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Saturday 6 October 2012

Bugs in the garden


The recent Middle-Autumn Festival signals the end of the unpleasant tropical summer in Hong Kong. However, it also means that the abundant summer insects will start disappearing very soon.

One exception is the Citrus Bug (Stink Bug/shield Bug).


Nymph


Adult


  

     These bugs feed on fruit juice and they are found all over the Pomelo (similar to the Grape Fruit) tree in my garden. I had never taken any notice of them until recently. In fact, they have a long mouth that can pierce through the skin of the pomelos to suck the juice.





Unlike the insect eating Stink Bugs, the mouth of the Citrus Bug is very soft which can be easily folded when not in use.

 
The Citrus Bug is a pest because the damaged fruit will likely be attacked by other insects and diseases. It looks as though I will not be able to get many juicy pomelos this year.

While the young bugs are colourful, the adults have a well camouflaged green colour. Its camouflage is so effective that almost all of them survive the dozens of bird visitors in the garden everyday.



When I first saw these tiny pretty beetles, I thought they were Ladybugs. In fact they are Leaf Beetles.



Actually, they may be similar to Ladybugs in appearance but unlike Ladybugs, they feed on plants and can be serious pests.



These even smaller beetles are Tortoise Beetles which also belong to the leaf beetle family.


 
They are also plant eating insects which are named based on their resemblance to the tortoise.


This Gold Dust Weevil ( or Green Gold Dust Beetle) may look innocent and pretty,


but it is also a plant eating pest.


This blue bee doesn’t just look unusual, it is also extraordinary in bee world.

In fact, it is a Cuckoo Bee. From the name you can guess that it is a cuckoo-like bee----a Brood Parasite which mimics the behaviour of Cuckoo Birds. Like the Cuckoo Birds, the female Cuckoo Bees lay their eggs in other bees’ nests, even killing the host’s eggs. The newly hatched Cuckoo Bee not only consumes the host larva’s food but also the larva itself. This strategy works so well that nowadays the Cuckoo Bees do not have any pollen collecting hair on their bodies or the need to build their own nests.

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27 comments:

chica said...

Lindas fotos e uma bela oportunidade de aprender, passando aqui! abraços,chica

Breathtaking said...

I so love to visit here to see all the weird and wonderful insects in your garden.These five, are so unusual and decorative, and your macro photography is outstanding.
Regards.


TexWisGirl said...

these photos are spectacular! wonderful focus and clarity on all of these tiny creatures!

Joe Beale said...

Beautiful images. I especially like the golden weevil! It's surely worth sacrificing some fruit so you can observe these amazing creatures.

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Excellent close-ups! Well done!

Irma said...

Great macro photos, they are all perfectly made, compliments.
Have a nice weekend.

Danielle v/d Horst said...

Het waren weer super foto's ik heb er weer van genoten dank je wel lieve groetjes Danielle

Giga said...

Tak pięknie wyglądają, a mogą tyle szkód narobić, nie dobrze. Cudowne zdjęcia wszystkich szkodników. Pozdrawiam cieplutko.
They look so beautiful, and they can cause so much harm, not good. Wonderful photos of all pests. Regards warm.

Isidro Ortiz said...

Preciosos macros.Saludos

Bas. said...

wat mooi ik zie insecten die ik nog nooit gezien hebt.

Monique et Daniel said...

Très belle série, merci pour le partage de ces petites bêtes!

Maria said...

I can't believe how many nice ladybugs and all their detail!

Magia da Inês said...

Bela série de fotos.

Bom domingo!
Boa semana!

°º✿♫
°º✿ Beijinhos do Brasil!
º° ✿♥ ♫° ·.

Montanagirl said...

Superb macros !! Beautiful images.

Bob Bushell said...

Brilliant, the Citrus bug is the most attractive creatures. Cheers.

Marco Luijken said...

Hello,
Wonderful shots you've made of these little monsters.
Great to see them so close with their fantastic colors.

Greetings, Marco

- Yvonaut -
Das sind Raphael und Yvonne
said...

Wow!! Amazing pictures!
So great to see!
Have a nice week
Yvonne & Raphael

Helma said...

Hello Friend of HK,

again a wonderful blog with great photos of bugs, ladybugs, and snout beetles. Brilliant colors, fine details and very sharp. My bugs are hereby really not.

Kind regards, Helma

Noushka said...

Magnificent images of all the bugs and beetles!
They all have different purposes even though we might not appreciate their destructive behaviour!
Very well done!

Kirsti said...

Todella kauniita kuvia:)

Millhouse Photography said...

My word! I enjoyed looking through those. Great creatures and great photography.

Ninja said...

We have some of that kind in sweden and they really smell.

salma said...

aciu uz nuostabu makro pasauli, linkejimai is Lt

salma said...

aciu uz nuostabu makro pasauli, linkejimai is Lt

Here I Am Carrie said...

I am so amazed with your amazing photos of the insect world. I have never seen such beautiful photos of them. Thank you for sharing.

Roger said...

Beautiful pictures on your blog that I put in my favorites.

Katy-Mei said...

Love your blog, not a bug fan... but your beautiful pics change me... will show my father in-law, he love bugs and wildlife. He will find your blog amazing.