bugs

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zwd2248hi4dk79zb7xqwy/20230909_080115599.jpg?rlkey=n57wle4fcosmryw2b984elx87&dl=0

Found in rural NC, Piedmont area.

Found it on my tomato plant. I'd seen them before in sizes up to 4-5 cm. They eat the tomato leaves like crazy. And (naturally) poo a lot. Some black granade like aggregates. Once grown they molt into a moth that I saw a few days ago. And now my tomato plants are again riddled with these buggers.

This photo was done with the help of a stereoscope. The grid squares are 4mm inside, and 5mm outside the lines. So this juvenile has about 1cm.

I'd love to ID them. Any advise on how to control them without pesticides is also welcome.

I think it's a root borer beetle

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1976428

(OC) Cross post from c/pics

They love milkweed. You can attract them to your yard if you plant some. I've personally raised large colonies of these for research, they're truly remarkable insects for a number of reasons, beauty of both the larvae and adults being chief among them.

One of the more common issues that plague the Monarch is Ophryocystis elektroscirrha, a parasite that can be identified by examining a body-dust sample through a microscope. OE is passed on via spores that are consumed, and if an animal is affected by OE and undergoes metamorphosis, it will emerge with a number of defects that often lead to reduced lifespan or imminent death.

Sadly, in research environments, the only way to deal with OE outbreaks (a sign of poor control) is to euthanize the animals to contain the spread of spores. This is typically done using a freezer, which ostensibly allows the animal a peaceful death by slowing down its metabolism and numbing its senses.

My daughter has a terrarium full of them.

Tiger beetles are notable for one thing: their speed. They can move up to 9km per hour, which given their size, is spectacular (a 1:125 body length per second ratio).

Because they run so fast, they can be observed pausing after short bursts. Scientists suspect this brief respite is a way for the insect to get its bearings. But, like a lot of entomology, there are other ideas...

This little guy chomped down on my pepper before burrowing underground.

These aquatic insects are intimidating-looking, with large modified forelimbs. Although they live in the water, they're air-breathers, and like virtually all insects, can fly when necessary. The modified forelegs, referred to as "raptorial" (predatory) legs, have a similar function to that of mantises — they grab and secure prey to be consumed. Preferred prey is soft-bodied, but Giant water bugs don't need to discriminate, given how powerful they are for their size.

However, unlike a praying mantis that chews its prey with a traditional insect-mouth plan made of many mandibles, since Giant water bugs are Hemiptera, they have a straw instead of "teeth." This means that they, like some assassin bugs and spiders, rely on injecting digestive juices into their immobilized prey, then sucking up the now-digested innards.

In my personal experience, these things are scarier than they look, but they're absolutely capable of pinching or piercing you with their forelimbs, and they move fast in the water. I personally stay away from them.

They're huge. But they only experience this form for a very short period of time! Most of their life is spent underwater in their larval stage, where they hunt other animals and cling to objects to manage currents.

In their mature form, shown, they aren't even really interested or capable of sustaining themselves. Indeed, they just wither away and die. It's sad, but for insects, the dramatic life cycles are part of what makes them so special.