Giant Water Bug, Water Scorpions and other Water Bugs
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Another Toe Biter.
Hello. I live in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada and ran across this huge bug at our factory. It was a great mystery to everyone, but I was sure I’d find some answers here. I love your site.
Thanks for the compliment William. The graph paper is a nice addition to your photo.
Not sure what knid of bug this is?
Mr. Bugman,
Here is a picture of a bug we found outdoors in Florida. It was approximately 2 1/2 inches long with pinchers near the top of it’s head. It attacked my husband’s shoe when he got near it. Do you know what is is called?
Rene V.
Hi Rene
We always like to have a photo of a Toe-Biter on our homepage, and had you scrolled down, you would have seen it. Toe-Biter and Electric Light Bug are both common names for the Giant Water Bug. They bite and it hurts.
i think its a giant water bug
I found this but at my cottage on Georgian Bay , I think that it is a Giant Water bug, it has 4 legs, 2 “pincers” at the front, and looks like it has “fangs”. It was pretty large, and hopefully you can identify it from the pictures. Can you send me some information about this bug please?
Thanks!
Brett
Hi Brett,
You are correct. This is a Giant Water Bug also known as a Toe-Biter. You can find many photos and much information on our Toebiter page by clicking the link in the alphabatized list on the left side of the www.whatsthatbug.com homepage.
Beetle???
My dog found this in our front porch area, in central Oregon. It was in the rocks, near a deck. I have no idea what it is….can you help??
Thanks, No Bugs Allowed
Dear Barbers,
You don’t have a beetle, but a Giant Water Bug, also know as a Toe-Biter or Electric Light Bug. They can bite painfully, are the largest North American True Bug, and are equally at home in the air or in the water, but they are clumsy on the land.
Good morning!
Hi there. This fellow was extricated from underwater brush in a lake nearby which is mostly frozen over though thawed in places. At first I believed he was a "Walking Stick." However, the legs seemed wrong. Scanning internet images led me to now believe he may be a Water Scorpion. (And to think I kept repositioning him, which he seemed to tolerate cheerfully enough!) I’d really like your confirmation, please! Thanks for your tremendous site!
Sincerely,
Michelle Mahood
Shingletown, California
Hi Michelle,
We always enjoy getting interesting images from you. Yours is the first photograph we have gotten of a Water Scorpion, though we have gotten several letters. Your specimen looks like a Western Water Scorpion, Ranatra brevicollis. They get to be about 1 inch long with an additional inch of breathing tubes. They are found in shallow ponds amid debris. They will bite painfully if provoked.
Toe Biter
HI. I found one of these Water Scorpions dead in my living room and did not know what it was until I found your site. After I found it, I put it in a box with a lid, and the next day when we opened it, it smelled like a dead corpse. Can you tell me why?
Gina
Hi Gina,
Your dead Toe-Biter began to smell like a corpse because it is a corpse. Insect collectors preserve most specimens by letting them dry out. If you placed the still fresh specimen in an enclosed space, it could not dry and began to decay, hence the smell. Your specimen appears to be a Giant Water Bug, Lethocerus americanus, and not one of the Nepa Water Scorpions which rarely fly. We are getting a second opinion on the very long breathing tube your photo illustrates, and are unsure if this is an individual anomoly. Your image is beautiful.
eeeewww!
Hello, My name is Tara and I have a large bug I need identified. It is about two inches long and an inch across. I can see that it has wings under its outer shell. It only has four legs but has two more things on its head and I didn’t know if they were legs or not. Thank you for your time in looking at my bug and I love your site it is really helpful.
Tara J.
Hi Tara,
Many people react with an “Eeeeewwww” when encountering a Giant Water Bug, also known as a Toe-Biter. They will bite more than just toes, though. Glad you were unscathed.
big roach?
Hi Folks,
Found this bug near the local rec centre, assuming its a roach, just wanted verification on that, any idea of the species?
Thanks,
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
We just love getting new photos of Giant Water Bugs, also known as Toe-Biters (a well deserved name) as well as Electric Light Bugs because they are often attracted to lights at night, often in great numbers. This is the largest true bug in the continental U.S. and it is equally at home in water or air, though it is somewhat clumsy on the ground.
Beetle (?) found in Houston, Texas
Dear Bugman,
My 7 year old son found this monster on the patio last night. My husband and I have never seen anything like it, and we’re both native Houstonians. I’ve been through your site, but don’t see any other beetles that look like this one. Can you identify it?
The bug is enjoying his first day of 1st grade right now – my son took him for Show and Tell. My son’s teacher will take good care of him.
Thanks so much!
The Nance Family
Hi Nance Family,
Sorry for the delay. You have a Giant Water Bug, also known as an Electric Light Bug or the well deserved common name of Toe-Biter. They will bite and painfully.
Mystery Bug in Northern Vermont
This bug appeared on the porch screen of our cottage in Westmore, Vermont (Bald Hill Pond area) elevation ~1900 ft in July, 2003 any ideas what it is? It also has wings since it flew.
Allan MacDonald
Hi Allen
You have a Giant Water Bug or Electric Light Bug, also known as a Toe-Biter. They rightly earned all of their common names, and they can deliver a nasty bite.
whats this bug?
Hi there, great idea for a site… Glad I found it because I’m curious what this bug is. Earlier in the year I was outside a coffee shop talking to some friends here in South-Eastern Ontario, and I heard some wierd buzzing behind me. I looked to see what it was, and sitting in the middle of the parking lot was this…uhm….thing (see attached photos). It was huge, I don’t think I’ve seen an insect this big in my life (outside of a zoo anyways). It was about 3 inches long, and an inch or so wide. I placed a coffee cup beside it for size reference (2nd photo). It tried several times to fly away, but it was injured and only made it a few feet. If you could identify it, I’d like to know more. Is it native to this area?
Thanks!
Brian Graves
Hi Brian,
We always love getting new photos of Giant Water Bugs, also known, deservedly, as Toe-Biters. They range across the North American Continent, and have relatives worldwide. A Thai species is about twice the size. Toe-Biters are the largest American True Bugs, and are larger than our largest Beetles. They are equally at home in the air or water. Yours is a Lethocerus species.
Well geez, its a pretty common thing then… I’ve just never seen one before, at least if I have it wasn’t anywhere near this big. Thanks for the info and the quick reply and keep up the work with the great website!
2 bugs
The first i assume is a "toe bitter" i have lived in maien my whole life and never seen a bug that big…. heres some photos for you(there were taken on my palm pilot so there not the best)
the second bug i have only seen twice in my life, when i was 6 and noone belived me and jsut a week ago, no photos it however it body is aprox 1 inch from head to tail, look like a hornet, black in color, however it has a 5inch long "stinger" i cant find anythign about it. please help, its like a black hornet with a 5 inch tail. Thanks
Drop me a line when you figure that one out, now that i have foudn yrou website im gonna keep my camera handy for odd lookign bugs 
THANKS for a wonderful service
tim
Hi Tim,
Thanks for the Toe-Biter photo. I know what your second bug is. Here is a photo of a Giant Ichneumon sent in last year. These are wasps, but that five inch long stinger is actually an ovipositor. The female lays her eggs deep inside of a tree trunk and her young are predatory on boring insects, especially sawflies and beetle grubs.
