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RAUK - Archived Forum - wood ants and mystery bug

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wood ants and mystery bug:

Author	Message
ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 View other posts by ben rigsby	Posted: 19 Mar 2011 hi folks, went out looking for adders the other day (didnt see any ) so heres some wood ants (formica rufa); nests; something has had a go at this one; also saw fungi. scarlet elf cup (sarcoscypha coccinea). edible (tho not palatable in this members view! ) Beautiful iridescent Mystery bugs ID anyone? thanks, ben Diversity.

Suzi Senior Member Joined: 06 Apr 2005 No. of posts: 860 View other posts by Suzi	Posted: 19 Mar 2011 I can almost hear the rustle of those wood ants Ben! Lovely looking bugs - no idea what. Could green woodpeckers be responsible for ant hill damage? I had one visit an ant heap in my garden in that bitter winter weather. The heap was under snow but the pecker must have remembered it as it dug down and tore it apart (soil all over the snow for several yards around the heap). Suzi40621.8130208333 Suz

AndyS Senior Member Joined: 26 Aug 2007 No. of posts: 95 View other posts by AndyS	Posted: 19 Mar 2011 No Idea what your Blue bugs are ben Maybe Blue Shieldbug Zicrona caerulea or Alder Leaf Beetle (Agelastica alni) roughly what size where they? AndyS40621.8633333333

Dave1812 Member Joined: 21 Sep 2008 No. of posts: 42 View other posts by Dave1812	Posted: 21 Mar 2011 Why not put the photo on iSpot the Open University website your bound to get an ID then. David Hind Wildlife Trust (Cumbria) - Member Solway AONB - Volunteer

Scale Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 No. of posts: 83 View other posts by Scale	Posted: 21 Mar 2011 I would certainly think it to be a species of Leaf Beetle and on Hard Rush if i'm not mistaken. Might be worth checking likely looking species against flight season/egg emergence (which may be diagnostically early) and (likely) foodplant. Funnily enough this group of beetles features quite highly in the diet of Slow-worms!

ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 View other posts by ben rigsby	Posted: 23 Mar 2011 thanks for your suggestions folks. not either of your suggestions andy. they were about 8mm in length. so ive followed daves advice (thanks!) and have joined i spot and posted there. awaiting reply. yes its a very characteristic sound eh suz? woodpeckers love ants but since the damage was quite extensive i suspect badger or boar? or perhaps someone simply kicked it over - sort of thing kids might do! the nest was right beside the track. ben ben Diversity.

Scale Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 No. of posts: 83 View other posts by Scale	Posted: 28 Mar 2011 To quote a great line from a great scene in the great Withnail and I: 'Who the f are you talking about?' span924? Monty

GemmaJF Admin Group Joined: 25 Jan 2003 No. of posts: 2090 View other posts by GemmaJF	Posted: 28 Mar 2011 perhaps it should be spam924? 'I don't advise a haircut, man. All hairdressers are in the employment of the government. Hairs are your aerials. They pick up signals from the cosmos, and transmit them directly into the brain. This is the reason bald-headed men are uptight.' Danny Gemma Fairchild, Independent Ecological Consultant

tim hamlett Senior Member Joined: 17 Dec 2006 No. of posts: 572 View other posts by tim hamlett	Posted: 28 Mar 2011 don't threaten me with a dead fish! withnail

Baby Sue Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2008 No. of posts: 412 View other posts by Baby Sue	Posted: 28 Mar 2011 You get to see some ace wildlife Ben. I wanted presents from lots of you. Snot fair that Ben Rigsby was the only one to send me Xmas & birthday presents.

Scale Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 No. of posts: 83 View other posts by Scale	Posted: 28 Mar 2011 Does anyone remember Gussie Fink-Nottle, Bertie Wooster's friend in Jeeves and Wooster? He was obsessed with 'newt studies' and everybody around him used to comment on it. Very amusing

Scale Senior Member Joined: 05 Dec 2010 No. of posts: 83 View other posts by Scale	Posted: 28 Mar 2011 I just remembered that Gussie Fink-Nottle gets arrested and 'does time' after searching for newts in Trafalgar Square fountain. He also displeases his prospective inlaws by keeping newts in their bath tub...if i remember correctly

ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 View other posts by ben rigsby	Posted: 28 Mar 2011 great film WAI. among many, i love the loaded-12 bore-with-safety-off-in-bed scene myself. unlike you s i cant quote the film off-pat mind! im quite good on yr fave Deliverance though Gemma. "what do you wanna go up that mountain for?" "because its there" you thought i was gonna say "squeal like a piggy boy! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" or "hes got a PRETTY mouth" DIDNT you?? sounds like Gussies nuts but harmless. just like this caudata freak. ben ben rigsby40630.9445949074 Diversity.

ben rigsby Senior Member Joined: 27 Apr 2010 No. of posts: 337 View other posts by ben rigsby	Posted: 28 Mar 2011 by the way, if anyone was wondering, the blue beetles in my pix are Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae) according to the response i got on ispot. Diversity.

- wood ants and mystery bug

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