Blackmargined aphid giving live birth

The Blackmargined Aphid, Monellia caryella, is a key pest of pecan. The following images, that I took  near Clint, Texas on October 4, 2015 show this specimen giving live birth:

The Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle

The Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle, Harmonia axyridis, was introduced into the US by the USDA in 1978 as aphid biocontrol. In several states, it has become a nuisance species due to its habit to seek shelter in homes or buildings from the fall season to early spring. Their defensive secretions stain walls and produce a foul smell. This chemical may cause extreme allergic reactions in some people. Their numbers can reach the tens of thousands in a single home! Luckily, this bug has never been abundant in El Paso.

The number of spots may vary (0-19)

Pupa

EL PASO BUGS:

Recently, I started two websites and a Facebook community page called "EL PASO BUGS" with the mission to create awareness and appreciation for local insects and related arthropod species with which we share this land.  This is a large gallery of insects and related invertebrates (labeled to species or genus in most cases) that I have had the opportunity to photograph in this beautiful corner of Texas.
These websites have been well received by the El Paso community and beyond and have been promoted on radio as a local resource for Master Gardeners, Pest Control Operators, farmers, and anybody interested in nature, wildlife, and the environment.

To view EL PASO BUGS as a taxonomic list go to:
http://elp.tamu.edu/integrated-pest-management/el-paso-bugs/

To view EL PASO BUGS as thumbnails go to:
http://elp.tamu.edu/integrated-pest-management/el-paso-bugs-thumbnails-2/

This is El Paso Bugs Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/ElPasoBugs

Denizens of El Paso and the American Southwest: the carpenter bee & the cuckoo wasp

I want to share with you a YouTube video that I filmed on May 7, 2015 in my patio of a carpenter bee (Xylocopa spp.) and its kleptoparasite (Family Chrysididae):