Top 20 Most Common Insects in Williamsburg

The sachem (Atalopedes campestris) feeds on the nectar of many flowers, including milkweeds, peppermint, and red clovers. It often spends its time near pastures, meadows, roadsides, parks, and yards. The males spend most of their time on the ground, waiting for females to come.

The name Pachydiplax longipennis implies that the blue dasher has long wings due to the "longipennis" section literally translating to it. But this would be misleading, as the insect does not have particularly long wings. Instead, they stick out with vibrant blue colors. The dasher part of their name may be in reference to their voracious diet, as they can eat up to 10 percent of their body weight daily.

The wheel Bug (Arilus cristatus) gets its name from the spiked wheel on the top of his head. The punk rock look suits these bugs, as their bite tends to be more painful than a bee sting. Another nickname, assassin bug, is earned through its hunting of many bugs we would consider as crop pests and indoor pests. Their saliva is toxic, usually killing prey within 30 seconds of injection.

The variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) earns its name from the greek work Eutptoietos, which means "easily scared." This is because they are incredibly difficult to approach, darting away if anyone comes close. They are identified with a checkered orange and black on its wings. The variegated fritillary is unique among butterflies for its ability to have two or three broods per year, resulting in many potential children.

The spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) is a butterfly with an extreme love for plants in the Lauraceae family, such as spicebushes. Their preference is so strong that an experiment proved they would rather die than choose another host. Their two subspecies, *T. troilus *troilus and *T. troilus *ilioneus, differ based on location. The *T. troilus *ilioneus has more bluish spots and prefers redbay and swampbay plants.

Often confused for the ladybug, multicolored asian ladybeetle (Harmonia axyridis) is a separate species that, unlike the ladybug, is a household pest. It is considered particularly annoying for its habit of returning to places from which it is removed. One of the most variable species in the world, there are many different colors and patterns multicolored asian ladybeetle may display, making identification potentially difficult.

The eastern Carpenter Bee (Xylocopa virginica) is considered a pest and a benefit in the same body. It has earned its pest status from its ability to tunnel into human-made structures and weaken them. They can also stain their excrement on the building as they leave the tunnel. Their benefits as pollinators heavily outweigh any damage they do to structures. 

With a total length of 5 - 6 cm, it is one of the largest skimmers. The immature forms of the skimmer are brown in color and mature forms are blue-hued.

The fiery skipper (Hylephila phyleus) is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae and is approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm) long. The males are orange or yellow with black spots while the females are dark brown with orange or yellow spots. The caterpillars are greenish pink with a black head. The caterpillars are often considered pests and can feed on Bermudagrass, creeping bentgrass, and St. Augustine grass. Fiery skippers, along with all other species of skippers and skipperlings, can hold their wings in a "triangle" shape. The forewings are held upright, and the hindwings are folded flat. This position is thought to better absorb the sun's rays. The fiery skipper lives in North and South America, from Canada to Argentina. It is a migratory species.