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Anyone know what this bug is?

Hi all,

Found this little guy in my pool. Too darned pretty to feed to a VFT. Anyone know what it is? I've never seen one before.
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It just looks like a fancy fly to me
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it does look like a fly
 
um I just read what you said about finding it in the pool and thought Gee that is probably loaded with chlorine. Of course you know that right and don't feed your plants bugs from the pool? I'm thinkin you do or at least I hope so.
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Hmmm... looks like the deadly green beelzebug.
 
Since i'm no entemologist and don't have a clue about what insect life there is outside the UK i'm probably not even gonna come close, but i did see a pic of an insect in a book that looked just like that and it was some species of hornet.
 
It actually looked more like a bee with the green/blue of a fly, but it's much, much more iridescent than a fly. Really looked exactly like the picture. Where are all the bug people listed in the job post?

Anyway, I rinse them off with some fresh water, and the clorine is automated to just below normal level. My flytraps are doing just great with stuff from the pool, and if the insect's wings dry off in time, I let them go. Real sportsman-like fly hunting in the pool.
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It is some kind of bee, wasp or hornet. I've seen them in pools before and been stung by them. Not a very painful sting, kind of like a mosquito bite.
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I believe they are known as Metallic Bees (genus Augochlora).
 
  • #10
Thanks Sarracenia!

I looked it up and it does seem to be a "green metallic sweat bee." I've never seen one before but it's absolutely beautiful. I heard yesterday on the news that the africanized honey bee just arrived in my city. Looks like I'm going to see types of insects soon!
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  • #11
Yea, i was gonna say solitary bee (aka, sweat bee)... Funny, just today i found one buzzing around the screen in my window, so i fed it to my VFT.

They have a sad life... be born, make a hut, regurgitate nectar, lay eggs, die. Since they are nectar fiends I would assume they are perfect for CPs... So weird how The second I come on to post about solitary bees i found you did one already!!! sheesh!
 
  • #12
has anyone heard of a cuckoo wasp or cuckoo bee? they are also very metallic green. it may be a cuckoo wasp...im not exactly sure how to tell the difference between sweat bees and cuckoo wasps, or cuckoo bees, but its just a suggestion
 
  • #13
Did you happen say Africanized Honeybee? AAAAAAAAAA!!!! RUN!!! RUN!!! RUN!!! <span id='ME'><center>FlytrapGurl runs!</center></span>






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  • #14
I hate to ruin their efforts, but I'm assuming it's a cicada intoxicated by chlorine. Far to common around here...
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