I dug open a rotting stump in my yard and...

[Vfox]

I found some interesting little critters. I've seen everything before including a carpenter ant queen. What really perplexed me was a small cricket looking insect that may be a PA wood roach nymph, an orange "stink bug" looking insect, and several metallic green bees that were living with the ants. Any ID's would be fantastic but I do realize these shots are kind of poor. Btw I was looking for pseudo-scorpions and adult PA wood roaches or even sub adults...no luck on either. Everything was collected today from the same stump in South Central PA.

The roach? thing. (3mm)

Orange something or other. (6mm)

The pair.

And the bees with a green grub of some sort. (bees 4mm)

 

[skippy]

that first one, i have been informed on another forum because i found one myself the other day, is called an ant cricket

 

[Vfox]

that first one, i have been informed on another forum because i found one myself the other day, is called an ant cricket

Ah, cool. I wasn't sure, it hops around like a cricket but looks like a tiny roach! Thanks!

 

[skippy]

i kind of thought it was a roach too but, it looks vaguely cricket like too

 

[1Lord Of Ants1]

The coloful one is a regular 'ol harlequin bug. (True bugs, think stink bugs) The cricket was already IDed. As far as the bees go, it's hard to tell with the picture, but they might be augochlora pura or the common name a metalic green sweat bee. This species nests underground or in soft wood were each solitary female builds her tunnel for her eggs. (Tunnels can be found in close proximity to other female augochlora)

 

[Vespula]

awesome finds!

 

[Vfox]

The coloful one is a regular 'ol harlequin bug. (True bugs, think stink bugs) The cricket was already IDed. As far as the bees go, it's hard to tell with the picture, but they might be augochlora pura or the common name a metalic green sweat bee. This species nests underground or in soft wood were each solitary female builds her tunnel for her eggs. (Tunnels can be found in close proximity to other female augochlora)

I would bet you are correct on the bee ID. They are about the right size and were found very close to one another. Last year I found similar bees in a stump along with some hibernating bald faced hornets.

The harlequin bug is still odd to me, I've seen all sorts of similar stink bug like critters including a bright green one and a small brown one with tan lateral stripes...but I've never seen one so vibrant as this.

 

[ZergFront]

I would bet you are correct on the bee ID. They are about the right size and were found very close to one another. Last year I found similar bees in a stump along with some hibernating bald faced hornets.

The harlequin bug is still odd to me, I've seen all sorts of similar stink bug like critters including a bright green one and a small brown one with tan lateral stripes...but I've never seen one so vibrant as this.

Grow collard and you'll get more harlequin bugs than you know what to do with! They do have a parasitic wasp of their eggs so some eggs you may find may contain disappointment.