#firebug aggregation

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Firebug (aggregation) - Pyrrhocoris apterus

I've noticed a good handful of large-sized insect aggregations over the last few weeks, and these pictures are an example of one of them. My favorite of the year actually. Many similar showcases have been seen on this blog before, but there's one little thing different about this collection of red individuals. As these Red Bugs gather on the sunny side of this tree to absorb the sun's warmth and drive their metabolism, I couldn't help but notice an individual different from the others. Specifically, the individual seen in pictures 2, 5 and 9. This is a freshly molted adult (technically termed as a "pharate") Firebug! It appears more fire-inspired than the adults, although it lacks the deep crimson along its body. That will appear after exposure to sunlight and the air gradually dries and darkens this specie's outer cuticle after molting. This will eventually result in the dark-colored face, crimson body, and black patterning appearing on the abdomen and the reduced wings (in the form of spots). Looking at the freshly molted Bug, it's hard to believe that such distinctive colors and patterns will manifest with the full sclerization of the adult exoskeleton, but time is a powerful thing in the insect world.

On the subject of exoskeletons, if you look carefully in Picture 1, you will find the shed exuvia of a Firebug next to the aggregation. While I didn't observe longer than a few minutes, it's very likely that were many more shedding events over the next few days given the number of pre-adult nymphs scampering alongside the adults. If they are to molt, it would be in their best interest to remain on the sunny side of the tree to help speed up the tanning process. The sooner they arrive at adulthood, the sooner they can release more pheromones in order to increase the aggregation's size and form mating pairs before the end of autumn. Since they're so exposed, hopefully their bright colors are enough to discourage hungry insectivores from trying a sample (especially since Firebugs aren't poisonous despite their bright colors). As mentioned in many prior posts, however, strength in numbers is their greatest defense, which is all the more reason to draw more Bugs into the aggregation as quickly as they detect and sprint!

Pictures were taken on September 12, 2024 with a Google Pixel 4. And of course, there are many other insect species that form aggregations for socialization, mating and protection. Some of them may appear similar to the Common Firebug.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“On the Arson Trail,” Maclean’s. December 1, 1940. Pgs. 20-24, 32.

Scientific detection and new teeth in old laws are making "torch" fires very dangerous—for the firebug --- BECAUSE a citizen possessing a sharp nose and an inquisitive disposition, who chanced to be passing the house at the right moment, smelled smoke, peered through windows and turned in an alarm, firemen were able to smother the flames before they had time to gain any great headway.

Ranging through the place with hand extinguishers, dousing the still smoldering embers, the fire department squad came across a neatly ordered line of paper cups filled with a highly-inflammable fluid, carefully arranged across the wooden floors and set beside the lath-and-plaster partitions. Strands of paper saturated with the fluid had been laid between the cups. The fire was set with deliberation and some cunning. The man who set it went to jail in due course; but had the alarm been delayed, even for as much as ten minutes, the building would have been gutted, the direct evidence destroyed, and the arsonist, whose motive was the collection of $12,000 insurance money, might very easily have gone free.

That happened last year in Ontario. It is presented as a typical instance of the sort of infernal conniving the men whose duty it is to protect us from fire hazards must constantly combat. Authorities say that 1939 was an average fire year in Canada. There were 45,755 fires reported in the nine provinces, and they caused an aggregate property loss of $24,632.509. Two hundred and sixty-three lives were lost because of them.

Of the 45,755 total, 7,299 fires had to be written into the records as “of unknown origin,’’ and these represented a property loss of $12,308,287, only a little less than half the full amount of loss. Fire marshals and insurance underwriters hold to the opinion that a large proportion of those “unknown origin” fires were set by arsonists and pyromaniacs—“firebugs” in the brisk idiom of the firefighters. A conservative estimate places the ratio of arson fires at fifteen per cent of the total. It may be more. Wilful property damage from this cause was calculated to have been around one million dollars in 1939; but this is a rock-bottom estimate, based upon the known arson cases where positive evidence was available and prosecutions instigated. It is reasonably certain that the actual figure was higher. Some incendiaries get away with it.

By the very nature of its design the crime of arson is difficult of detection. Too often the evidence is burned away in the blaze that constitutes the offense, and you may be sure that the criminal who sets fire to a building lays his plans with that end in view. In most fires, expert investigators are able to determine, from the place of origin, the course followed by the flames and other contributory circumstances, whether or not there is a likelihood that the fire was set.

But suspicion is not evidence, and the experts themselves admit ruefully that many crimes of arson go unpunished, because it is not possible to produce in court sufficient incontrovertible evidence of fact to assure conviction.

Generally speaking, arson, as a crime, gets little publicity. It is not an exciting affair from the point of view of the newspapers, but rather a sordid bit of shabby swindling, barren of romance. Criminologists, especially those who have studied the fire records, regard arson with greater resided than the police court reporters. The firebugs constantly menace property, and they are responsible each year for some loss of life.

An arsonist who has intended merely to burn up the plundered stock of a bankrupt business, may start a fire that destroys rows of buildings and traps courageous firemen beneath falling walls. His criminal act may cause much unnecessary suffering to innocent men and women, turning families into the street, reducing their homes and their belongings to ashes. It is a comparatively easy matter to set lire to a building, given sufficient evil intent; but no arsonist can know where the devastation will end that his hands begin.

Present Sabotage Precautions NOW THAT we are at war, sabotage by arson may be expected, is in fact anticipated by the authorities. Extensive plans have been carefully prepared to combat it. Trained guards sworn in as special police stand watch over public properties, utilities and key industrial plants across the Dominion. We know from past bitter experience that the torch in its various guises is a much-admired weapon of German saboteurs. Thermite bombs fashioned to look like lead pencils have been known to set fire to ships. The devastating Black Tom explosion during the first war with Germany has been proved the work of German incendiaries, and American officials, among them Congressman Martin Dies, have expressed the belief that the more recent blast in the Hercules powder plant at Kenvil, New Jersey, was deliberately plotted by German agents. That disaster cost fifty or more lives.

Our wartime criminal fire investigation forces are an extension and an elaboration of the machinery set up in peace years to circumvent and punish the arsonist. The Federal Department of Insurance appoints a Dominion Fire Commissioner—W. L. Clairmont is the present incumbent. Two national organizations, the Association of Canadian Fire Marshals and the Dominion Fire Prevention Association, work with Commissioner Clairmont’s office. Each province has its own fire marshal, a man trained in arson detection and its basic principles. Under his direction are the field investigators, police officers—also specially trained—who travel about their respective territories probing into every suspicious fire, collecting available evidence, learning the often ingenious devices by which fires are set, gathering and recording information, submitting written reports to their chiefs. After the fire marshal has studied the reports of his investigators, he forwards them to the local Crown Attorney who must decide whether or not the evidence is sufficiently powerful to warrant court action.

These constitute the official forces warring directly against arson. They are the shock troops. Supporting and supplementing their activities are a number of co-operating agencies; the Fire Underwriters Investigation Bureau, the chiefs of municipal and township fire departments and their men, and every police department in the Dominion, including the R.C.M.P. Cases of arson continue, may increase because of the special circumstances of war, but the machinery now functioning, first for foiling incendiarism before it can achieve its ends, or to convict and punish it, is more extensive and vastly more efficient than it has been at any previous period of our history.

Because of their industrial character and denser population, the provinces of Quebec and Ontario suffer most heavily from fires of unknown origin, and lead in arson prosecutions and convictions. Throughout Canada, in 1939, one hundred and seven incendiarists were caught, convicted and imprisoned; but more than twice that number of arson charges fell through for lack of sufficient evidence. Of the provinces, Ontario had the best record of convictions, gaining verdicts of guilty in forty-nine cases out of sixty brought to trial. Quebec was able to convict twenty-eight in seventy-four cases, Nova Scotia twelve of twenty-six, and British Columbia ten of thirty-eight. New Brunswick, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan each gained two arson convictions. Fortunate Prince Edward Island had no torch prosecutions to record.

Arson cases fall into two broad classifications. Fires are set deliberately, either by cunning criminals or by unfortunate fanatics who are not quite right in the head. The first group is by far the larger, but pyromania exists as an actual manifestation of an unbalanced mind, and is recognized as such by psychiatrists and fire marshals. Disastrous fires have been started for revenge, for sheer excitement, and by misguided individuals in the grip of religious delusions. Some cases are on record of thieves who have attempted to burn the homes they have robbed, in order to destroy the evidence of their crime.

Most arson cases, though, have fraud as their motive. To an ignorant mind it seems like an easy trick to start a fire in a store or other business premises closed for the night, await developments and collect insurance later. It is likely that Canada would suffer fewer torch fires if the fact were more generally understood that arson is by no means as simple as it looks. And it is getting more difficult every year as the numbers and experience of trained fire investigators increase and the artful stratagems of the arsonists are examined, card-indexed and so anticipated. Incendiary fires often duplicate one another. Most of the artifices used by people who set fires with intent to cheat insurance companies are known. Any one of a score of seemingly slim leads may start the fire marshal on the trail of the culprit. It is almost impossible today for the arsonist to use any substance or liquid to accelerate a fire without traces of its presence being discovered.

In the case of the man who laid that trail of paper cups, the motive was clear enough. His house that he had attempted to burn was an oversized brick residence built in the spacious Victorian era in a small Ontario city. It had steadily depreciated in value as a residential property because it was outdated and the community had built up a business section around it through the years. Taxes on it were heavy. It was assessed at $15,000, and it could not have been sold for a third of that amount; but it was insured for $12,000. The owner had suffered business reverses. A few hours before the fire broke out he had discharged the man and wife who had served him for years as housekeepers. The clinching bit of evidence was the fact that the owner had purchased a quantity of a highly inflammable liquid at a local store. What did he want with so large a supply of this liquid? What actually had he done with it, if he had not poured it into those paper cups?

Many Systems Tried TWO MEN. one of them a deaf-mute, were convicted of arson after a fire in Pembroke, Ontario, a year or so ago. Fire Marshal W. J. Scott, a lawyer who finds hunting down incendiaries a more fascinating occupation than routine bar practice, regards this case as the most interesting of his experience, and the longest. The house was owned by the deaf-mute. Huge holes had been bored and cut through the walls upstairs and down, obviously with the object of providing ample draft. New blinds had been nailed across the windows, top and bottom, to prevent the red glow of the flames from showing outside until the fire had fully established itself.

At that trial every question and answer had to be translated into sign language for the benefit of the accused man, by a teacher of the deaf, engaged as an interpreter. The fire marshal was able to prove that the owner himself had purchased the blinds and had nailed them into position. But the owner was able to prove that he had not been inside the house for a full twelve hours before the fire was discovered. The holes had been bored by an auger of unusual size and type. No such auger could be found. The owner denied that he had ever possessed one.

After the hearing had been going on for a week, the Pembroke paper published details of the evidence relating to the auger holes. A local machinist got in touch with the police and reported the loss of an auger similar to the one described. He suspected that it had been stolen, and he thought he knew who the thief was. Following up this clue, Fire Chief Bob Dey visited the suspect and invited him to go along to fire headquarters. Nothing was said directly about the trial, but on the way to the chief’s office, Dey remarked gravely: “This is a heck of a mess you’ve got yourself into.” At once the badly scared incendiary blurted out: “Well, he paid me to set the lire for him.” A subsequent search turned up the missing auger, hidden behind the staircase in the guilty man’s rooming house. After that a full confession and conviction of both men followed inevitably.

An auger played a leading role in the conviction of an Alberta arsonist last year, but in different fashion. In this case the tool was found on the premises. Wood fragments remained in its coils, and chemical analysis proved conclusively that the wood had come from panels decorating the walls of the burned premises. Why, the fire investigators wanted to know, should a man bore a lot of disfiguring holes in his handsome panelling? Further examination showed that the holes had been stuffed with wads of oil-soaked paper. Here was evidence of deliberate intent. The motive, the common one—insurance fraud.

A fire that started in the attic of a farmhouse near Chatham, Ontario, was extinguished by men of the Chatham fire brigade before it had spread very far. But when the insurance adjuster came to inspect the damage, he found a much greater area of destruction than the firemen had reported. Under examination the owner confessed that after the original fire had been stopped he had set a second blaze—at the suggestion of a man he had called in to act as adjuster on his behalf. Both were convicted on a charge of attempting to defraud.

There was a case in New Brunswick where two men were suspected of setting fire to their home after having insured a lot of broken-down furniture for several times its value. They had a plausible story. It was winter, and they said they had built a big fire in their hot-air furnace. The fire in the house, they claimed, had started from overheated metal in one of the registers, and superficial appearances seemed to support their explanation. But chemical analysis of the metal in the register proved definitely that at no time in its existence had that metal been hot enough to start any sort of a fire.

A little further probing brought other significant facts to light. The pair had not possessed sufficient coal for a fire as large as the one they claimed to have built, and they had recently moved from an apartment equipped with a sprinkler system, to the burned premises, where there were no sprinklers. Again little bits of circumstantial evidence woven together produced a complete pattern sufficient for a conviction and a prison sentence.

Fires deliberately started from motives of vengeance are frequently reported to fire marshals, and sometimes the excuses given for such drastic action are so flimsy as to border on absurdity. In one case a clerk employed in a store was denied a promotion he thought due him, and brooded over his fancied wrong until he had worked himself up to the point where he set fire to his employer’s premises. There was no sense in this. If he had burned the store down he would have been out of a job anyway. As it happened the blaze was extinguished before it had done much damage. The trail of evidence leading to the culprit was clear and certain. His sentence was two years in prison.

In Alberta, unrequited love figured as the motive in one arson case. A young man who had been jilted earned time in jail when he set fire to his sweetheart’s home, although just how he figured incendiarism would advance his suit does not appear on the record.

Another brokenhearted lover was convicted of arson in a small Eastern Ontario community—because he kept a diary. His successful rival had built a neat little home for the girl he was to marry, and the scorned one had done an equally neat job of burning the house to the ground. The revenge motive was obvious enough, but direct evidence was scarce until the investigators discovered in the diary a number of pointed references to the fire, among them one expressing surprise and resentment that the destruction of the home had not prevented the subsequent publication of the banns of marriage. The phrasing was sufficiently strong to be incriminating and a conviction was obtained.

Jealousy of another sort, supported by envy, was responsible for the burning of a block of farm buildings in Nova Scotia. The farm was part of an estate bequeathed to a favorite nephew by a wealthy uncle. The legatee had a brother, and the brother, who had hoped to inherit the property himself, set fire to the farm. This, too, was an open-and-shut case, resulting in a speedy conviction.

An Ontario farmhand drew the stiff sentence of five years in penitentiary for setting fire to a hay-filled barn. The offense was the more malicious because he also cut the telephone wires and emptied the hand fire extinguishers with which the place was equipped. The building and its contents burned to the ground for a loss of $3,000. The reason? The farmhand claimed that the owner of the barn owed him six dollars back wages. Receiving sentence, the firebug commented: “I figure we’re even now.” For the sake of a six-dollar debt he was willing to do five years in prison.

Religious Firebugs YET ANOTHER type of arson, falling within the pyromania class, showed itself a little over a year ago in the town of Bedford, Nova Scotia, a suburban community outside Halifax. An epidemic of torch fires broke out. The railway station, a church, and a number of other public buildings were set alight. Investigators traced this series of fires to not one, but two, pyromaniacs. convicted both and sent them to prison. There appeared to be no special malice behind these crimes. The fires were started for the simple reason that the men got a kick out of watching buildings burn, and in seeing the firemen turn out to fight the flames.

Such cases are not altogether uncommon, but they usually exhibit themselves in larger communities. Every big city fire department knows of the existence within its territory of one or more of these disordered mentalities. Once they are identified it is not a difficult matter to control their activities.

Pyromania growing from fanatical religious beliefs is, unhappily, a frequent occurrence among the Doukhobor colonies. British Columbia’s fire record is considerably expanded each year because of outbreaks from this cause. Among other prejudices, the Doukhobors resent attempts to educate their children in public schools, also they dislike all creeds save their own.

Manifestations of these aberrations seem to come and go in waves. The year 1932 was an especially bad one. Over that twelve month period 302 churches, schools and public halls were burned in British Columbia, and 600 Doukhobors were arrested on charges of incendiarism. Last year was about average, with a dozen churches, schools and halls going up in smoke. At that the Pacific Coast province’s fire loss reached the formidable sum of $1,705,610.

Demonstrations of religious hysteria leading to arson occur individually in other parts of the Dominion. In the years immediately prior to 1930, the city of Toronto suffered heavily from the depredations of just such a pyromaniac. Church fires, especially in Anglican churches, were reported far too frequently to be written off as due to normal causes. Fire Marshal Scott says that the man responsible for those outbreaks appeared to be of average intelligence except for his obsession against the Church of England. At times he showed himself in clerical garb, masquerading as an Anglican clergyman. Investigators trailed him, caught him red-handed at one fire, and obtained a conviction and a sentence of five years in Kingston penitentiary.

This was in 1930. For some years before the arrest, church fires in the Toronto district had averaged losses of $50,000 annually. The guilty man’s presence had been noticed by witnesses in the vicinity of eleven of the biggest outbreaks. While he was in the penitentiary, losses in church fires dropped away to a normal of around $10,000 per year; but the man was released on parole in June, 1933, and a year later the figures were up again to the $50,000 mark. The paroled prisoner was reported as suffering from acute heart ailment, so ill that he was barely able to leave his bed. Investigators on the fire marshal's staff found reason to believe that his heart trouble was faked. He was seen on the streets at frequent intervals, walking briskly.

Enquiry at Scotland Yard showed that the suspected man had a record in England. When he was twenty-two years old, in 1908, he was convicted on charges of breaking, entering and desecrating a place of worship. He served a nine-month sentence at hard labor, and upon his release emigrated to Canada. For a large part of his residence here he has been, in one way or another, a public charge.

Early this year another church fire occurred, plainly the work of an incendiary. On the morning following the fire the pastor of the burned church received an anonymous letter designed to throw suspicion on an innocent person. The letter was traced to the paroled man. Handwriting experts testified that he had written the note. He denied the charge flatly. Confronted with Scotland Yard’s record of his conviction in England, he denied that too. There was not sufficient direct evidence to connect him with the church fire being investigated, but he convicted himself of perjury and was sentenced to Guelph Reformatory on that count. Since then Toronto church fires have been few.

The authorities charged with the responsibility for carrying on ceaseless war against arson demand of their investigators a high intelligence quotient. Chemists and engineers, as well as criminologists, are contributing their skilled knowledge and expert training to the campaign. Arson sleuths have to understand business procedure, be familiar with building codes and insurance practice, as well as the law. Many of them are college graduates.

Improved Laws Today FIRE marshals will tell you that while they are still not completely satisfied with the criminal code’s decrees dealing with incendiarism, the attitude of the law toward this stepchild crime is more realistic now than in days gone by. Thirty years ago the legal definition of arson as a felony was limited to the “malicious and wilful burning of the house of another.” A man could burn down his own house and the police could do little about it, unless the burned house was in a town, or located so close to others that its burning created a danger to them. In that case the offense was considered a misdemeanor.

Further, to establish the crime of arson it was necessary that the whole or some part of the house should have been actually damaged by fire. The old law said, in effect, that it was perfectly all right for a chap to play games with matches and coal oil on his own premises, as long as he did not, in fact, burn them up. Many potential incendiaries went unpunished because their sinister intentions were aborted by chance. Again, the penalty following conviction of arson was so severe that it often stultified prosecution. As recently as 1935 the sentence decreed was life imprisonment, and many a jury, entirely satisfied that a prisoner was guilty of arson as charged, showed reluctance to render that verdict because they felt the possible punishment was too severe. Fire Marshal Scott led the fight for a more reasonable interpretation of the law, and three years ago the maximum penalty was fixed at fifteen years imprisonment.

As matters now stand, everyone is guilty of the indictable offense of arson, and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding fifteen years, who wilfully sets fire to any building or structure, whether such building or structure is completed or not, or to any stack of vegetable produce, or of mineral or vegetable fuel, or to any mine or well of oil or other combustible substance, or to any ship or vessel whether completed or not, or to any timber or materials placed in any shipyard for repairing or fitting out any ship, or to any of His Majesty’s stores or munitions of war.

And everyone, the law says, is guilty of the indictable offense of arson and liable to five years imprisonment who wilfully, and for any fraudulent purpose, sets fire to any chattel having a greater value than twenty-five dollars.

Additionally, under the War Measures Act, if deliberate sabotage can be proved the crime comes under the heading of treason, and the minimum penalty is internment; the maximum, death.

Armed with this potent weapon the fire marshals and their forces are waging a preventive war on sabotage that has, to date, been notably successful. During the first twelve months of this war fifteen suspected cases of attempted sabotage by fire were reported and investigated—nine of them in Ontario. But of those fifteen, only two were shown to have been the work of saboteurs, and in both those cases prompt action by the protection squads held the damage to a negligible minimum. No sabotage was proved in Ontario.

Fire insurance companies are issuing ix)licies covering sabotage under a ‘‘malicious damage to property” clause, have been doing so since the war started. Some of the policies are sufficiently comprehensive to cover not only the acts of enemy agents, but wilful damage by any person. Municipalities and public utilities have been heavy buyers of this type of protection; but over the first twelve months of hostilities not a single claim has been reported under the ‘‘malicious damage” clause.

A successful legal attack on incendiarism must cover four main objectives; proof of the fire itself, proof of incendiary origin, proof of a motive, and positive proof of guilt. Proof of the fire itself is a simple matter. In larger cities the time of the alarm is automatically recorded, and firemen, with spectators, supply any other detail necessary. Fires in smaller communities lacking automatic recording machinery can usually easily be substantiated by firemen and other observers.

Establishing that any given fire was definitely of incendiary origin is more difficult, but close study of the history of arson and reports of trained observers are making it possible in an increasing number of cases. Mechanized equipment, facilities for swifter reporting of outbreaks, and similar modern improvements in the weapons used to fight fires, combine to bring the firemen to the scene of any blaze much more rapidly than before. Sometimes, as in the case of the ingenious trickster of the paper cups, they are on the spot before the fire has a chance to burn up the evidence; but even in cases where there appears to be a total lack of such visual proof, experts are able to see incriminatory indications where they exist.

How fast did the fire burn? Most torches are so eager to do a thorough job that they cannot resist the temptation to help the destructive flames along. Coal oil and gasoline are common inflammables used for this purpose. But experienced firemen know pretty well what the normal progress of any fire should be in its spread through the various types of building material, and whenever a blaze covers ground with unusual rapidity their suspicions are aroused.

Investigators Thorough ANOTHER dead giveaway is the ease, or the lack of it, with which the firemen are able to move around the burning building. Furniture or store fixtures so arranged as to impede their progress is a sure sign of dirty work. So is the conspicuous absence of such furniture or equipment as would ordinarily be found on the premises. When the fire marshals know that stock or furnishings have been removed from a burned store or house before a fire, they begin at once to ask a lot of very snarky questions around about.

Where was the owner, or the insurance beneficiary, when the fire broke out? Incendiaries who set fires for profit seem to possess implicit faith in the invincibility of an alibi; but it doesn’t always work out that way. Investigators want to know where the suspect was, and when he went there, and why. That’s only the beginning. They search out the soundness of his reasons for being where he was. They ask how long it is since he had been there before, and had he told anyone where he was going before he went, and how long before he went did he tell them, and a number of other irritating queries. More than one successful arson investigation has got off its mark at the point where the plotter suddenly made up his mind to visit relatives he had not previously bothered about for months.

How’s business been lately? How much stock was on hand, and how much was it insured for? If a burned-out storekeeper has been carrying $5,000 insurance on a stock worth $1,500, he’s in for a sweating, even though he may be innocent. Investigators visit around among the neighbors, talking politics and hockey—and the fire. In one case the suspect’s remark to two of his customers: “I’ll have to get out of this business some way,” helped to haul him into court.

Under persistent probing the demeanor of the suspect is watched closely. Fire marshals have found that only about one fire in fifty is set with criminal intent. On cross-examination the amateurs slip up. They contradict themselves, say the wrong thing. Fire investigators, knowing all about insurance policies and building values, give the suspect’s business affairs a thorough overhauling. Often they dig up small but damning details tucked away in what had been imagined to be complete concealment, just because they have been trained to know beforehand exactly what to look for, and where.

Chemical analysis is coming to play a more important part in the business of arson investigation every year. Benge Atlee’s fictional detective, Kent Power, has his counterparts in real life. Prominent among them is L. Joslyn Rogers, Provincial Analyst for Ontario, and an associate professor in chemistry at the University of Toronto, in whose laboratories the evidence to convict many arson suspects has been tracked down during the past few years.

Business conditions have a direct effect upon the fire record. There is a greater temptation to put over an insurance fraud in depression times, but over and beyond that incentive, property owners are more liable to neglect minor repairs when money is scarce, and such neglect often leads to outbreaks of fire. In Canada, incendiary fires have fallen off fifty per cent since the war began.

The path of the incendiary becomes more thickly strewn with pitfalls each year, but we are still a long way from the drastic measures taken by the Cuban Government to combat arson. The annual fire loss in Havana a few years ago ran as high as $2.75 per capita, an enormous figure, taking into account the fact that while there are many fine business buildings and residences in Havana, most of the fires occur among the native houses which are little more than huts.

In some Canadian provinces the per capita loss today is higher than that, but the average value of a Canadian residence is much greater than that of a Cuban house. Last year Nova Scotia’s per capita loss from fire was $2.99, highest in the Dominion. Quebec reported losses amounting to $2.91 per capita. Saskatchewan had the best record, 76 cents per capita. The other provincial per capita losses ran: New Brunswick, $2.69; British Columbia, $2.20; Ontario, $2.11; Alberta, $1.46; Prince Edward Island, $1.44 and Manitoba, $1.10.

Looking at their $2.75 figure, the Cuban Government took steps. Under the present Cuban law, if a fire breaks out in your home or your business premises, you are at once arrested and clapped into jail. You stay in jail until the investigation is over, and your innocence established. Somebody is considered guilty of arson, or criminal negligence, every time there is a fire in Cuba.

We are not going to do anything so drastic as that in Canada, but we need every precaution we have and perhaps, too, a stiffening of public opinion, not only against arson, but against carelessness, a much greater fire hazard.

There’s still plenty of room for improvement.

[instapicsil3]

Photo by @joepetersburger / @ thephotosociety // FIRE FRENZY // Firebugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus) are frequently observed to form aggregations from dozens up to 100 individuals. Especially near the base of lime tree trunks, on the sunny side. Many of you can easily find them on a bright sunny day, if you live at the Palearctic region. Their color and patterns might look scary, but the do not hurt at all. However, it took weeks of training to make my daughters believe, that they can touch them… They look like scary African masks for me. What do you see? I made this shot – with many others – close to my actual residency. This particular one only 10 miles from my recent hometown. No need to travel far away to discover amazing beauty and events! Please #followme at @joepetersburger to keep up-to-date with my images! @natgeo @natgeocreative @natgeotravel @natgeofineart @thephotosociety @canonusa @canonuk #joepetersburger #instagood #beautiful #earthfocus #macro #macrophotography #macroworld #educateandinspire #findbeautyeveryday #Hungary #MyCanon #TeamCanon #1frame4nature http://ift.tt/2oEAwNT

[jonnysinsectcatalogue]

Firebug (aggregation) - Pyrrhocoris apterus

In previous posts featuring this insect, the aggregations I've found were near the of a tree (and some of the surrounding plants) or nearby in the surrounding grasses. These Red Bugs had gathered to absorb the setting sun's heat and to search for seeds (their primary form of nutrition) and while aggregated they enjoy safety and comfort in numbers. All this is nothing new, but where urban environments and nature come together, the Common Firebug may be found in strange places. In today's post, the aggregations found here were either on or near a wooden utility pole! A while back, I noticed a similar event with a similar looking insect: the Eastern Boxelder Bug. Both insects had mistaken a piece of human construction for a tree. Looking at it from an insect's perspective, a large wooden object may very well be mistaken for tree, especially if it has similar scent cues still attached to it. A utility pole unfortunately cannot be used as a food source, but does have potential to act as a shelter from the elements or a sunning location. For the former use (as can be seen from Pictures 5 and 8), as many individuals as possible can cram into the cracks and hide away, similar to the recesses and holes of trees (similar behavior also occurs when they find their way inside a house).

Firebugs would have to rely on other creatures to expend the crevices in order to fit every Bug in the aggregation, but alas, nature is survival of the fittest. What may benefit the Firebugs more is a eusocial/colony structure whereby the younger nymphs hide away in the woody voids while the adults monitor and search for food. While not eusocial in any way, there are small inklings of such a system in the aggregations. If you look closely, your attention may be drawn more to the spotted, larger and redder adults and not the smaller nymphs that try and hide beneath them. Meanwhile, loose aggregations and single Firebugs scamper about on stone and concrete looking for a source of food and shelter. What can start as one individual in an area can quickly turn into many individuals gathering in an area thanks to potent pheromones. However, different pheromones from this insect can also cause aggregations to separate and scatter. This may be useful as a defense, but likely has more value in use for after mating (for egg dispersal) or if an aggregation grows too large and food sources are in short supply. With reduced wings to prevent flying away (in most cases) personal stuff is all the more important, and it's furthermore great that this specie can run very quickly should an aggregation need to suddenly form or disperse.

Pictures of individuals or loose aggregations were taken on June 16 and August 5, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4. Pictures of the large aggregations were taken on October 1, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4.

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Firebug - Pyrrhocoris apterus

Am I featuring this conspicuous insect too soon since the last post made in February? Perhaps I am. However, this post is a special one for a trifecta of reasons. Firstly, the finding of these Firebugs signifies the first find of the year and thusly the insect post photographed in 2025! I was out walking and to my surprise I found this cluster of individuals huddling against the base of a mallow tree. Nearby to them on other mallow trees, there were a few more small-sized aggregations. Likely they had all awoken from their overwintering among the dried leaves and the tree's hollows to enjoy the warm sun against their short-winged backs. They seemed slow and docile, and it's likely too early for them to form mating pairs, but such a gathering may help get things started as temperatures warm over the next few weeks. It's reassuring to see them active so early, but I hope that they aren't too early as we aren't truly safe from winter in Toronto until the beginning of May. Luckily these Bugs are resilient and can retreat under the protection of their tree until spring weather is stable. However, seeing them active and together among many trees gives me hope that spring has arrived a bit earlier. It also gives me incentive to leave the leaf coverage at our house alone a bit longer for all the insects dreaming beneath. Of course, I keep the leaves free of actual litter, and the Jolly Rancher wrapper seen in Picture 9 was removed afterwards.

As for the second reason, the timing of these pictures - literally 3 days ago - was perfect to welcome the first day of spring and the gradual return of warming weather. It's just something done on this blog every time the seasons change to honor the many insects seen throughout the year. With their crimson colors, these Red Bugs are perfect to get everyone excited for spring! Finally, today's post is a special one as it signifies a change in photography and videography equipment. Last month, I upgraded my phone and jumped from my Google Pixel 4 to a Google Pixel 8a. I hesitated a bit on this change, but the Pixel 4's battery and its ability to hold charges had recently deteriorated significantly. While I'm happy to have an upgraded phone, I'm deeply thankful for the Pixel 4's 5 years of loyal service and I'm especially thankful of how much it was able to capture and share here. Counting it up, the Pixel 4 has given the following in service to this blog:

24 gigabytes of insect pictures spread out over 7,008 pictures across 2020 to 2024

5.28 gigabytes of insect videos, spread out over 58 videos across 2020 to 2024

Countless more blurry pictures or small videos which were deleted during the insect observation process across 2020 to 2024

What a legacy to give, and a great technological companion for 5 years. If the 8a can achieve even half of that, I'd be satisfied. With the Pixel 8a, it works similarly to the 4 (with some refinements), and I've been learning the ins and outs while trimming most of the phone's bloat. These Firebugs represent the first step in relearning how to capture insects in a way that is natural but also clear, well-presented and artful to a degree. It immediate seems that it can better handle focusing and zooming in on insects, so hopefully this will carry into all future pictures (and videos too)! Image quality may change compared to what was shown previously, but hopefully it will be a positive change in the long run. Like the Pixel 4, I don’t intend to review the phone. I simply intend to continue to do my best and give these insects the showcasing they deserve. Lastly, thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to visit my blog, see the wonderful insects of Ontario (and other places), and read my writings and ramblings. You are appreciated, in every sense of the word.

Pictures were taken on March 18, 2025 with a Google Pixel 8a, the first showcase of many from a new phone. Happy First Day of Spring!

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Firebug - Pyrrhocoris apterus

Valentine's Day may have been last week, but there's still one more mating pair of insects that I'd like to highlight while romance is still fresh in our minds. Their red color would have certainly been a good fit for the aforementioned holiday, but then it would be too easy. In any case, I've typically found this common specie of Red Bug in one of two scenarios: either as an individual insect running across the wilderness, like some of the images shown here; or as a member of an aggregation featuring dozens or hundreds of crimson-colored Bugs. For the latter, all nymph stages of this insect's life cycle can be observed alongside the adult forms as they aggregate along a tree, plant or secure man-made structure. While a part of an aggregation, these insects share a living area and food source and will stay close together to maintain warmth and protection from insectivorous threats (i.e. too many insects to track one or one insect may be eaten over another). However, while looking closer at several prior recorded and photographed Bug hordes, I noticed that there were no mating pairs of these Bugs to be found. Thusly, we come to the pair found among grass and wood chips. It seems that rather than mate as a part of the aggregation, the adult Bugs will strike out on their own to find mates, but is that the whole story?

Naturally, there might be a few individuals within such an aggregation who would form mating pairs as the purpose of these pheromone-signaled aggregations is to bring Bugs together for mutual benefit. Among these large insect groups, bringing them together can be a simple and effective way to find a mate if they are willing to wait for a few molts. Many individuals within Firebug aggregations (particularly the ones that I've seen) are nymphs, and thusly lack the appendages needed to mate. Moreover, while there are many insects and pheromones within an aggregation, perhaps there are too many? One of the crucial parts of an insect's life is to pass on its genes, but with so many males and females to choose from, who's to say that the efforts of one male won't be supplanted by another? As such, it may be in the best interest of the male Firebug's genes to bring a female away from the aggregation. Thusly the male Firebug practices mate guarding and remains attached to the female for hours to days of mating!

However, Common Firebug females are usually only receptive after feeding (eggs and mothers need nutrients) and they actually benefit from having multiple partners so that many of their eggs become fertilized. So perhaps a female Firebug benefits more from the aggregation? It sounds like it, but consider one particular long term decision: there is competition for nearby nesting sites, and amassing all the Firebug eggs in on area can prove disastrous should they be destroyed. Moving away from the aggregation may be beneficial in terms of dispersal and discovery of better sites. This is particularly crucial since this insect typically has reduced wings (but sometimes doesn't), and relies on running and scent detection to find new areas for food and egg placement. Although different in their approaches and needs, male and female Firebug adults at least want the same thing at the end of the day, and their cooperation together ensures a successful batch of new Firebugs will emerge after overwintering. Finally, even if laid far apart, it's never a lonely life as a hatched Firebug nymph; soon the pheromones are detected and the aggregations of these deep-red insect starts again!

The solo Firebug pictures were taken on March 22 and May 6, 2021 and the mating pair pictures were taken on May 13, 2021; both with a Google Pixel 4.

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Firebug (aggregation) - Pyrrhocoris apterus

Valentine’s Day may have been yesterday, but we can still celebrate the day after with pictures of some delightful insects. Or perhaps, a whole army of them nestled in the sunlight and in the roots of this tree! It’s never easy to choose a red insect for such a day. Having already used the Red Milkweed Beetle and the Red Admiral to celebrate, I thought this year I would go with a very prominent and common Red Bug. Literally, for this Red Bug is indeed a Red Bug of the family Pyrrhocoridae, some of which are called stainers. Many of the insects in this family have beautiful red patterns (sometimes on the underside) highlighted with black markings. Here we find many individuals with these patterns in the different stages of their life cycle. Most of these individuals appear to be sub-adults, waiting for their final molt into the “winged” adult. For the former, you can tell by the presence of black-colored wingbuds and a row of spots running down the abdomen of the Bug. Unfortunately things don’t really improve on the wing front (unless very lucky) into adulthood as Common Firebugs have reduced wings, compensated by a solid running speed. Although this aggregation looks intense for the afflicted tree, there is likely little danger to it as these insects mostly feed on seeds and fruit, and the tree seems otherwise healthy. 

This tree is likely just a resting spot for these insects to settle in after the sun sets. There are plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in until the next day. They likely aggregate together for the safety in numbers while waiting to fully mature. After mating, most of them will likely go their separate ways to place eggs in optimal locations. Sometimes that means a warm house interior, but they’re just doing what they do, and while they can seem like pests, they aren’t dangerous at all. If you find any in your home or garden, I don’t recommend crushing them, for you see they don’t find each other by running around and bumping into one another. They communicate using scents and chemical markers in the form of pheromones to bring everyone within range to the safe haven. Squishing them may only release more of the pheromone and invite more guests and/or suitors to the party! It may also leave a nasty stain behind too, which exemplifies the “stainer” name. The insects will need to be relocated and the area rinsed of pheromones if you don’t want them coming back. Gardeners may consider using the hose to get rid of them, but I think these insects are alright and it’s both interesting and amazing to see such a level of aggregation (and teamwork to some extend) in insects outside of those in a colony or a gregarious swarm.

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day!

Pictures were taken on August 27, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4. These insects can also be seen in 2 videos that were uploaded earlier.

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Firebug (aggregation) - Pyrrhocoris apterus (Part 2)

After nearly a year of waiting since the last post, we have a Firebug aggregation on display. While there are pictures from this year and last year too (and they will be uploaded in the future), a video showcases this huddling together the best. There’s strength in numbers here, but this is not a colony of insects as their is no queen to rule over them, and there doesn’t seem to be any strict hierarchy of individuals. They all gather food for themselves (even though they are more than capable of sharing). Regardless of that however, they must be some sort of social behavior going on otherwise these insects wouldn’t be tolerating each other. While their numbers are overwhelming here, the host tree doesn’t seem to be suffering which is a great thing. Nevertheless, if you’re concerned about swarming, watch for these insects, especially as Autumn and Winter draw closer. If they haven’t found refuge outside, they have been reported to venture into houses to wait out the winter, becoming active again around June or July. 

Video was recorded on August 27, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4. Due to Tumblr’s video size restrictions, this video has been split in two. You can watch Part 1 here. You can also find this video on YouTube - in full - as of July 14, 2024.

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Firebug (aggregation) - Pyrrhocoris apterus (Part 1)

After nearly a year of waiting since the last post, we have a Firebug aggregation on display. While there are pictures from this year and last year too (and they will be uploaded in the future), a video showcases this huddling together the best. At the base of this tree, there are several hundred individuals crawling around from every stage of the Firebug’s development. Most are nymphs with a few adults crawling around; look for their shorted, but developed wings. It’s fortunate that their wings tend to be reduced, making flight an impossibility, so they stay relatively localized to a tree. A few sprint away in search of a new home, but most seem to remain at their tree. At the time, the sun was setting, and they were enjoying the warmth of dusk. 

Video was recorded on August 27, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4. Due to Tumblr’s video size restrictions, this video has been split in two. You can watch Part 2 here. You can also find this video on YouTube - in full - as of July 14, 2024.

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Eastern Boxelder Bug - Boisea trivittata

Hmmm, this looks strangely familiar...a large aggregation of crimson-colored insects massing around a wooden pole. Well, there have been similar posts in the past, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen an aggregation of Boxelder Bugs! We’ve seen similar behavior with one of their look-a-like insects: the Common Firebug. Both types of insects participate in mass aggregations towards the end of summer. While it’s amazing to see so many Bugs in one area, why have they all gathered here on this power-line pole? It’s not even an acceptable source of food and the masses are exposed to world, and thus in the eyes of danger! For the former, perhaps if it feels like a tree and sounds like a tree, it must be a tree, even if this one will not bear leaves and seeds to feed on. As for why they can aggregate while remaining conspicuous, the answer may have many layers to it. Simple ideas first: similar to other unpalatable insects flashing bright colors, the red tones of the Boxelder Bug may also function as a foul-taste warning to potential predators. This is further compounded by a chemical defense that can be employed. A mass amount of foul chemical may be potent enough to ward off any attack. Sounds like strength in numbers right now as opposed to unwanted exposure to the elements.

Mass aggregation like this tends to be a result of needing exposure to the sun as a means to warm up or is born from chemical signals drawing in individuals to one area for the prospect of finding a mate. Similar to the use of chemical defense from a gland to ward off predators, Boxelder Bugs also have chemical signals used for communication between individuals. With a chorus of odors being generated, it could drawn in any individual who happens upon the scent using their antennae. In close proximity, females can apply a scent to attract males to them, while males can apply a scent to let the other males know that the female they have chosen is off the table. I didn’t smell anything during documentation, but maybe the more “fun” scents aren’t meant to be picked up by humans. The scents many have also been in low concentration as there were only a handful of adult Bugs here. However, given the size of some of the nymphs in the aggregate (look for no wings, instead wing buds), it’s likely many of them would’ve reached adulthood very soon. And then the real fun begins...flying, of course! If you look closely at some of these images, you may in fact find a freshly molted Bug keeping to itself and away from the aggregation. To find it, look for an insect that appears discolored and slightly muted. Through exposure to air and time in the sun, the body of the freshly molted Boxelder Bugs gradually turns darker until it resembles a familiar blend of red and black.

Pictures were taken on September 5, 2022 with a Google Pixel 4. Happy First day of Autumn!

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Small Milkweed Bug - Lygaeus kalmii

With Tuesday’s insect still fresh on our minds (Happy Valentine’s Day), I’m following it up with another black and red insect that has a similar appearance that one. The two are often confused for one another at first glance, but they have their differences in patterning and behavior once you get close enough. Common Firebugs have those large spots on their reduced wings, while today’s subject - the Small Milkweed Bug - has a red “x” pattern with black-colored bordering. Look for little simple eyes on the head of the Small Milkweed Bug too! These are called ocelli, and many other orders of insects have these too! These little ocelli are a big help for insects that need to get around by flying (since they help with the intake of information). However, just because Red Bugs lack ocelli, doesn’t mean they won’t fly, but some of them unfortunately wound up with reduced wings. Today’s showcase however, is a Seed Bug and can make great use of its wings to scale milkweed stalks and make a sudden escape if it’s been found tucked behind a seed pod. Though they may look similar to the Common Firebug (among others), their nesting and feeding habits have some differences. 

You may see aggregations of the Small Milkweed Bug in an area dominated by flowers or scrounging around on the milkweed stalks, but the numbers will be much less. You’re more than likely to only find one or two, or maybe a mating pair? As they roam around the milkweed stalk, they search for the most valuable food sources they can: flowers and seeds! Some of the individuals in these photos have struck liquid gold! These milkweed flowers are ripe for the drinking, and using their straw-like rostrum, taking a sip can be done in a snap! Yeah they really like to get in there. While milkweed is the best choice here, they can drink from other flowers if they need to, especially if other insects swoop in a take all the nectar before they can. The milkweed pods are the next best target for all the seeds they house, making them valuable for eat and to lay eggs on. Depending on how fast your milkweed grows, you may want to monitor for these insects, but you can rest assured they pose little harm to your milkweed plants. They’ll share the territory with other milkweed dwelling insects, but it’ll be up to all of us to see if they bully other insects away from the delicious flower nectar.

Pictures were taken on July 2, 12, 21 and August 2, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4.

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Cluster Fly - Pollenia spp.

Insect life has returned to Toronto’s outdoors once again! While we could stand to have a few more warm days in a row and more consistent sunny weather (with occasional rain), I think it’s fair to say that spring has arrived. At the very least, the insects are taking advantage of the sun and awakening to a new year. It’s only been a few days, but I’ve already seen many species remerge from the leaf litter and into warmth. There have been Firebugs, Honeybees (at flower retailers, very sporadic outside right now as there haven’t been many substantial blooming yet) and Flies, including the specie featured in today’s showcase: the Cluster Fly. This find actually represents a new family of Flies joining the blog: Polleniidae. It seems to once have been subfamily of Blowflies, but was made distinct recently. Year after year, Flies always seem to be the first family of insects that are observed after the thaw, buzzing around in search of resources and mates. There’s certainly plenty to go around since the thaw has exposed leaf litter and other buried, err, treasures. 

Though similar in appearance to Houseflies, Cluster Flies can apparently be distinguished their larger size and by the presence of light and dark patches on their abdomen. Zoom in to see for yourself. For a drab insect, it certainly has color that can be appreciated. Most of the individuals I’ve seen were zooming and buzzing around this foliage filled area, trying to remain in full sun exposure. Gotta stay warm when the wind moves the way it does. Though most Flies are skittish, these Flies didn’t seem too bothered being watched by a human. Though solitary right now, their common name comes from their habit of aggregating at windows come springtime in an attempt to return outside. They try to enter houses as cold weather comes and stay warm in attics. Though an infestation wouldn’t be a pretty sight, it is fortunate that they aren’t a bother to humans otherwise (aside from the occasional feast on food). They don’t lay eggs in houses, instead exclusively laying their eggs in soil so their larvae can feed on earthworms. There’ll be plenty of those as moisture and vitality return to the soil.

Pictures were taken on March 21, 2021 with a Google Pixel 4.

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Small Milkweed Bug - Lygaeus kalmii

It’s a bit early before Valentine’s Day, but never too early to showcase little red insects huddling in the milkweed. With the wind blowing the way it was, it was probably best to grab onto the plant and hold on for dear life. Seems to me there might be more than a Bug Hug going on here. You generally won’t find adult Milkweed Bugs of this type together unless in a mating pair or if multiple individuals are scaling a milkweed stalk. Large Milkweed Bugs tend to remain more so in aggregates by comparison, and that’s to say nothing of similar looking species such as the Common Firebug. This interaction between the two might be a squabble rather than something more amorous. Moreover, mating for this specie of Milkweed Bug tends to happen in the spring, when the adults emerge from overwintering and the milkweed is plentiful. Although, mating might still occur while the milkweed is plentiful (plenty of sites to lay eggs) and temperatures hold (but those may just be outliers). While Small Milkweed Bugs may be mating in the summer, offspring success would depend on how many generations are sustainable year after year. And of course, milkweed would needs to be plentiful. I’ll be keeping an eye out in the yard for the young bugs when the warmth of spring returns.

Video was recorded on August 2, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4. You can find this video on YouTube now as of October 13, 2024.

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Firebug - Pyrrhocoris apterus

There’s something unusual going on with one of the individuals in this collection of Red Bugs. Can you figure out what it is? Feel free to reference other pictures on this blog of this insect to check for yourself. Its a small detail, but a very interesting one. Just to make sure all is fair, both individuals are indeed Common Firebugs and have reached their adult stage (no nymphs to speak of). It’s not the environment they were photographed in. While an urban bug, the Firebug tends to keep close to foliage as it finds a steady supply of food and needs to find fellow bugs to aggregate alongside. Have you noticed what is strange here? Well alright, I’ll tell you. The individual in pictures 6, 7 and 9 is a regular individual (a wild type) while the individual in pictures 1-5, 8 and 10 has fully developed and functional wings!  This is called a macropterous mutant. How curious! Here’s what is going on: Red Bugs (Pyrrhocoridae), like most other winged insects have fully developed wings. Most of them do anyway, there are exceptions to this rule, and the Common Firebug is one of those insects. 

Generally, the individuals found in the wild have reduced pairs of wings, rendering them flightless. They are reduced to such a degree that rear abdominal segments are visible. While flightless, they can sprint rather quickly making photography tricky if they feel pursued. Speed is definitely a handy advantage to evade predators. However, every now and then a mutation can arise that grants elongated wings! While not entirely sure how the wing genes get passed down to offspring (or whether the mutation is a sudden one) but having wings is a handy advantage over your flightless fellows (that is assuming the muscles attached to them work). If this Firebug individual can indeed fly, it can now cover more ground in search of food, mates and egg laying sites and reduce competition with its brothers and sisters. Flying up a plant is certainly more productive than crawling up it. It is more vulnerable away from an aggregate however and those wings have a high energy cost. There’s a lot of variables to consider here but in the end the genetics on display from Firebug populations speak for themselves. More research and photography will have to be done on this insect. Let’s see what 2021 and beyond brings us.

Pictures were taken on July 21 and August 10, 2020 with a Google Pixel 4.

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Firebug - Pyrrhocoris apterus

First in Romania and now over here in Toronto, these Firebugs sure get around don’t they? While it may have started off in Eurasia, this insect now has found its way over to the Americas and seems to have increased its range to the UK as well. I can only really comment and talk about what I’ve seen, so it’s impressive how far this insect has been able to get to, especially considering that their short wings leave them flightless. Meanwhile their winged cousins don’t seem to be nearly as widespread. At least a lack of wings allows for better picture taking since they can’t escape so easily (but they can run surprisingly fast on the ground). These individuals didn’t even seem too threatened by the phone in their faces. These bright Redbugs have a chemical defense to deploy should they truly feel threatened. Remember, those colors aren’t saturated and bright for no reason, they’re a warning!

Interestingly, the bright colors also bring another indication about these individuals: their health. In the animal kingdom, brighter colors can mean that the animal is well fed and isn’t missing any nutrients in its diet. Even the nymph showcased in the bottom 2 pictures is vibrantly colored. This specie of Firebug’s diet is reported to consist of lime and mallow tree seeds and sap. I’m not sure what they’re eating here, but clearly since these insects are flourishing, they’ve found a food source and it has to be within walking distance! It would also have to be a relatively large food source too, as where there is one Firebug, there’s another, and another, and another, and several more too. As I mentioned in the previous post, these bugs love to form aggregates to feed, and in the next post featuring this specie, you’ll get to see the feeding frenzy!

Pictures were taken on September 23, 2018 with a Samsung Galaxy S4

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Small Milkweed Bug - Lygaeus kalmii

This is a picture from my early days as a shutterbug, back when I was first finding my bearings. I don’t have too many insect photos left from this time; a lot of them were out of focus (more so than this) or extremely blurry. How times have changed. I’m surprised how little I see of this Seed Bug during the year, especially with all the milkweed plants in the yard through the summer to the early fall. Perhaps, the population of milkweed related Beetles and Aphids give this specie little room to compete for food and places to lay eggs in the front yard? Although, the amount of milkweed in the front yard is tremendous. If more pictures of this insect are to be obtained, perhaps High Park would be a better place to look?

The Small Milkweed Bug can be distinguished from the similar looking Firebug and Boxelder Bug by looking for a red “X” pattern. Milkweed bugs enjoy a plant based diet (take a guess what plant). In particular, it enjoys the sap and the seeds. Milkweed plants keep their seeds inside a spiny pod and release them to the breeze when the time is right. Aggregates of these insects are able to break into the pod and suck the seeds dry before seed release time (looking closer at the seed pods might yield more pictures). While they enjoy using the plant and its seeds for nourishment, if their numbers are moderate, they do not harm the plant itself to a serious degree. These insects are also scavengers, and have even been observed acting as predators when milkweed plants are scarce. There a few pictures out there that document this behavior. It’s an interesting adaption; while not as proficient as Assassin Bugs, the milkweed bug does have the advantage that predators are discouraged from eating it when hunting due to its coloration.

Picture was taken on November 3, 2012 with a Samsung Galaxy Glide