CLOSED: Finding Insects for Dummies

OK I am new to this whole bug thing so please don't laugh too hard. I am confused. Nothing new... Anyway. If I want to look for something like a catepillar for instance where would I put that? I would think? In the Common name box? Makes sence to me but I know that DG Bugs has more than 2 catepillars listed. Also if I want to search for only butterflies and not moths what (Order, Family, Secies, Genus, whatever) would that be? Is there one thing they all fit into? If there is a catepillar attached to a butterfly file would it also come up as a catepillar file. Maybe that is the problem? They should cross reference. Come on Sunnto help me out here.

we won't laugh! it's really hard sometimes. that's why the id forum is so great. where would a normal person begin to look unless they had some kind of an idea in the first place?

Thank you. I feel a little better already. I am not so sure about the normal part but... Exactly! If you have no idea what the thing is you can't get very far. And lets just say I do happen to know part of the name, how would I know what box to put it in? You're right the insect ID is great! I wish the plant ID people were as helpful. It seems plant people just aren't into the whole ID thing. This bug/insect thing may take a while.

i have to disagree with you on the plant id thing. our plant id forum is chock full of passionate people who live to ID! it's very seldom when they can't id a plant and they never give up. old threads will pop up from time to time where people have been researching on and off for months for an accurate id.

Great! I have four things up for ID right now so maybe I just need to be patient. Take care. I guess I just got lucky on the bug ID 'cause they were solved or at least replied to within 10 minutes. My plants have been on for days and not even a guess or reply.

I just discovered a large population of tiny yellow spiders on my yuca plant. They are bright yellow and no more than 1/16 of an inch and they have woven a large web. I should have taken a picture the minute I saw them but I was too late - my husband already sprayed them. Now all you can see is foam! Any ideas?

well, spidermites are very tiny, hardly visible to the naked eye and they are bad. spiders on the other hand, are good things to have. i hope your husband didn't use anything too harsh. if i recall, my mom's yucca's in missouri used to get something all over them but i don't remember now what it was.

OK not really sure how we got on the subject of spider mites?

I'm still trying to find out how to search for catepillars

I'm a little unclear as to what exactly you are looking for, Kiyzersoze - is it how to look up caterpillars already identified on Dave's Garden, or how to identify an unknown caterpillar that you have seen or have captured? If the latter, try http://tinyurl.com/28o54r, http://tinyurl.com/6myy2y, or http://tinyurl.com/4bdxh4
There also is a book, "Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Host Plants" published by the University of Florida Press that you might find useful - see http://tinyurl.com/r2kf4k

Sunnto too the rescue again. The first. I wanted to be able to search catepillars (or whatever the scientific name of a butterfly caterpillar would be called) to see all the catepillars that are already IDed on Daves and match them to the butterflies. If you put "Catepillar" in the common name box only two catepillars come up. I know that there are more than two catepillars on Daves. The book sounds great.

ok, part of your problem is your spelling it wrong. it's c a t e r p i l l a r . you're forgetting the first r, but that still only brings up 20 for an id. you really do have to get more specific to find more of them and the best way is to id them here first on the bug forum. at least i think that's the best way.

LOL! Now that's funny!! Well, I guess my title is appropriate! Thanks again for your help!