O/T The wierd bug and the hunters!

The kids were on a mission today. They heard a rumor that there was some kind of strange invader about to attack the hibiscus. So, they prepared by getting lots of water.

They went in for the attack

They found the culprit. A huge, and I mean huge (2 inches long) bug trying to climb up one of the pots. As he saw them, he thought "uh oh"

The kids went thru mud, puddles, mud puddles, to try and catch the ghastly beast, but her kept trying to get away.

Well, mommy probably woke up at the right moment, and chased the children back onto the patio. However, they were very proud of their attempts, and wanted to show off their "mud and sweat"

This message was edited Oct 12, 2007 1:56 AM

Here is Tuni, my 9 month old little girl, plotting her way out again to save the day...again!

And, here is 3-1/2 month old Cocoa, showing off how proud he is of himself.
(laughing about how mommy has her hands full)
End of adventure, hope you enjoyed.

PS....if anyone knows what that bug is, please let me know. That is the second one I have seen in 2 days. Either that, or it is the same one, crawling very slowly from one end of the yard to the other.

I don't know what kind of bug you have there, but, The Adventures of Tuni & Cocoa would make a great childrens book with the way you tell it.

It looks sort of like a wasp to me, but I'm definitely not an expert on bugs!

I love the story with the dogs though, very funny! I'm so glad my dog isn't into mud and digging and those sorts of things, that would drive me crazy!

Hey Cat,
LOL kinda looks similiar to a yellow jacket

Yucky bug, Cat. Great dog story and pictures too, I just love your pictures :-)

Not a yellow jacket. This thing was huge and doesn't really fly. The other one was green with stripes. Yellow Jackets are not usually over an inch long. These things are 2-3 inches long and about 1/2 inch wide!

It's not a yellow jacket but I still think it's some sort of wasp, I'm sure there are big ones (I'd personally freak out if I saw a wasp that size, but the body shape and wings sure look like one!) There are a ton of different sorts of wasps. Yours looks like it ought to be able to fly, my thought is it was crawling because it's injured, or maybe if your weather's been cooler it's a little sluggish. Often in cooler weather things like that are more sluggish--I've been seeing YJ's crawling along on the ground instead of flying lately. You should post it in the Bug ID forum, I bet someone over there would know what it is.

I'd freak out to. I am hundreds of miles away and I dont like it being this close. LOL

Looks like a cicada killer. They have a mean sting when cornered, but otherwise, they don't usually bother people. My DH got stung by one and his arm swelled and turned red in minutes. That was an ER visit.

Holy Patootie Brugie, you are right. Just researched. The green and black bug I saw was a cicada. cicadas are harmless, according the article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada
Now, I have to research how to get rid of the killers before they hurt my dogs.

I have cats. My youngest furbaby calls cicadas lunch. He carries them around for hours as they buzz in his mouth. I thought there was something wrong with hime the first time I heard the noise coming from his mouth. Definately not a cat noise. lol

Cat,
Don't confuse the "cicada" with the "cicada killer - wasp". The cicada which is totally harmless is not the same as the cicada killer which is a wasp that will deliver a nasty sting - the wasps live in burrows that your dogs are digging up - I hate to think how painful it will be if they sting your precious babies on the nose! Cicadas bury themselves many feet below the tree roots and grow after 15-17 years they emerge. The take to the treetops - find a mate, die after a short period (think it's a couple weeks) and start the process all over again. The wasps however are also called Sand Hornets (although they are not hornets) do sting so - beware of those!

Well unusul HIBISCUS KIND.

Hi Ultimate (would love to know your name). I did have cacada killer wasps, but they seem to be gone now (hopefully) from flooded backyard. I am very careful during the day with the dogs. They have a mud puddle they like to play in, which is at the opposite end of the yard from where the burrow was found.
But, believe me, everyday I check for burrows, just in case.

Hi Cat - the name's Ivana - nice to "meet" you! I'm an animal lover so forgive the long post before about cautions for your furry children! I'm also a tropical plants lover (hibiscus esp) & since DH has allergies - I collect plants instead of increasing the animal population that I have (3dogs, 1 bearded dragon, one bird & fish)! :) Love your posts & pictures!!

At least your babies are eating the BUGS that eat your hibiscus, Cat! Our black lab is still eating our hibiscus flowers as fast as Charlie hybridizes them! He's about ready to murder the little darling! He just finished off a Magic Carpet Ride we had crossed with a really nice dark blue..... sigh..... Would you like to maybe consider trading dogs????

Ivana! It's nice to see you here! :-) I'm new here too.
Cindy

Hi Cindy,
Glad to see you finally posting in these parts! Heard you have some gorgeous beauties coming out in Spring. I will have a drainage system put in with income refund, then I can replant the entire back portion of the yard again :)
Thank goodness they don't attack the hibiscus. They can dig 2 feet mud holes, but if they go near the hibs, their lives are at stake! Not really, but they know how much trouble they would be in!

Hi Cindy! How about spraying some neem oil on your hibiscus (diluted of course with dishwashing liquid) the taste is very bitter (non toxic) so it may discourage your little furry darling from munching on it. Otherwise - you can do some behavior modifications so that whenever he trys to or even looks like he's interested in the buds you make a loud noise - he'll eventually think that if he trys to eat one it'll make a loud noise! :)

p.s. this is my ever changing Saffron that I got from HVH - love it! :)

Great looking Saffron, Ivan - love that white eye!

THAT IS DEFENITLY A CICADA KILLER WASP
They generally dont attack people unless you threaten them.
They are frightening to see flying in your face.
However, although they deliver a huge dose of venom in thier sting,
the poison is the least toxic of any wasp.
They are found in underground burrows with 1 adult per burrow.
Each female will lay several eggs producing 1 to 3 babies which she feeds live cicadas.
Her sting paralyzes the cicada but doesnt kill it.
The wasp larvae eat the paralyzed victim.
Heavy rains and or flooding with a hose is a good way to rid your property of them,
I use a tennis raquet ;p
They do form communities of multiple burrows if the soil is right.
They are somewhat territorial and return to the same nesting grounds each year.
If you have them one year, its a safe bet youll see them again in the same location the following year unless you play tennis with them. ;)
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://saltthesandbox.org/cicada_hunt/more_killers_hand_35.jpg&imgrefurl=http://saltthesandbox.org/cicada_hunt/CicadaKillers.htm&h=341&w=259&sz=15&tbnid=cl2Am9G71eD1nM:&tbnh=120&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcicada%2Bkiller%2Bwasp%26um%3D1&start=3&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=3

Micheal, thank you for the info. Now that it is drying up again, I am keeping an eye out.
I have lived in Florida since 1979 and never saw one, before this year. So glad they are not attackers of the canine or human kind.

They wont attack unprovoked
But if they perceive the presence of another creature as a threat to their food or burrow they will attack.
I have run lawn mowers over hoards of them and ran like the dickens lol!
I dont treasure the thought of anyone pissing them off when im around.

Neem oil and soap is a good idea to try, Ivana. As long as I don't get it on the stamenal pads to hurt the pollination process, it should be fine. This lab is a serious lover of hibiscus as a food! I have to try something!

I don't envy you having to tear up your whole yard, Cat. Geez, what a job! But it will be so much better to not have it turn into a lake next year.

Ivana, we have a Saffron that bloomed the exact same colors as yours with the fire this week! It's the strangest thing. It was under cover, in deep shade, to protect it from the wind and ash from the fires. It has been immersed in smoke for a week now, and when it bloomed today, it came out a golden color like yours. So we did finally see this too!

Cindy