Friend or Foe

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asaump
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Location: Maine Zone 4b

Friend or Foe

#1

Post: # 24382Unread post asaump
Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:17 am

Found this guy on my small sunflowers here in Maine. Is he a friend or foe?
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Ken

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karstopography
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Re: Friend or Foe

#2

Post: # 24396Unread post karstopography
Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:10 pm

Looks like a whitespotted sawyer beetle. Might be trouble for the trees, but not a garden.

https://extension.umaine.edu/home-and-g ... r-beetles/
Zone 9b, located in the Columbia bottomlands, annual rainfall 46”

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GoDawgs
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Re: Friend or Foe

#3

Post: # 24399Unread post GoDawgs
Sat Jul 04, 2020 12:18 pm

Is this it? If so, FOE!

https://www.insectidentification.org/in ... yer-Beetle


BTW, this is a site I find very helpful. If you scroll down to the bottom, you can click on your state to see what's in Maine.

https://www.insectidentification.org/

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asaump
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Re: Friend or Foe

#4

Post: # 24511Unread post asaump
Sun Jul 05, 2020 2:38 pm

Thanks for the info. That is what it must be, a sawyer beetle. Saw him later in the day and let him go
Ken

roper2008
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Re: Friend or Foe

#5

Post: # 24626Unread post roper2008
Mon Jul 06, 2020 5:17 pm

Looks like a bumblebee impersonater, seems more fly like. Not a very good picture.
76048C82-909B-4226-AC73-AB9A1F26EB06.jpeg
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worth1
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Re: Friend or Foe

#6

Post: # 24633Unread post worth1
Mon Jul 06, 2020 6:44 pm

Saw a wheel bug in the yard today, life is good.
Worth
25 miles southeast of Waterloo Texas.

You can't argue with a closed mind.
You might as well be arguing with a cat.

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GoDawgs
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Re: Friend or Foe

#7

Post: # 24720Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Jul 07, 2020 2:07 pm

[mention]roper2008[/mention] , I saw my first one of those just several days ago and had to look it up. Seemed like a bumblebee on steroids. It buzzed so loudly that I turned to look at it. It landed on a wooden stake and stayed there quite a while as I took pics. Turns out it's a Robber Fly. The description said they are carnivorous, very fast fliers and like to sit on branches or posts waiting for the next meal to fly by. They love Japanese beetles so it can stay in my garden as long as it wants!.

Friend!

Image

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Labradors
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Re: Friend or Foe

#8

Post: # 24724Unread post Labradors
Tue Jul 07, 2020 2:32 pm

How big are these babies if they can snatch Japanese Beetles in flight!

Linda

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GoDawgs
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Re: Friend or Foe

#9

Post: # 24731Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Jul 07, 2020 2:52 pm

I'm guessing the one I saw was about an inch and a quarter long. Now, that was nose to tip of folded wings but the body was probably an inch long. Definitely a loud buzz. It sat real still for about five minutes and let me get my camera close without moving a bit.

Edited to correct "tip pf tail" to "tip of folded wings"
Last edited by GoDawgs on Wed Jul 08, 2020 9:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

roper2008
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Re: Friend or Foe

#10

Post: # 24777Unread post roper2008
Tue Jul 07, 2020 9:38 pm

GoDawgs, that’s what I suspected. Years ago I could hear what sounded like a big bug fight. I couldn’t really see it, but it sounded like large bugs, like carpenters bee’s fighting to the death. I think it was probably one of these robber fly’s attracting a carpenter bee.

roper2008
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Re: Friend or Foe

#11

Post: # 26420Unread post roper2008
Thu Jul 23, 2020 9:35 pm

Watering garden the other day and what do I see again. It’s the robber fly with prey, looks like a Carpenter Bee or Bumble Bee.
Again not the best picture.
B204876F-0619-4549-8170-0B39B3C63E1D.jpeg
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