Posts Tagged: California Department of Food and Agriculture
The Lady Beetle and the Syrphid Fly
So, here I am, an Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) perched on a rose bush in Vacaville,...
A large syrphid fly, Scaeva pyrastri (as identified by Martin Hauser of the California Department of Food and Agriculture), heads for a lady beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Touchdown! The large syrphid fly, Scaeva pyrastri, lands next to the lady beetle.(Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The syrphid fly licks honeydew from the lady beetle. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. When their mouthpart penetrates the phloem, the sugary, high-pressure liquid is forced out of the anus of the aphid.
Know Your Dragonflies!
You're walking through a park and suddenly spot a dragonfly perched on a stick. "What's that?" you...
A red flameskimmer dragonfly, (Libellula saturata) perches on a bamboo stake. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Variegated meadowhawk (Sympetrum corruptum). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Widow skimmer (Libellula luctuosa). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Red-veined meadowhawk (Sympetrium madidum). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Buddy, Can You Share a Meal?
The next time you see a spider eating a bee snared in its web, look closely. The spider may not be...
Freeloader fly sharing a meal with a spider. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Freeloader fly perched on top of a spider's prey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)