We often see some aphids in the fall, as the weather cools down. Moreso, probably, because we don't have a lot of ladybugs and the like, at this time.

Jeri

We actually had a ton of lady bugs throughout September
but they did not eat the aphids for whatever reason...

You probably had those lady bug look alikes that don't do much but annoy people. I haven't seen any aphids here but then again I haven't had any new growth in a while because of the cold. Don't know what your strange bug is but you might be able to find it on Baldo's site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Baldo's site

I wondered before about those late season lady bugs...lol
They land all over me when I'm outside... I've often said to them "go eat some pests on the roses and quit bothering me"... Often thinking am I a big pest? lol

So there are lady bug lookalikes... hummmm

Thanks for the insect site Seil...I'll check it out...

That bug looks remarkably like some sort of wasp, except no wings - could it be a juvenile stage of a wasp or hornet?

Jackie

I do not know Jacqueline... They are crawling all through the grass, sidewalks, etc.
Temps here are in the 30's at night & 50's by day.

Here's another pic...
{{gwi:315700}}

It looks like some kind of ant with a huge abdomen and immature wings.

I found it! The large black insect's common name is oil or blister beetle (meloidae).

Jackie

The lady bug is harmonia axyridis commonly called the Asian Lady beetle. They're mostly just a pest and not particularly harmful to anything. They congregate on things by the hundreds and want to come inside to winter so they're a nuisance.

Great job on IDing the beetle, Jackie!

Yes Jackie I think your correct! Thanks! :-)
Thanks again Seil!

Meloidae subfamily Meloinae pic off a website:
Oil Beetle
{{gwi:343179}}

Here is a link that might be useful: violet oil beetle

This post was edited by jim1961 on Wed, Nov 6, 13 at 16:20

If blister beetles get bailed in hay and a horse consumes it, it could kill the horse. There must be more than one species because I remembered them being striped. I wonder if they are harmful to other animals if ingested?

There are more than 2,500 species of blister beetles worldwide.

Here is a link that might be useful: click here for info

More info

Here is a link that might be useful: click here for more info

Ha-Jim I just read there are 5,000 species of blister beetles worldwide--doesn't matter. They are nasty pests no matter how many species exist.
Here's my BB story: Several years ago, a black beetle began showing up on my yellow calendula, which that year I had all over the place. The insect was chewing the heck out of them. Spraying wasn't possible, nor did I want to try that route. So I ignored the ugly things. Big mistake. The next year, they were ten times worse. They seemed to love all kinds of yellow flowers--calendula was still number one, but yellow coreopsis and rudbeckia seemed to be good in a pinch. I decided the situation called for the gloves of death, so I put them on and went to work, easily "popping" hundreds of these nasties per day. I went out at set times and told myself this would be a fun job, and I sort of began to enjoy the popping sound, as well as the release of loudly cursing the things (yes, I'm nuts). I was shocked to find the insects on my Russian sage one day and even hollyhocks. They never bothered my roses, though. After a number of days of this bug killing, there were no more BBs to be seen. The next year, about 15 showed up, and I quickly popped them. The next year after that, there were about 12, and this year, a grand total of 2 blister bugs appeared. Each time, though, I didn't make the mistake of ignoring even two insects, and all bit the dust (my BBs are slow and stupid, trying to drop to the ground when on occasion I miss popping one). The moral of all this is: don't ignore them--eliminate them. And spray is not necessary. Just think of them as enemies of the garden and pop away. Diane