Just had this try to climb into my ear!

[Accy cyclist]

Looks like a type of Shield Bug. I doubt if it has much interest in ears. I hope that you put it gently outside. They can fly, if they have to.

I shook ( is that an accepted word?🤔) it off that kitchen towel. It's grass/turf outside my window, so it should've had a soft landing.

Although I am upstairs, not downstairs.

 

[fossyant]

Better not be a vine weevil or you can kiss goodbye to your pot plants. Bastidos these are.

 

[rockyroller]

stink bug

 

[Accy cyclist]

Better not be a vine weevil or you can kiss goodbye to your pot plants. Bastidos these are.

Yes, I remember now. Me and the former Mrs Accy, about 30 years ago couldn't them them out of our house. They were all over certain plants. We ended up having to put all the house plants outside.

 

[Nibor]

Looks a bit like a shield bug

 

[fossyant]

The buggers killed all out outside pot plants over a couple of years. Ended up fighting back with 'nematodes' and squishing the buggers. Nematodes (or however it is spelt) are little bugs that eat vine weevils.

 

[Nibor]

 

[PaulSB]

There I was dozing in bed a while ago when I felt something crawling on my right ear! Luckily I sleep with ear plugs in, so it didn't make it. I didn't see it till I had it between my thumb and finger. I threw it across the bedroom, finding it later, hence the photo'. I dropped it out my window after taking that pic'. What is it?!🤔

View attachment 648952

It's a weevil of some sort, possibly a vine weevil but hard to be sure from that image.

 

[PaulSB]

The buggers killed all out outside pot plants over a couple of years. Ended up fighting back with 'nematodes' and squishing the buggers. Nematodes (or however it is spelt) are little bugs that eat vine weevils.

It's the larvae which attack the roots potentially killing the plant, the weevil only feeds off foliage and makes a characteristic notch in the leaf edge.

 

[a.twiddler]

Oh God! Must resist...I can't resist it. Here goes. If that's the lesser of two weevils, I'd hate to meet the other one. Aaah, that's better. I can't resist a weevil joke. Especially as it's a shield bug. Not that I'm an entomologist or anything.

Interestingly, (or maybe not), if it is a bronze shield bug then it's the only carnivorous UK shield bug. When young, they live off plant sap like other shield bugs but when mature they have a taste for caterpillars and other insect larve including presumably weevil larvae. So maybe they should be encouraged. As @rockyroller posted, they're also known as stink bugs as if you piss them off they exude a noxious fluid as a defence against predators. Perhaps @Accy cyclist had a lucky escape.

 

[All uphill]

Here we go!

Ready for the next 20 pages?

 

[fossyant]

It's the larvae which attack the roots potentially killing the plant, the weevil only feeds off foliage and makes a characteristic notch in the leaf edge.

That's why we went with the bio defense... new house so we didn't know what was disturbed, but we lost so many pot plants. It worked though, no issues since (25 years...)

 

[Accy cyclist]

I hope it was a one off. I don't fancy having them crawling over me when I'm asleep. I wonder if it came in off the very close to my flat trees.🤔

 

[PaulSB]

Oh God! Must resist...I can't resist it. Here goes. If that's the lesser of two weevils, I'd hate to meet the other one. Aaah, that's better. I can't resist a weevil joke. Especially as it's a shield bug. Not that I'm an entomologist or anything.

Interestingly, (or maybe not), if it is a bronze shield bug then it's the only carnivorous UK shield bug. When young, they live off plant sap like other shield bugs but when mature they have a taste for caterpillars and other insect larve including presumably weevil larvae. So maybe they should be encouraged. As @rockyroller posted, they're also known as stink bugs as if you piss them off they exude a noxious fluid as a defence against predators. Perhaps @Accy cyclist had a lucky escape.

It isn't

 

[biggs682]

And i thought this was a thread about catchy music tunes

View: https://youtu.be/8DNQRtmIMxk