What is this bug?
February 7, 2010
Hi there, I have seen this bug for the first time in my life and in the two years I have been living in my place. I live in an apartment, first floor with a patio and some plants in pots. No grass or dirt. Even thou I have seen pretty much variety of insects that took my attention several times. I have remembered this site and decided to start sending you pics of what I just find interesting to share. As you see the insect is dead but I have found one alive but took it away because I don´t really know if it can bite. We are in summer now and these ones appeared after 3 days of continuous rainy days. Thanks for you help.
Fred
Buenos Aires Argentina.

Giant Water Bug

Hi Fred,
This is a Giant Water Bug in the family Belostomatidae.  Most of the examples we see are from the genus Lethocerus, but your specimen is from one of the other genera, probably Belostoma, or possibly Abedus.  Giant Water Bugs are aquatic predators that can also fly quite well, a capability they use when their ponds dry out.  They are also attracted to lights, and that may be the reason it was attracted to your apartment.  Giant Water Bugs can bite painfully if provoked or carelessly handled, and in the U.S. they are commonly called Toe-Biters as well as Electric Light Bugs.

Giant Water Bug

Daniel, thanks a lot for you quick and great response. I really appreciate what you do and hopefully I will be able to send you new pics to share and find out what kind of bug is it.
Have a great week.
Fred.

Giant Bug in Rockhampton, Australia
December 30, 2009
Hi! I just found this picture in my photos from my Australia trip this year, and this bug I just can’t figure out. It can definitely survive in water ( we fished it out of the pool after a few hours and it flew away ), and it must have gotten in there by itself so it can probably swim as well. It has pretty huge claws and makes a lot of noise, and flies and runs pretty fast. I know that a lot of locals didn’t know what it was either, so maybe it’s new to the area or doesn’t come out every year. We saw it in April as far as I can remember, and it started out with just a few and then we started to see them all over. I attached a picture with an australian ten cent coin for size info. I’ve been trying to figure out what it is but I can’t find it anywhere, help would be really appreciated
Maja Schubert
Rockhampton, Australia

Giant Water Bug

Hi Maja,
This is a Giant Water Bug.  In the U.S., they are commonly called Toe-Biters.

Similar to a Walkingstick
August 23, 2009
This looks like a walking stick but its legs are too close together. It was found in lake wicwas in meredith NH. When placed on shore it walked back to the lake where it held to a rock on the shoreline just under water. Seen at 1:15 pm on August 22, 2009.
Wicwas Bugs
Meredith NH

Water Scorpion

Dear Wicwas Bugs,
This is a Water Scorpion, and it gets its name from the painful bite.  Though Water Scorpions do not routinely bite humans, if they are carelessly handled, they do not hesitate.  Your specimen is not mature yet as evidenced by its incompletely developed wings.  Though aquatic, adult Water Scorpions fly quite well.

This just stung/bit my baby! What is it??
August 7, 2009
This bug was in the pool and could swim, it was hiding on the tile and bit/stung my son. His hand is swelling up but I dont know what it is to even start treating it. Please help!
Nicole
Orlando Florida

Toe-Biter

I just identified this same insect that bit/stung my baby son this morning.  We were in the pool and he started shreaking.  I have googled for hours to find out how to treat this wound.
I need to know if its poisonous and if I should do something medically for my son.   Any information would be helpful
Thanks
Nicole

Toe-Biter: Dead after biting Child in Pool

Dear Nicole,
We should begin this answer by stating that we are not scientists and any information that we provide, though we do research our replies as thoroughly as possible, is an amateur opinion.  Secondly, we are not trained in the medical profession and do not give medical advice for bites and stings.  Third, we do not normally provide parenting advice, but we feel you should have sought professional medical attention for your son immediately rather than to try to self diagnose on the internet.  Any information you receive on the internet, and that includes What’s That Bug?, should be considered questionable at best.
The bite of a Toe-Biter or Giant Water Bug is reported to be quite painful, and you son’s reaction to the bite would tend to support that notion.  Giant Water Bugs are not considered dangerous or venomous insects, but the swelling of your son’s hand may be cause for concern.  We would counsel you to seek medical attention.
We at What’s that Bug would like to use this encounter with the Toe-Biter as a cautionary tale that is instructive and might  reduce Unnecessary Carnage of bugs that appear menacing in the future.  Toe-Biters are not normally aggressive, but they will bite if threatened or carelessly handled.  This is not a reason to kill them when they are encountered as they perform a necessary function in a balanced ecosystem by preying upon other aquatic creatures.  It should also be noted that if a person is bitten by a questionable insect, spider, or scorpion, it is often helpful to have the actual specimen handy for experts to diagnose the potential need for venom antibodies.  So in this sense, we do not consider this particular dead Toe-Biter to be Unnecessary Carnage.
We wish your son a speedy recovery and hope his trauma is short-lived and that he will learn to appreciate the sometimes scary world of nature that abounds around him.

Unnecessary Carnage Comment
August 9, 2009
RE: unnecessary carnage
I love your site, and visit it several times a day. Many thanks for posting such lovely images and so much information (you helped me ID a one-eyed Sphinx moth here in Seattle)! I also love the fact that you tell folks when they have committed an act of unnecessary carnage, but sadly, you have been very hesitant to do so lately… Please don’t let one or two unhinged people keep you from providing a vital service- letting humans know that insects are innocent until proven guilty!
Leah S.

Huge bug in Florida
July 21, 2009
We found this huge bug with wings and large jaws in our pool. It was almost four inches long. I carefully scooped it out of the pool and placed it in the grass, only to have my crazy weiner dog take a huge bite out of it! We felt really horrible being that the bug was so unique! What kind of bug is this?
Bug lovers in Florida
Gainesville, Florida

Toe-Biter

Dear Bug Lovers,
This is a Giant Water Bug, commonly called a Toe-Biter.  They are not aggressive towards humans, but they will deliver a painful bite if handled carelessly.  Toe-Biters are aggressive predators, and no small water creature is safe, be it fish, tadpole or insect.  In Thailand, Giant Water Bugs are eaten as a delicacy, and we are quite certain your pet found it to be quite toothsome.  Giant Water Bugs are not rare.  They actually are among our most frequent identification requests, along with House Centipedes, Potato Bugs, Boxelder Bugs and Pseudoscorpions.

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.