We read many of the same blogs. Your photos are stellar! I'm so glad I finally clicked over. Would you mind if I added you to my favorites?
I've always called them ladybugs, but i've since heard of other various names.

david mcmahon said...

Beautiful angle, Dot.

Well ``spotted''!!!

DigitalShutterMania said...

I call "Lady Bug". We used to have many of them in my village but everything in my village has been changed. Many building were built so there is on one anymore.

Linda said...

Looks like a ladybug to me, except for the color.

KOSTAS said...

Papaditsa(Ladybird) is the name of insect in Greece.
They exist above 100 different types in my country! All the species are carnivorouses and nourish themselves almost exclusively with aphids.
This them the attribute him made dear insects in the producers of ecological agricultural products, replaced the sprayings with ladybirds.
They are sold in special packing. Most excellent professional utilization!

Anonymous said...

Lovely capture! It is so beautiful.

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

imac said...

Nice and clear shot, lovely work.


My Sky Watch up now

FO - 2 said...

Reminds me of a Ladybird. I would scream if i found it in my clothing. ;)

SandyCarlson said...

Looks like a lady but or one of her kin to me, too. They are lovely little aphid-eaters!

Sharon said...

We have the red ones with black dots here. I've actually seen several lady bug swarms. Hundreds of them came in the house and gather on the ceiling. It was strange. We scooped as many as we could up and took them outside. They are good for the garden.

sonia a. mascaro said...

Amazing picture!

Sandi @the WhistleStop Cafe said...

Hi Dot!
I haven't been by in a while. I'll have to take a stroll and see what's new.
come visit-
Sandi

Paulie said...

It's a lady bug -- not all lady bugs are red.

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

This is not a Ladybug. it is a Colorado Potato Beetle. The beetle
overwinters in the soil. It emerges and lays its eggs of the green tops of the potato plants. The larvae emerge and strip (eat) the leaves off the plant. As a result potatoes do not grow to their full potential.

We have them here. They can survive the cold in the soil.

Andree said...

By reading the comments I see there is a lot of confusion about these bugs, and I certainly don't know anything at all. But I can add to it!

Here we call them Japanese ladybugs, and they are the ones that swam in houses. And bite. I have read that the American ladybug is in decline.

I am fascinated by this because they have begun to awake in my house and I was thinking of photographing them and then studying the photos to precisely identify them.

I am interested in the potato bug ID: now I have three species to compare.

nimiecat said...

We called rollie-pollie's potato bugs.

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