Menacing Bug
My kids and I found these bugs in a damp, walking tunnel in Central Wisconsin. They were 3-4 inches long and had big, sharp pinchers that they used violently to defend themselves. They are very prehistoric looking. My guess is that it is some type of larvae. What are these, and are they usually lightning fast and deadly poisonous (LOL)?
Thank you,
Tom Curiouski
Hi Tom,
If you think the Hellgrammite is frightening, you should see the adult male winged Dobsonfly. Both larvae and adults are harmless. Hellgrammites are a choice bait for fishermen.
¶ Posted 04 August 2005 § ‡ ° what is this?
I live in Elkhart Indiana ; I found this in a park in Goshen Indiana & I couldn’t find anything on the net about it, what could this be. Obviously it dead, we couldn’t keep it alive. I like your site, keep it up.
Joe McKalips
Hi Joe,
This is the second Dobsonfly Pupa photo we got in two days. It is dormant and will emerge, probably very soon. The adults are quite frightening looking.
¶ Posted 28 June 2005 § ‡ ° Frightening larva thing…
Hi!
First, wonderful site. Keep up the good work, and all that. OK, so, the bug: My nephew found it under some rotten wood near Grantsburg, Wisconsin, the other day. My sister saved the little guy from becoming fishing bait, and brought it to me ("Happy Birthday!"). My nephew said that there was what appeared a shed "skin" next to it when he found it, and it was a pale off-white when caught (it’s since turned brownish, as you can see.) It looks dead in the photos, but it is alive, and will squirm around if bothered. It’s legs don’t seem to be usable, however, and remain tucked under it’s body, as do it’s wings. So, do you know what it is? And do you have any ideas of how I can help it survive? Would it be best just to put it under a rotting log, or…? Anyways, thanks a lot.
Will Anderson, MN, USA
Hi Will,
You have a Dobsonfly Pupa. If you think it is scary looking now, just check out the adult males with pincer mandibles by using our brand new site search engine.
Hi… Hah! Oh, no. Thanks. When I showed some friends your site, they pointed out the dobsonflies and said “Jesus, I hope it’s not one of those!” Muahahaha. You wouldn’t happen to have any tips on care, would you? I’ve got it in a little cage now, with moist dirt and some of the wood it was found in. Should I bury it, or do you think out in the open is ok? I had it under a bit of wood, but it was across the cage in the morning. Oh, and it doesn’t need to eat, does it? Thanks again,
Will
¶ Posted 27 June 2005 § ‡ ° Hellgramites
Hello,
I know I just emailed you about a wasp but I was reading your hellgramite section and was thinking that you might think of warning novice fisherman about those pincers. My husband and I love to fish (he handles the bait… yes I am too squeamish, and in the case of hellgramites, I am afraid of being pinched!). Whenever we catch hellgramites for bait, he always takes a pair of pliers and snaps off the business end of those pincers before attempting to use them as bait. He neglected to do so once… I have never heard him yell so loud! I laughed so hard I could hardly fish (at the time it was hilarious). I thought that people who aren’t familiar with using hellgramites as bait but would like to try it might want this useful tidbit of information.
Mande Hyre
¶ Posted 25 June 2005 § ‡ ° the strangest bug i’ve ever seen in my life!
I was hiking at McConell’s Mills in Western Pennsylvania and happened across this bug sitting in the middle of the street. It appears to me to be some sort of beetle larva, but it’s SO big. It also had this fancy move it did when we touched its head with a stick – it would curl its tail under [which was soft like a catepillar's body] to quickly launch itself backward a few inches. Here it is pictured with my boyfriend’s finger [who, for scale, is 6'4"]. And here is another better picture of its face. I also have a video i took of it walking and doing its cool backwards launch maneuver, which you can have if you’re interested. PLEASE tell us what kind of bug this is. We’re absolutely dying to know. I almost regret not taking it home with me! I just hope it didn’t wander back into the middle of the road. Thanks!
Jen and Glenn
ps. We also found a bunch of these really pretty red and black millipedes, which i’ve included a picture of. They were about 4 inches long.
Hi Jen and Glenn,
You have just encounted a Hellgrammite, the larval form of the Dobsonfly. These curious larvae are prized by fishermen as bait.
¶ Posted 06 June 2005 § ‡ ° Pic 4 u
Hi
i LOVE your site, I was looking up the Dobsonfly larva, & noticed you only have one picture,so I thought you might like another one of the larva this one was 4- 5 inches long and about an inch wide, coulden’t belive it was that big, I have more pictures of it’s head,very close up, if you want them oh yeah the reason I e-mailed you was do you have a news letter? if you do I’d Love to get it,I can see why you got the yahoo pick of the week AWSOME SITE!! very well put together, & it’s easy to find what your looking for thanks,
Tina Johnston-Wilson
Goderich Ontario Canada
keep up the great work
Thank you so much Tina,
Your photo is beautiful. We do not have a newsletter. Just keeping the site updated is a handful, though we have toyed with the idea of trying to publish a book. Also thank you for the navigating compliment. I just received another letter from someone complaining she couldn’t find anything on the site. We would love to get the head photos.
¶ Posted 07 June 2004 § ‡ ° Hi!
I live in Austin, Texas and just found this nasty looking bug outside on my patio, clinging to the wall in the early morning below my porch light.
It has a large set of mean-looking pincers on the front of the head. The forward half of the body is dark, and the rear half is light tan and caterpillar-looking. I had to take the picture through the yogurt jar I captured him in. He is about 3.5 inches long.
I leave most outdoor bugs alone but was concerned that if I ran across him later accidentally, I might get a nasty bite. He aggressively threatened me as I repositioned the jar to get the photo.
If anybody wants him, come and get him!
Thanks!
Patty Pritchett
Dear Patty,
He is beautiful. He is an adult Dobson Fly, the larvae of which are known as Hellgrammites. The male has the formidable jaws which are used during the mating ritual in what humans might consider spousal abuse. They will not harm humans. We have additional information on our site.
¶ Posted 01 July 2003 § ‡ ° Hi, My girlfriend and I stopped to get gas in Connecticut, when I got out to start pumping I noticed this thing…
slowly crawling around. It was between 3 and 4 inches long and moved rather slowly. Six legs, large ant-like head but a centipede like body. No antannae but large mandible looking things. We looked around and there were about 10 or so of them roaming around in various parts of the gas station lot. I came home and did some web searching trying to figure out what it was but was quite unsuccessful. The closest similiar descriptions I have found seem to be of the Protura order, but they are typically very small, and the bug I spotted did not have a cone shaped head. I came across your site and went through the bugs featured on it, with no luck. I returned after my failed web searches to snap the above picture, it had stopped raining, and this was the only one I could find.
What is this thing? Michael
Dear Michael,
Definitely a Hellgrammite, the larva of the Dobson Fly. We have photos of adults on our site, and would love to post your photo with the letter. I just received another letter from someone who spotted one at her cabin in Virginia, but I had no image to show her.
¶ Posted 01 June 2003 § ‡ ° 
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