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Beetle?
Mon, Apr 27, 2009 at 9:08 PM
This fat sucker landed on my screen with a WHACK. It sounded like a Junebug – but a little big and more aggressive-looking.
Note that it looks like it only has 2 sets of legs on it’s thorax, and pincers coming out of it’s head… of course I wasn’t getting too close.
It flies!
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – April 27th @ 9pm or so. It was really hot today (27C) – unsually hot for the season.
Please tell me about this lovely new neighbour.
Ottawa has banned chemical pesticides this year, so I assume I will be seeing a few new creatures around.
Any info would be interesting to have. Many thanks!
Jo in Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Giant Water Bug

Hi Jo,
Thanks for the awesome news that Ottawa has banned pesticides this year, though we wonder the extent of the banning.  We presume homemakers can still purchase aerosol insecticides, but maybe not.  You are lucky that your first encounter with a Giant Water Bug (yes it swims too) was at your screen door where it lived up to its other common name of Electric Light Bug.  The common name Toe-Biter stems from hapless swimmers encountering the Giant Water Bug and experiencing its piercing bite.  Giant Water Bugs do not habitually bite people, but the occasional encounter and the pain of the bite has led to that colorful appellation.  Interestingly, Giant Water Bugs are eaten in Thailand.

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