 Hi, I'm Shane Harris with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Hey, it's summertime. It's also hot, which also means there are lots of bugs out there to see or catch. This is my son, Clay. He is a 4-H'er for Tautorosa County, and today we're out catching bugs and to show you more bugs that are out this summer. We start with a summertime favorite, the Firefly, or as some people call them, lightning bugs. Actually, fireflies are neither true bugs nor flies. These little insects are beetles. Both the adult and the larva feed on other insects, earthworms, and snails. During the day, fireflies hide in tall grasses and shrubs. This vegetation allows them to stay cool during the hot summer days. Fireflies are doctrinal, which means they are most active at night. After spending most of the day on the ground, fireflies crawl up on grasses and low-hanging tree branches in the evening. Lightning bugs or fireflies are one of the few insects that produce bioluminescence on their abdomens. It is this special light produced in Oregon that makes that flashing light that tells us the fireflies are out. It is amazing how this little insect uses these lights to communicate with each other. This green insect is a bush katydid. It looks like a grasshopper. It is part of the family of crickets and grasshoppers. Their green color blends in well with the leaves that they feed on. They rely heavily on this camouflage for protection. Katydids get their name from how their song sounds. Kitty did? Kitty didn't. They are most active at night and they sing their song in the evening. They are able to produce this sound or song by rubbing their wings together. Notice those large back legs. Katydids are great jumpers and have the ability to move from plant to plant or escape predators. They do have the ability to fly, but typically only go short distances. Katydids can be found during the summer on branches of trees and bushes all across America. Look there, coming out of the ground. Those are yellow jackets. Be careful. Most people recognize these small flying insects because of their yellow and black patterns. They also are known to sting when attacked or disturbed. Yellow jackets are a type of wasp. They are social insects that live in nest or collies with approximately 4-5,000 workers. They build their nest typically in a hole underground where it is dark and cool. You don't want to bother these insects. Yellow jackets have smooth stingers and can sting you multiple times. Yellow jackets are predators and eat spiders and other types of insects. But they also feed on people food. They typically are found near humans and will eat meats and sweets. Yellow jackets are often found feeding on rotting fruit. Watch out for these unwelcome guests when on a picnic or eating outdoors. They're always hungry and looking for a quick snack. Now here's an odd looking insect. Something you don't see every day. Wow, that's impressive. Now it's just showing off. This is a dark fish fly and something I've never seen before. Adult fish flies look a lot like dobson flies. Fish flies can be found throughout much of eastern North America. Adults like you see here are generally found near the water where their aquatic larvae live. They tend to live on vegetation and near streams that have very good water quality. In fact, their larvae are called helgromites and are great indicators of good water quality in that area. Adults are active during the day, typically seen around flying near streams and other bodies of water. But they're also nocturnal, which means they will come to lights around the house. So leaving your porch lights on at night will increase your odds of seeing this fly fish up close. Look what we have here. Isn't it beautiful? This is a sacropia moth. It is the largest native moth in North America. This moth belongs to a family of giant silk moths. The sacropia moth is impressive because it has a large wingspan of approximately 5 to 7 inches. These moths are occasionally seen around homes because they are attracted to lights during the spring and early summer. As we look closer at this sacropia moth, you'll notice the different colorations as well as the hairy body. It's quite fuzzy. Check out those chestnut brown legs. The large antenna, the coloring of reds, stripes along his abdomen, the hairy base behind his neck, the dark black eyes. Overall color and patterns of the wings of this moth is just indeed quite impressive. Sacropia moths lack functional mouth parts, even the digestive system. Due to this, they only live about two weeks.