Subject: Palmetto beetle
Location: Central Canada
April 26, 2013 5:02 am
Please help me identify the creature found in springtime in Quebec, Canada (not a hot climate)…it’s about 2” in length…
Signature: Marie
Dear Marie,
A Palmetto Bug is a common name for the large American Cockroaches found in the south. This is a Giant Water Bug, a common name for a predatory aquatic True Bug. Giant Water Bugs are sometimes called Toe-Biters because of the painful bite they can inflict on unwary swimmers and waders.
I have seen a bug similar to this called “Water Scorpion”. We used to see them throughout the warm months. These were in central Alabama.
Water Scorpions are slimmer than Toe-Biters, but they do look similar.