Insects are prone to unnecessary slaughter, be it from an overzealous homemaker who doesn't want to see bugs, or from a strapping he-man who is a closet arachnophobe, or from a youngster who likes to torture. At any rate, we get a goodly amount of photos of poor arthropods whose lives ended prematurely. In an effort to educate, we present Unnecessary Carnage. This page is not intended for the squeamish.
Flying Ant Demon! With a Stinger.
July 12, 2009
About 2-2 1/2 inches long, 1/2 inch long pinchers. Antennas on head felt like needles. Obviously could fly. 6 legs, stinger on tail size of head. about all i know, my friends uncle put a screw in it because it scared him i think!
Ryan Darveaux
Arrington, KS
Dobsonfly Gets Screwed
Ryan,
This goes way way beyond Unnecessary Carnage. It actually borders on medieval torture. This poor male Dobsonfly was perfectly harmless, and now it is dead.
HUGE FLY LIKE BEETLE THING
Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 12:20 PM
This disgusting bug was up on the top of my roof (2 story). It was making a really loud noise that sounds like electricity. I used the hose on it and it fell to the grass. From far away I could see the grass moving. I continued to hose it. Then I dropped a toy on top of it and heard a crunch. I then got my camera!
Angela in West Richland, WA
West Richland, WA
Cicada
Hi Angela,
You have probably mortally wounded a harmless Cicada, an insect that produces one of the definitive, iconic sounds of summer. Cicadas are considered to be the loudest insects in the world. We especially like your likening the sound to electricity, like a Tesla Coil, though we do not at all condone your actions after you heard the Cicada calling to a potential mate from your roof.
PLEASE IDENTIFY THIS DISGUSTING BUG FROM PITTSBURGH
Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 8:58 PM
Help Bugman!!!
This type of bug has appeared 3-4 times in our house in the past 1-3 weeks.
Tonight I had to take a picture of it after we killed it.
It’s got to be poisonous, it’s terrrrible looking.
It’s got like 6 or 10 legs and it is just uggggly.
We live right near a ‘forest’ and honestly, JUST now, my roomate discovered another one as I’m typing.
Help! PLEASE!!!
What should we tell our exterminator!!!
What should we buy to protect ourselves
Thank you so much
Henry
Pittsburgh, PA, in basement 2bedroom living quarter
House Centipede Smashed
Unnecessary Carnage?
Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 6:29 PM
First, I must say there are some great pictures on your site. I scrolled through everything to try to find an answer, but I don’t even know what category this fits into. You may be able to tell that this bug was squished, so I’ll give you details the picture might not show. It’s just over an inch long and its antennae were quite long (almost as long as the body?) Unfortunately I can’t tell whether it has legs or not, but its underbelly appears to have several tiny ridges. The 3 vertical stripes are quite distinctive. I live in Windsor, ON (directly across the border from Detroit) and found it in my bedroom this evening. We’ve had some water damage in the house and also have carpenter ants (which I confirmed from several pictures here – thanks!). As well it has been humid here lately, so I’m not sure if that’s a factor.
Any insight you could provide would be appreciated.
Many thanks, Cheryl
Windsor, ON
House Centipede Extinguished
Whoops! Cancel that email!
Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 8:07 PM
Sent you an email earlier tonight entitled “Unnecessary Carnage?” and have discovered, to my embarrassment, that it is in fact a house centipede. I moved so quickly to kill the poor bugger that I didn’t see all of the legs (and wasn’t about to pick its corpse apart to investigate).
I’ve bookmarked your site so I can identify the next critter that makes itself known! 
Many thanks (again), Cheryl
Windsor, ON
Dear Henry and Cheryl,
You have both unnecessarily exterminated a harmless House Centipede. They do look frightening, and though they have venom, the venom is harmless to humans in the extremely unlikely scenario that they might bite someone. You are far better off having House Centipedes patrolling your homes at night, dispatching Bed Bugs whose populations are on the rise, than you would be getting bitten by the Bed Bugs. No exterminators are necessary.
Unnecessary Carnage Update
September 18, 2009
My Unnecessary Carnage 
I just found your website while researching the bug that I have squished (although not confirmed). I was sitting in my darkened living room in the wee hours of the night and caught some rapid movement from the corner of my eye. I quickly turned on a light and settled back on the sofa. Perhaps five minutes later I saw a large bug on my ceiling, which through your site I have identified as a House Centipede. I have seen other bugs of this type and have not been bothered as they are a fairly small bug and the only things that really bother me are spiders – I’m arachnophobic after a traumatic (for me and possibly the spider) experience but I don’t typically kill spiders just make sure I know where they are at all times, avoid them if possible or await their relocation or sadly, their ‘remo val’. Alas, I digress – back to the event from today. As I said I have seen others of this type of centipede before and they didn’t bother me but this specimen was quite large. It appeared to be at least 2 inches long, and looked much bigger/wider due to the many legs. Since it was on my ceiling and they move so fast I felt I had 2 options: leave it or try to get rid of it. I chose the second and grabbed my broom. I swatted at it and it fell to the floor, camouflaged by the beige carpeting and dashed for the nearest hiding spot, under a cabinet, with me swatting at it. I am not positive that I extinguished its life and kept a vigil for 5-10 minutes and didn’t see any signs of it. I think their speed would impede their safe removal in the future. Is there any way to safely remove them? I find bugs fascinating when I happen upon them outside. I am originally from Eastern Canada and have been living and enjoying the variety of bugs here – I was very excited to see a praying man tis and even a Hercules beetle. I don’t go out of my way to look f or them but feel the need to do something if I see them and I’d much prefer to escort them safely outside. I am sorry that I killed (maybe) the bug and would really appreciate some feedback.
Sincerely Apologetic,
Sarah in VA
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for your nice letter. Since it came in as a comment not connected to a specific post, we are attaching it to two previous letters with the shared subject matter of House Centipedes killed unnecessarily. First off, we are going to let you off the guilty hook because we don’t believe you killed that fast little bugger. House Centipedes are quite evasive. As far as advising you on how to best remove them, we don’t really have any suggestions. House Centipedes seem quite fond of human domiciles, and they easily enter homes. As you noted, they are so quick, it is difficult to capture them. Dare we suggest that you just learn to coexist? Since you are arachnophobic, the House Centipede will most likely help keep your indoor spider population under control as well as feasting on other undesirable intruders like cockroaches.
Orange bug with striped legs
Sat, Apr 11, 2009 at 6:45 AM I have found several orange bugs about 1/4″ in length in my house. They appear to have wings and 6 legs with yellow/black stripes on them. They have 2 antennas well. I found them crawling on the edges of doors. Any info you can provide would be great. Thanks!
Lauren
Ellicott City, Maryland
Assassin Bug: Unnecessary Carnage
Hi Lauren,
This is an Assassin Bug, Pselliopus barberi, and the species has no common name. It appears as though your specimen was squashed in a tissue, and this was an example of Unnecessary Carnage, since this insect is a beneficial predator thay will not harm your home. If mishandled, it may bite.
Found in some leaves
Wed, Mar 11, 2009 at 7:09 PM
I found my dog attacking one of these last night and it sure does look like a scorpion to me, but living in Indiana I have been led to believe that they are not native to this area. We have recently had a lot of water activity and this was found nighttime on cement…i think they are living in some leaves that blew onto the cement. I would really like to get at least an idea of what type of bug this is.
Ashley H.
North Eastern Indiana
Crayfish Carnage
Hi Ashley,
This is a Crayfish or Crawfish, or Crawdad in the South, a freshwater Crustacean that can survive on land, in damp conditions, that is found throughout much of the U.S. We are uncertain if the mortal wounds were inflicted by your dog or by you, but we are posting this image to our Unnecessary Carnage page nonetheless. Crayfish are edible and taste much like lobster.
What is this thing?
Wed, Dec 31, 2008 at 7:26 AM
Found this bug by the open overhead door at the metal shop I was working in. It was September I believe. I kept it alive and scooped him up with a piece of paper and took it outside, however the owners son proceeded to smash it repeatedly with a 5 lb dead blow hammer, of course I was wroth with him for it. He smashes all the weird bugs that seem to show up in large numbers around the shop also. Found a luna moth that had been knocked down by a robin, and I saved a praying mantis that was over 4 inches long this fall! Don’t know what this thing is, had small hooks on the end of it’s strange mantis like front legs. Some damage to it in the picture, probably as a result of flying into the stockroom of a metal shop! if you could identify it, I would be grateful.
Matt
Western NY state, USA
Water Scorpion smashed to death
Hi Matt,
We are very sorry to hear that this unfortunate Water Scorpion has been pummelled to death by an insensitive insect hater. The Water Scorpion in the genus Ranatra is a predatory aquatic insect that can fly and is sometimes attracted to lights. Water Scorpions get their name from the painful bite they will deliver if they are mishandled, but the species does not aggressively bite humans.
Orange/Black Beetle/Hornet ? NSW
Sat, Dec 13, 2008 at 3:57 PM
My husband found this bug under his sleeve driving it’s spike into his arm yesterday. It got 4 stings in before it wore a size 9 dunlop volley.
Apparently it packed quite a punch, his arm still red/swollen/itchy 24hrs later. Just curious what bug this is? Doesn’t appear to have wings! Looks like a cross between a hornet & a beetle type bug.
Newcastle NSW Australia
Shell
Newcastle NSW Australia
Ground Assassin Bug
Hi Shell,
A little bit of research revealed that this is a female Ground Assassin Bug, Ectomocoris decoratus, which we located on the Geocities Website of Brisbane Insects. Males of the species are winged and fly while the females are winged. Interestingly, we found some of the same photos and illustrations on a Brisbane Insects website with a different URL, but the species was listed as Ectomocoris patricius. We also found a PDF online that states: “Several other assassin bugs bite people in Queensland. … Ectomocoris decoratus, a fast-moving species with winged males and wingless females, is strikingly coloured in blue-black and orange. It occurs under loose bark and may be encountered when gardening or clearing vegetation. Because of its colour and speed, victims of this assassin bug often believe they were stung by a wasp.” We are not exactly sure what a size 9 dunlop volley is, but it sound like it contributed to the squashing evident in your photos. Assassin Bugs, except for a few blood sucking species, are thought of as beneficial predators, so we feel compelled to also tag your posting under Unnecessary Carnage.
Ground Assassin Bug
Unidentified Flying Bug
Wed, Nov 26, 2008 at 8:50 PM
I never started noticing these bugs before this year. I’ve killed lots of bugs in my family’s house, because I live in our basement. I first started noticing these bugs outside on my car. They were well camouflaged, flat, and every time I saw one I swore it was pentagonal. I have just recently discovered that these flat beetlish things can fly. I just killed two in under five minutes that were flying around the overhead light in our basement. They looked like large moths when they were flying, but when I smacked them down with a flyswatter they were smaller, their underbellies a yellowish-cream color. Their inside fluids smell terrible, like moldy soap scum or dull mothballs.
I’m sorry I’m only giving you a picture of a dead one. They looked greenish outside, but in the picture I discovered they were brown. I just want to know if there’s some kind of infestation going on in my house. Sorry to be so negative, but I once had a bad experience with a spider looking bug laying eggs in my hair and now want to kill all bugs.
The insides were yellow and red, if that helps.
A flustered murderer
Arlington, VA
Brochymena Carnage
Dear Flustered Murderer,
You have swatted a Stink Bug in the genus Brochymena, commonly called Tree Stink Bugs. Stink Bugs and other Hemipterans like the Western Conifer Seed Bug often enter homes for shelter when cool weather sets in. They will not damage your home and they pose no threat to you except for the annoyance they may cause. Brochymena species are predatory on other insects, most notably caterpillars.
brown beetle/spider?
Fri, Nov 21, 2008 at 8:54 AM
Hi,
Cleaning out my back storeroom, I came across this insect. I got so scared, I emptied half a tin of insecticide on it before it died. It has six long legs, two large mandibles at front and two very long antennae. It’s black with brown spots/stripes and its body is about 1-1.5 inches in length.
Cheers
shurland
Trinidad, West Indies
Exterminated Tailless Whipscorpion in Trinidad
Hi shurland,
Tailless Whipscorpions are fierce looking, but they are totally harmless unless you are a small Arthropod or other creature that becomes prey to this shy nocturnal hunter. We haven’t posted an image to our Unnecessary Carnage page, so we will be posting your letter and image.
Overkill: Sphinx Moth sprayed to death!!!
(08/15/2008) is it as dangerous as it looks?
Hi,
my little brother saw this bug upside down on our porch in Italy. He killed it with wasp spray, so it’s all wet, which might make it a little harder to recognize. I hope you can still get an idea of what it is… Thanks a lot!
Esther
Sphinx Moth Exterminated
Hi Ester,
If ever the word “overkill” could be used regarding the use of pesticides, your photo ranks a close third after the global use of DDT and the statewide spraying of Malathion against the Med Fly in California in the 1980s. It appears your brother used an entire spray can of foaming pesticide to dispatch one harmless Sphinx Moth. This is textbook unnecessary carnage.
what is THIS bug !?
I’m in Pennsylvania and we’ve never seen one of these before. Thanks
Rob
Hi Rob,
We have a sneaky suspicion that these relatively harmless Cicada Killers did not die of natural causes nor of old age, which is why we will be placing them in the Unnecessary Carnage section. We say relatively harmless because over the years we have gotten two reports of someone being stung by a Cicada Killer. Only the female stings, but she is so busy trying to provision her nest with Cicadas, that she can’t really be bothered trying to sting people. In the very unlikely event that a person is stung by a female Cicada Killer, the sting is reported to be quite painful. The male, who does no hunting, is the more aggressive appearing sex since he is territorial and will try to chase intruders, regardless of their size, from the prospective nest site he has staked out. He wants to mate and he is being protective of his territory, but he cannot sting. Though they are solitary wasps, Cicada Killers do tend to nest in proximity to one another, and when “swarms” appear, they can be quite daunting. We also just received the following letter without a photo, and posting it provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how knowledge is power, just as your letter demonstrates the extreme measures that can result from an unrational fear of the unknown.
Update: (08/03/2008) Cicada Killers in Dayton Ohio
Hello Bugman…
No fancy photos from Ohio, but rest assured we have gained great knowledge from your site. After spending the entire day researching these “hornets” in our back yard….I have concluded they are, in fact, Cicada Killers. Imagine my delight when I was able to impress my husband with my new found knowledge when as soon as we stepped into the back yard and I was describing what they were……One flew right past with cicada in tow!!! I am still a little creeped out and won’t go out there much….*wink*…..but I am not terrified and wondering what “Curse of biblical proportion was being thrust upon us”, She said with tongue very much in cheek. Great site…thank you, thank you!!!
E.M.
Bald-Faced Hornet – Early stages of nest development + larva
Hello,
First of all…love the site. I used it to figure out what I had after I captured it. Turns out, I probably should have been a bit more cautious. Anyway, a pair (it appears it was a new nest) of bald-faced hornets were building a nest in my Azalea bush. I spent the morning trying to capture a few good shots. Since I couldn’t allow them to build the nest, I had to destroy them. I did take the opportunity to dissect the nest after I knew the adult was dead (the other one is still out there). I found larva in various stages of development and still very alive. I snapped several photos and thought they might be useful on your site.
Best Regards,
The Jobe Family
Dear Jobe Family,
While we understand that if you have young children playing in your yard, you might not want to risk them accidentally disturbing a Hornet’s Nest and getting stung, the Bald Faced Hornet is not an aggressive species unless its nest is threatened. Please understand that we understand you probably have extenuating circumstances necessitating the nest removal, but we still need to file your letter under Unnecessary Carnage. Though the demise of the Queen Bald Faced Hornet and her brood saddens us, we are very happy to have the excellent documentation you have provided. “Madder than a Hornet’s Nest” has become a metaphorical term for a good reason, but having a nest of Hornets in a garden is an excellent way to organically control grasshoppers, caterpillars and other insects that are feeding on your plants.
Update: (06/29/2008)
Daniel,
That’s unfortunate that it’s going to be categorized that way. It was in a bad spot (by our front door in the Azalea bush) so I really didn’t want to risk it growing large with my 3 children around. I do go to extremes to try an organically control the bug population for our garden and home. I do this by introducing praying mantis egg cases around our home to provide natural remedies. Anyway, still love the site. Best Regards,
Scott Jobe
Hi Again Scott,
We fully understand the extenuating circumstances of your situation (front door, three children) and this nest removal was justifiable, but we would be remiss if we did not mention to our readership that they do not need to remove a Hornet’s Nest from the backyard. Knowing where a nest has been places and respecting the inhabitants results in peaceful coexistance. Disturbing the nest results in painful stings. If it is any consolation to you, your letter is also archived on Wasps 5.
