Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

today I took out the pump for a check and saw a heap of larvae attached INSIDE the pipe. They look like mozzie larvae but the difference is that they are attached to the pipe and obviously like fast moving water.
They are also attached to the standpipes in the growbeds

any idea what they are?

black fly larvae, simulidae

Not sure what they are Jaymie, look a bit like some of the assassin bugs but i cant find a picture the same as your ones. Here's a pic of an elephant weevil that was living in my mandarin tree, also on the list of odd bugs.

Nice pics Gazza... what did you take them with??

panasonic lumix dmc-tz10

they bite people don;t they?
haven't been bitten by one yet

the simulid larvae are filter feeders, that's why they are in your water flow, they also have a silk lifeline to pull themselves back to their spot in the flow (pipe or rock)

Adult black flies will sometimes bite humans, but it is thought that only females require the blood for egg laying

The first pics gives you the idea that these little critters are very, very small. So small, that I thought it was spit or poo or something gross. It wasn't until I put the photo on the computer that I saw bugs and eggs. Much smaller than shield bugs.The bugs were found on a fennel plant and now residing in the entomology dept on my desk. As they hopefully grow I will be able to see what they develop in to. Any guesses so far?

i had something similar in my tomatoes, they looked a bit like a ladybug, but yellow and about half the size

ladybugs in my system went crazy laid eggs all over the dill,, and seem to be very attracted to it..that's why i thought they might have been ladybugs,, but the bugs themselves don't look like their larvae
did the eggs start out as yellow and turn black?

dendrobium beetle maybe ?

I need some help identifying a small black caterpillar that is eating the leaves and leaving brown patches alll over them of my fruit trees. In particular, plums and nectarines. Apricot tree next to plum tree is not getting touched. I can try and take pics but they are as follows: About 10mm long around 2mm round with a roundish/flared tail end. Very soft. Black, smooth, not hairy. Any ideas a) what they are and b) what I can do to kill them... they are quite prolific. Ta

BT spray is always good. Bacillus thuringiensis

Gee the bugs are rife at the moment we are discovering lots of the 28 spots ladybirds, the ones that skeletonise the solanum (potato, tomato, eggplant) family. While controlling four of them in one bed yesterday we discovered these eggs on the underside of an eggplant leaf, does anyone know what they are from?

I looked everywhere for those Faye and I have no idea. The closest thing I could find shape wise was the cockroach egg case. I hope you can hatch them out or someone else can point out what they are.

I did find something useful for ID of good bugs - http://www.ipmnet.org/Pocket_guide_of_Natural_Enemies.pdf