Assassin Bug

It never ceases to amaze me that every year I see bugs that I've never seen before. Saw this fellow while working in Hammonton today. A search on the Internet revealed that it is an Assassin Bug, one of 3000 kinds.
76940164-M.jpg


76940206-M.jpg


Steve
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,603
8,181
Beware, they can blind humans temporarily at least according to one site I read.

Interesting bug!

Guy
 

Teegate

Administrator
Site Administrator
Sep 17, 2002
25,603
8,181
onehand said:
your supposed to put down a measuring device next to it or your finger so we can see its size !


Yea...your finger.

Guy
 

WAMBA

Scout
Mar 20, 2006
74
0
Voorhees
i read a funny book called pest control about an exterminator who gets mistaken for an international assassin. he was trying to start an all-natural pest control company by breeding hybrid assassin bugs that could be set loose inside of walls to hunt down all the pests. it was an interesting story and the author either knew a lot about entomology or was very good at faking it.

how do you go about IDing a bug from a picture like that?
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
326
Near Mt. Misery
I have a history with assassin bugs. Now, trust me, DON"T GO NEAR THEM!!!!
I have a genetic trait, I guess you would call it, that for some reason, insect bites and stings have little affect on me. I have been stung multiple times in one shot and the swelling is gone in 10 minutes, mosquito bites are gone in 5 minutes. I consider my self lucky (although chiggars still itch like hell). Any way, I was bitten three times by an assissn bug. One time it was on the throat in a swamp while I was on the motorcycle. I thought I was going to die!! Very painful and I swelled up Like you wouldn't believe. Took a full day for the swelling to go down. I was bitten on the arm in another instance, same effect, and the leg another time. Worst insect bite ever!!! (except for poisonious spiders of course). I read that these things will gang up on small mammels (rodents) and take them down. They are vicious!!!!

Jeff
 

ebsi2001

Explorer
May 2, 2006
301
0
southern NJ
woodjin said:
I have a history with assassin bugs. Now, trust me, DON"T GO NEAR THEM!!!!
... I was bitten three times by an assissn bug. One time it was on the throat in a swamp while I was on the motorcycle. I thought I was going to die!! Very painful and I swelled up Like you wouldn't believe. Took a full day for the swelling to go down. I was bitten on the arm in another instance, same effect, and the leg another time. Worst insect bite ever!!! (except for poisonious spiders of course). I read that these things will gang up on small mammels (rodents) and take them down. They are vicious!!!!

Jeff

Sort of the "Osama bin Ladens" of the insect world! :rofl:

ebsi
 
Top