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.
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Posted 07 August 2009
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Toe Biters
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Small Bug with 2 long arms like lobster pinchers
Sat, Mar 21, 2009 at 5:07 AM
I found this bug twice in our bathroom and this morning in our kitchen. I was reading the paper and it might have crawled off my t shirt. Unable to identify it.
Doug
Flushing, MI
Pseudoscorpion
Dear Doug,
This is a harmless Pseudoscorpion, a minute predator often found indoors. We get countless identification requests from around the world on Pseudoscorpions, and we should probably include it in the Top Ten Tag. Though your photo is not the most detailed we have ever received, we love the inclusion of the ruler in the photo so our readership can see just how tiny this amazing predators really are.
Looks like a bumblebee crossed with a lobster
Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 9:02 PM
Bugman,
My husband found this bug outside our sliding glass door tonight. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area. We get a lot of wildlife in our yard, and I’ve seen quite a few interesting bugs, including black widows, wolf spiders, and lots of bees. In fact, at first I thought that this bug was a bumblebee, but then I noticed the head, which looks completely different. The bug is about 3 inches long and appears not to have any wings. I couldn’t find any pictures online to identify it. Any idea what it is? Thanks!
ER
Northern California – San Francisco Bay Area
Potato Bug
Hi ER,
Potato Bugs or Jerusalem Crickets like the one in your photo are one of our most frequently requested identifications, so much so that we only post a fraction of the letters we receive. We get so many requests that along with House Centipedes, Potato Bugs are at the top of the Top Ten list. We really like your description, and your photo is quite good, so we thought it was time to have a new photo of a Potato Bug on our Homepage, especially since they are frequently seen after rains in the Western part of the country.
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Posted 28 November 2008
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Potato Bugs
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LARGE PREHISTORIC BUG WITH SAWBLADE HEAD!!!!!
Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 2:29 PM
Hello!! I live in Western PA, right outside of Pittsburgh and I happened to look out of my window and saw this HUGE bug walking acrossed my fiance’s roof of his truck. So we ran outside to get a closer look and he was able to snap the attached photos. It is brown, but marked like a leaf, and its backside actually curved up on the sides like an old Cadillac!! But the most interesting part was the top of his head actually resembled a tiny circular sawblade sticking out of it!! It is 5 days before Halloween and that was just too freaky for me!! lol…..can you please help us identify this? We have checked all over the internet!
Spooked in PGH
Pittsburgh PA
Hi, I’m sorry….I recently wrote to you regarding a large bug on our truck roof. i forgot to tell you that this thing was close to 2 inches long. It was not small bug!!! Thanks! Didn’t know if that would help you or not!!
Wheel Bug
Hi Spooked,
Prehistoric is a word that is frequently used by our readers to describe a Wheel Bug. Your letter is so delightful and descriptive. The Wheel Bug, Arilus cristatus, is one of the largest and most distinctive looking of the Assassin Bugs. They are predators and they are beneficial in the garden, but like all Assassin Bugs, they are capable of biting a hapless human and the bite is painful. You can read more about the Wheel Bug on BugGuide. It is the time of the month to select our Bug of the Month for November, and since we will be leaving town for a few days before the first, we have decided to select our winner from the pool of likely candidates early. Congratulations, your image of a Wheel Bug will be prominently featured at the top of our homepage for the entire month of November. Speaking of candidates, it seems we can’t rip our eyes from the news coverage lately, and your state has been so prominently featured. We can’t help but wonder if you have been cheering and waving signs behind one of the presidential or vice presidential hopefuls.
No idea
Tue, Oct 28, 2008 at 11:59 AM
about 2 inches long found in Peru Indiana on oct 25
t martin
Indiana , USA
Wheel Bug
Dear T,
Your letter doesn’t have much information, but we are adding your photo to our Bug of the Month for November 2008, the Wheel Bug.
Red and black large group of beetles?
Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 9:30 PM
Hello,
As the weather has gotten colder over the past few weeks I started to notice two or three of these guys warming themselves in the sun on my front door. As time went on, more and more showed up, and now as many as 15 or 20 will show up on the front of my house.
A few days ago I was raking leaves in my backyard and came upon this rock with a huge group of them huddled together. Further investigation found other groups of them on other nearby rocks, trees, and piles of dead leaves. What are they?
I live in northern KY, just south of Cincinnati Ohio. They didn’t seem to appear (I didn’t notice them anyway) until the first part of September this year.
Gratefully
KY, USA
Democrat Bug Aggregation
Hi Kentucky,
These are not beetles. Beetles go through complete metamorphosis so the larvae look nothing like the adult. These are Eastern Boxelder Bugs, Boisea trivittata, and since they have incomplete metamorphosis, the nymphs resemble the adults, but without the wings. Boxelder Bugs sometimes form large aggregations, and they are often noticed in the fall as cold weather starts to set in because they are known to seek shelter indoors. They will also emerge on warm sunny days in areas with southern exposures. Though they are associated with boxelder and maple trees, they really don’t do any harm to the trees since the nymphs feed on the juices of the seeds. According to BugGuide, they are also called: “Democrat Bug, Populist Bug, Politician Bug. Apparently these political terms are primarily used in the Central Plains states as I’ve seen references to such from KAN, NEB, & IOWA. (MQ) .” Though your photo does not show quite as many individuals as those gathering at a Barack Obama rally, they are nonetheless quite numerous. Your photo is a wonderful example of the great new feature on our website since our recent site migration. By clicking on the small image, you will see a much larger version open in a new window.
This thing is NASTY!
Please help me Identify this thing! I found it inside my house on the floor. Im thinking that it might have come in with a bunch of fireworks I had recently purchased! I appreciate your time and your help! Thanks!
Tyson Johnson
Salt Lake City, UT
Hi Tyson,
We are compelled to come to the defense of your Potato Bug or Jerusalem Cricket, and inform readers that they are not nasty. They are shy nocturnal underground dwellers that often appear inside homes and garages after a rain. They are normally one of our most common identification requests from the Western states, especially California. Our last posting was in January and we suspect the record low rainfall in California last year is responsible for low sightings recently. Potato Bugs are also known as Ninos de la Tierra or Children of the Earth in Spanish and they are in the family Stenopelmatidae. Potato Bugs do have strong mandibles and will bite, but they are not poisonous and in most cases will not even break the skin.
Eight Legs + Two Claws — Insect?
Hello,
I love your site. After my grandmother was attacked in Arkansas by a very aggressive, female, Dobson fly, my love of insects has only increased. Your site has provided hours of fantastic information and wonder. I finally found out what a house centipede was. But now I have an unknown, which I submit with pictures. I live in Minneapolis in an apartment building. Today I found crawling on my wall a fairly small, maybe 3-4 mm long, eight legged creature with an additional two large crab-like claws in the very front. Its body is very similar in shape and coloring to a cockroach nymph. The creature carries its claws in front of its body in much the same way a crab would, slightly extend and slightly raised. Additionally, the creature uses its claws in much the same way a crab would. It seems to regularly bring a claw to its mouth and “taste” what’s on the claw. Please review my photos and tell me what you think. I can’t seem to find anything on the net that even hints and what this might be. Thanks a million Bug Man!
PS – On closer inspection it appears this creature has no antennae.
Ellen
Hi Ellen,
This is not an insect, but an Arachnid. It is a harmless Pseudoscorpion. Pseudoscorpions are quite harmless, but they are fierce predators if the prey is small enough for them to capture. They are known to catch and eat house flies much larger than themselves. We get submissions of Pseudoscorpions from around the world.
Pair of Dobsonflies!!!
(06/29/2005)
What type of bug is this?
Hi. I was wondering if you could help identify these bugs
for me. I live in the Poconos region of Pennsylvania, about
45 miles west of Scranton. Based on the difference in body
sizes and how the pinchers look I’m guessing that they’re
most likey a male and a female. The one with the long crossed
pinchers is about four inches long (from the end of the wings
to the end of the pinchers), with two inch antennae and one
inch pinchers. The one with the short pinchers is about three
inches long, with one inch antannae and maybe 1/4 inch pinchers.
They’re both very docile and didn’t try to fly away when I
had them in the tupperware with the lid off.
Thanks!
Ben
A Pair of Dobsonflies
Hi Ben,
We have been getting plenty of Dobsonfly photos lately and
when they are in season, we always try to keep a photo on
our homepage. We currently have several that you would have
seen had you scrolled down a bit. Your photo is exquisite
and will have a permanent spot at the top of our Dobsonfly
page. Your are correct in that they are male and femaLe of
the same species and the male has the long mandibles.
Heat Bug? Strange and Irritating Bug
Hi! I just moved to a region, where in summertime, the air is infiltrated by an extremely loud, buzzing, almost electrical sound. I’ve been told it is called the Heat Bug, as it only comes out in the summer and creates its din on very warm days. I have included photos of what the locals claim to be the insect responsible for this racket!
Hope you can identify it!
Jordan
Dear Jordan,
Your awesome photos are of a Giant Water Bug, Lethocerus americanus, which also goes by the colorful names Electric Light Bug and Toe-Biter. These are aquatic insects which can also fly, and they can deliver a painful bite. They are also the largest True Bugs in North America. They do not make loud noises. I have never heard the name Heat Bug, but I am guessing by your description, that they are probably cicadas. Cicadas make a noise similar to that which you describe. Additionally, this year marks the return of Brood X of the Periodical Cicada or 17 Year Locust which will be appearing in great numbers and making quite a bit of racket. Sadly, Jordan, your letter was one of the last to get through before heavy traffic shut us down, or I would direct you to our cicada page to see photos of what I am guessing are your Heat Bugs. Our site will return in June. (05/03/2004)
Daniel,
Thank you for such a timely and informative reply! To imagine that I got siting of one of the Biggest Bugs in N.America! Unfortunately, this letter may not reach you until later, however, I do hope to return to your e-page soon. Thanks again and good luck with Brood X Studies.
Jordan.
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Posted 12 May 2004
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Toe Biters
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