Wolf Beetles

This is a beetle of the family Lycidae (Coleoptera). 

The official common name for this family is net-winged beetles but I prefer to call them wolf beetles. The family name Lycidae comes from the Greek lykos, which means wolf. They were given this name because some species have an elongated face that resembles a snout and gives them a somewhat wolf-like appearance. However, the name net-winged beetles is probably more appropriate since the majority of species do not possess a snout, and the distinctive raised ridges on their elytra help distinguish them from other beetle families that occur in the same habitats and have similar coloration.

For example, soldier beetles (Coleoptera: Cantharidae, right)
and fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae, below) are often found on foliage or flowers during the daytime. Many of these beetles also are brightly colored with alternating patterns of black and yellow or orange. This type of coloration is thought to warn predators that they are distasteful or poisonous. 

Aphids, what the heck are aphids?

I have written about aphids before, but never dedicated a post to them. Aphids are in the insect order Hemiptera. Aphids feed almost exclusively on plants so they fall solidly under the category of pests in the garden. 

Annoying as they may be to gardeners and farmers, aphids are very interesting creatures. 

Aphids often live in colonies where the mother or fundatrix gives live birth to many genetically identical offspring. Most of the time they are just feeding on the phloem (AKA sap) of plants, which is where they get most of their nutrients. 

Individual aphids are fairly sedentary creatures, but every once in a while, the colony produces winged aphids that go off in search of new food plants. Ants will also sometimes carry aphids to new plants (e.g. see this article about the corn root aphid). Ants and aphids sometimes form a symbiotic relationship where the ants protect the aphids from predators and the aphids provide the ants with honeydew. The aphids secrete honeydew as a byproduct of their feeding on the carbohydrate rich but nutrient poor plant sap. For the ants, the honeydew is an important source of carbohydrates (sugars). 

If you have ants tending aphid on a plant in your garden, one solution is to create a sticky barrier around the stem of the plant. This will prevent the ants from protecting the aphids, and the aphids' natural enemies will be able to attack them. Aphids have many natural enemies, including lacewing larvae, lady beetles, and parasitoid wasps.

Flying Tigers

This seems to be the summer of predatory flies. I have written about long-legged flies, robber flies, and now tiger flies (AKA hunter flies). Tiger flies are in the family Muscidae, which is the same family as the common house fly and at first glance they are very similar in appearance to a house fly.

If you look closer at this photo though you will see a very important difference.

This tiger fly is eating an insect that it has just caught. Tiger flies sit and wait on vegetation for a potential prey item to fly by. Then they will take off, catch the prey,  and return to the perch to eat it. This is very similar to the predatory behavior of the robber flies that I wrote about a few weeks ago. 

Tiger flies are interesting also because of their apparent tameness. I was able to get very close to this fly with my camera without disturbing it. One researcher has even developed a technique for using these flies to gather insects much like a falconer uses birds of prey to catch game.

Tiger flies can be very helpful to us in the garden, vineyard, and orchard. They are known to eat economic pests such as leafhoppers, whiteflies, and aphids.