- Insects you may see in your Redding home
- Spiders that are common in Shasta County
- Bugs you'll see along the Sacramento River Trail
co*ckroaches, spiders, butterflies and a variety of insects are arriving in Shasta County homes and yards as the warm weather settles in.
While most North State bugs are common to California's Mediterranean climates, Redding boasts a bug bumper crop of bugs that are seen everywhere from homes to trails along the Sacramento River, said Shasta County Agricultural Department Biologist Jim Staggs.
Shasta County has a hugely diverse insect and spider population because its territory covers different terrains and sub-climates. Some species migrate up the mountain from the Sacramento Valley floor, as temperatures there rise and the air dries out in summer, Staggs said.
Most insects and other animals avoid people. But those that need water during dry summer months tend to invade yards or homes to get at water sources like pools, sprinklers and sinks, according to University of California entomologists. And a bug-friendly climate has an unwelcome caveat: Invasive insects from other countries do well here, said Staggs.
Here are 13 bugs coming to homes and yards this spring and summer — and some who never left in winter, according to Staggs.
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SPIDERS
Orb Weaver Spider
When it appears: Mid-spring to early autumn
Where to find it: Near water sources, especially along the Sacramento River and its tributaries
These colorful spiders, usually yellow and black with elongated abdomens, grow to two inches in width. They feed on flying insects and pests making them beneficial to the environment. However, their complex webs can stretch 8-10 feet in diameter. Said Staggs: "if you've ever hiked along the Sacramento River and ran head-on into one of their webs, it's an experience you'll never forget."
Giant Wolf Spider
When it appears: Spring through autumn
Where to find it: Foothills and oak woods
The North State is home to the largest wolf spider in the world. Females' bodies reach 1.5 inches — 5 inches counting their legs. Males are a little smaller.While timid around people, they'll bite if mishandled and their venom can be dangerous to people with certain allergies or health issues.
BUTTERFLIES
Pipevine or Blue Swallowtail butterfly
When it appears: Spring to mid-autumn
Where to find it: Woodland areas
This animal's colors range from dark blue to almost black. It lays its eggs on the toxic California Pipevine native plant in Shasta County. After hatching, the caterpillars eat the toxic plant without ill effect and the toxins build up in their bodies to ward off predators. The California Pipevine is vanishing because it's losing its natural woodland environment. "The California Pipevine is the butterfly’s only host plant," Staggs said. "If the plant goes away, so will the butterflies."
California Tortoiseshell
When it appears: Late spring through summer
Where to find it: Anywhere there are species of California Lilac/Ceanothus plants
This common summertime butterfly lays its eggs on Ceanothus shrubs, which become food and living space for its caterpillars. Each year, it lays a first generation of eggs in early spring near the North Coast. The adults then move to higher elevations and lay more eggs on another species of Ceanothus in mid-summer. That second generation is what we mostly see in Shasta County. In late summer, the butterflies lay a third generation of eggs at high elevations on a third species of Ceanothus. Adult butterflies then fly back to the North Coast for the winter and begin their cycle again in the spring.
BEETLES
Glow Worm
When it appears: Late spring and summer nights.
Where to find it: Scattered in places throughout the county
This species belongs to the firefly family, but females don't fly. Instead, they crawl around looking for food and light up glow-in-the-dark patches on their backs to attract mates. If you see a female glowing green, it means she's "looking for love," Staggs said. Females stay in larval form, Staggs said, while males become mature beetles and "fly around at night looking for females." Females grow up to two inches long and males reach up to an inch.
Rain Beetle
When it appears: Spring to early summer
Where to find it: Redding and Anderson
This beetle is only seen after rainstorms. Adults grow to about an inch long and 5/8-inch wide and they can fly. They're very rare and not much is know about them, Staggs said.
Giant Water Beetle
When it appears: Spring and summer
Where to find it: Throughout Shasta County
This animal “looks like a giant co*ckroach, bit they’re shiny black," growing to 1.3 inches and living up to two years. At night, these aquatic insects fly "from one water source to another in search of mates." They're lured toward house or street lights, so look for ones that became disoriented by lights laying on sidewalks and porches in the early morning hours, Staggs said.
California Prionus Beetle
When it appears: Spring and summer
Where to find it: Throughout Shasta County, especially in the mountain areas
This is the biggest beetle species in California — females grow more than three inches long. There are several local species, all of which can fly and make a loud grinding sound with their mandibles when disturbed, so don't touch. They "bite quite hard with those mandibles when mishandled.They can live for several years and spend most of their life underground as larvae, burrowing through tree roots. Infestations can kill fruit and ornamental trees, according to entomologists at the University of Utah.
co*ckROACHES AND OTHER BUGS
House centipede
When it appears: Year-round in homes and office buildings
Where to find it: In your home
This beneficial centipede is nocturnal and harmless to humans. It hunts spiders, flies and roaches all night in homes and other buildings. "You can be sure that you have at least one in your house right now," Skaggs said. They're very seclusive and the only time we see them is when they get trapped in a sink or bath tub. The two sexes look similar, but they're loners, only meeting up to breed. Push past any fears and welcome this bug into your home, said Skaggs: "It's much better than having co*ckroaches."
Turkestan co*ckroach
When it appears: Most active in late spring and summer
Where to find it: In homes and outdoors in landscape bark, under bushes, in water meter holes and other dark moist places
This invasive nocturnal species is common in Shasta County yards. Males are light colored and up to an inch long. Females are darker and have rounder bodies.They usually nest outdoors. One nest may hold hundreds of adults, young and egg cases.If you see them in your home, Staggs said, "you might need that house centipede."
Common millipede
When it appears: Year-round, but in larger numbers in spring and fall
Where to find it: Outdoors under rocks, logs, fallen leaves and garden decorations
This bug has two sets of legs per body segment. They don't bite, but they do excrete a toxin if touched. If you handle one, wash your hands carefully. Millipedes eat decomposing plants and liquid in plants and can become a pest in gardens. Scientists have found millipede fossils 400 million years old, meaning they predate dinosaurs and are one of the first animals able to breathe air.
Praying mantis
When it appears: Mid-summer to autumn. Some females stay in winter
Where to find it: On flowers, waiting for prey
Shasta County's mantis is a "solitary hunter that has a voracious appetite and will prey on anything smaller than itself," Staggs said. Most live for about a year.They mate in autumn, in courtships that can last for hours.Afterwards, the female eats the male to ensure her body has enough protein to sustain the developing eggs.The eggs hatch in spring and babies are born fully developed, but are so small they're seldom seen. By summer, they're big enough to be visible to people.
Bordered Plant Bug
When it appears: Early spring into early autumn
Where to find it: Gardens and yards
The adults are black with a red outline and breed and lay eggs early in the spring. Their young are "tiny, shiny beetle-looking bugs with a bright red spot," Staggs said. By July, some yards will have thousands feeding on grasses and other plants, but they're otherwise harmless to gardens. While their damage to plants is negligible, but if you get rid of them, vacuum them up with a shop vacuum, or be patient because birds, lizards, frogs and other insects feast on them.
Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories.Followher on Twitter@RS_JSkropanicand onFacebook. Join Jessica in theGet Out! Nor Calrecreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work,please subscribe today. Thank you.