This big bug is biting
Photo: Vernon & Area Community Forum
Today’s bug of the week is a bit nasty.
A post on the Vernon & Area Community Forum’s Facebook page showed a rather vicious-looking beetle.
The publication generates several opinions about what the creature is, but the general consensus is that the dark beetle is a water beetle.
Also known as the giant water bug or the biting toe, the great beetle can be found all over North America.
They can grow up to several centimeters long and are therefore called biting fingers.
Giant water bugs can deliver painful, albeit non-toxic, bites, often between the toes of unsuspecting human feet in the water.
Giant water bugs can simulate death, becoming hard in a few minutes if they are pulled out of the water just to come back to life.
Adults cannot breathe underwater, so they must periodically place their breathing tube on the air surface, like a snorkel.
And this big bad bug is a carnivorous hunter, using its front legs to catch prey such as spoonbills, small fish and other insects.
Giant water bugs live in freshwater lakes, swamps and slow-moving pools in streams around the world – in Florida they are known as alligator ticks or alligator fleas. They are usually hidden in mats of vegetation, just below the surface of the water.
They are also known to live in backyard pools
Have you had a close encounter with an insect species? Send me a picture of [email protected].
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