Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: ptarmigan on June 17, 2017, 09:21

Title: What insect is this?
Post by: ptarmigan on June 17, 2017, 09:21
It's eating my greenfly...
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: arh on June 17, 2017, 09:44
Whatever you do, don't disturb it,  :lol:. No idea, sorry.
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: ptarmigan on June 17, 2017, 09:54
I'm very happy about it!  Just curious as to what it's going to start on next. There's loads of them...
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: lettice on June 17, 2017, 12:30
That looks like an Ichneumon stramentor.
A sort of parasitic wasp that does feed on aphids.
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: victoria park on June 17, 2017, 14:58
Does it fly ? Could be an unusual species of hoverfly. Right colours and markings. They like an aphid or ten.
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: sunshineband on June 18, 2017, 12:40
That looks like an Ichneumon stramentor.
A sort of parasitic wasp that does feed on aphids.

I thought adult ichneumon flies fed on nectar. They parastise caterpillars, usually largish ones, for their larvae to develop inside though. Ichneumon stramentor parasitizes Yellow Underwing moth caterpillars
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: sunshineband on June 18, 2017, 13:01
I have had a search around as I couldn't remember the name of it half way through my last post... senior moment!!

It is called Grypocoris stysi and it feeds on both flower heads and ... aphids!!!! Adults are around in June & July.I think it is sometimes called a Mirid Bug as it belongs to the family Miridae

Hope that helps a bit..... a friend, not a foe for sure 😀😀😀
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: oldgrunge on June 18, 2017, 20:43
Very interesting, have seen these by my back door, of all places, in the last week. Wondered what they were.
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: ptarmigan on June 18, 2017, 22:26
Ooh , that's it. Fantastic to have a friendly bug. There's loads of them.
Title: Re: What insect is this?
Post by: sunshineband on June 19, 2017, 08:28
Ooh , that's it. Fantastic to have a friendly bug. There's loads of them.

Excellent... they must be gobbling up aphids at a rate of knots 😆😆