Friend or Foe

[asaump]

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

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[karstopography]

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/

[GoDawgs]

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/

[asaump]

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

[roper2008]

Looks like a bumblebee impersonater, seems more fly like. Not a very good picture.

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[worth1]

Saw a wheel bug in the yard today, life is good.

[GoDawgs]

[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!

[Labradors]

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

Linda

[GoDawgs]

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"

[roper2008]

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]

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.

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