# Horrifying Bugs Invading Earth **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 14, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736 "2012-04-14T03:04:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/21 "2012-04-14T17:03:24Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Be happy you don’t have any “cicada killer” wasps where you are. Those things are huge and buzz loud enough to make you think a WWI biplane is zooming around your head. > > I am not linking to a picture, because that means I would need to first _find_ a picture, and I do _not_ search for bug pictures, because then I would _see_ bug pictures. You see how this would be a problem. Since you won’t link, [I will](https://www.getridofbees.com/cicada_killer.html). Unlike the insect in the OP, these guys don’t hurt humans (well, unless you’re aggressively pestering them). ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/22 "2012-04-14T17:17:35Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Who the hell came up with this Sting Pain Index? (I know, Schmidt). And who volunteered for the research? > > I’m betting it was similar quality science as that which lead to the Scoville Hot Pepper Heat Scale (designed by Wilbur Scoville and a panel of tasters). > > Anyway, the water bug doesn’t bother me much. The insect I see fairly frequently around here that creeps me out the most is the praying mantis. When I get up close to or pick up one, they always turn their heads and eye me cooly (“Will I be able to make a meal out of this one? Darn, it looks too big.”) If they (mantises) are big enough they may bite you. When I was a kid I picked one up after my mom telling me they won’t hurt you. It turned its head to look at me and then it bit down on the webbing between my thumb and forefinger. It hurt. Thanks mom. I still think they’re just about the coolest bug ever. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/23 "2012-04-14T18:16:13Z")
Insects like the one in OP’s picture, but much longer than 3 inches, are common in Thailand – indeed several ended up next to our house just two days ago due to a storm. They’re often fried and eaten! The Thai word for the species (which is applied to several other species, including some chelicerates as well as insects) is also a slang word meaning “pimp.” Among arthropods on our property I consider the [one depicted in this video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f5gBFMMmGc) to be most frightening and dangerous, though there are others my wife detests more. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/24 "2012-04-14T18:36:09Z")
Tarantula hawks. 0 percent tarantula. 0 percent hawk 100 percent bad ass. ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/25 "2012-04-14T18:56:48Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > It was a Praying Mantis! I had NO IDEA we had those in Canada. I bent over really close to see him and he turned his head and looked up at me. Creeped me right out. So then I was worried about him being so close to the road and put my hand near him to shoo him off the road and the bugger jumped at me. I pretty much screamed my head off and ran away back to the car. We occasionally get some huge Praying Mantises (Mantisae? Mantisases?) here in my area. I’ve never seen one act aggressively, though- they’ve always been very docile for me. [Here’s one I found on my porch a year back or so- that’s my hand holding it](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-bL2Lu0fRw2Q/TKM0TeBYGfI/AAAAAAAADP4/nne_VYd2opQ/s720/1000000129.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/26 "2012-04-14T18:58:57Z")
> [@booklover](#): > > Since you won’t link, [I will](https://www.getridofbees.com/cicada_killer.html). Unlike the insect in the OP, these guys don’t hurt humans (well, unless you’re aggressively pestering them). We had a swarm of those things last year. We thought they were hornets, and I even girded my loins to go out and find their nest to kill 'em… and then realized they were nesting in the ground. I did some research, and found out that they’re completely harmless. They look scary as hell, though. And they’re not shy- it’s like they don’t think anything can hurt them. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/27 "2012-04-14T20:37:17Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Kill it with fire! Nuke it from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure. (Somebody had to say that, too.) ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/28 "2012-04-14T20:39:18Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > “Waaaait a minute…” I say and pull over, get out and walk back to see the bug. It was a Praying Mantis! I had NO IDEA we had those in Canada. I bent over really close to see him and he turned his head and looked up at me. Creeped me right out. So then I was worried about him being so close to the road and put my hand near him to shoo him off the road and the bugger jumped at me. I pretty much screamed my head off and ran away back to the car. I’ve read that these are the only insects that can look over their shoulders. My son once almost picked one up, thinking it was a stick. That’s when we learned it’s also the only insect that can sneer. (Which it did after it flew off a little ways.) ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/29 "2012-04-15T00:31:37Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Who the hell came up with this Sting Pain Index? (I know, Schmidt). And who volunteered for the research? > > I’m betting it was similar quality science as that which lead to the Scoville Hot Pepper Heat Scale (designed by Wilbur Scoville and a panel of tasters). That was my thought. Those descriptions of insect stings sound like things that a wine critic would say. “Rich, hearty, slightly crunchy”? “Hot and smoky, almost irreverent”? “Distinctly bitter aftertaste”? “Light, ephemeral, almost fruity”? This is clearly the work of a deeply warped man. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/30 "2012-04-15T00:53:40Z")
Ayuh, up here in Maine, we have these water beetles, nasty bugs, they’ve been known to eat small frogs as well as tadpoles, and in a thoroughly nasty way Those “biceps” are used to latch on to the frog, they then use their rostrum (or “beak”) to inject a venom that liquified the frog, turning it into a frog slushy, then slurp out the liquified contents And yes, the bite is painful, very painful, I’ve been bitten by a similar water insect, the “water scorpion”, while wading in our pond, it’s basically a Giant Water Beetle with anorexia (very thin and spindly) The bite caused a strong burning sensation for a half hour or so, and the welt from the beak took about three days to go away I’ve also been bitten by a small centipede while I was digging potatoes in my garden, the centipede was about an inch long or so, and the venom produced a similar burning sensation for about a half hour Neither was as bad as a sting from a yellow jacket, that burned much stronger and for about an hour, the finger I was stung on (this was an unprovoked sting, I did nothing to aggravate the wasp, it just flew up to me and stung me) swelled up to twice it’s size and I could barely move it for a couple hours The most memorable envenomation though, was a bite from a [yellow garden spider](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argiope_aurantia), while the bite itself was essentially painless, the venom caused my right arm to have minor muscle tremors/spasms for at least 20 minutes ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/31 "2012-04-15T02:56:07Z")
[I love the Schmidt Sting Pain Index](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmidt_Sting_Pain_Index). It is inevitably a subjective scale, so Schmidt ran with it and had some fun with the index descriptions: > [@](#): > > 1.0 Sweat bee Light, ephemeral, almost fruity. A tiny spark has singed a single hair on your arm. A true pain connoisseur isn’t afraid to use appropriate descriptors. > [@](#): > > 2.0 Yellowjacket Hot and smoky, almost irreverent. Imagine W. C. Fields extinguishing a cigar on your tongue. There’s a story here, I know it. > [@](#): > > 4.0+ Bullet ant Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail grinding into your heel. And that’s where it tops out. Speaking of, [here’s what the Hyperbole and a Half creator came up with to replace the absurd pictorial pain scale used at doctors’ offices.](http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/02/boyfriend-doesnt-have-ebola-probably.html) It conveys the essential concept much better. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/32 "2012-04-15T03:36:37Z")
Schmidt left out cow killers (velvet ants). One stung me three times on my leg. Brilliant, intense pain for hours followed by bright, cherry-red swelling for two days. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/33 "2012-04-15T03:47:20Z")
> [@booklover](#): > > Since you won’t link, [I will](https://www.getridofbees.com/cicada_killer.html). Unlike the insect in the OP, these guys don’t hurt humans (well, unless you’re aggressively pestering them). Hey, I took some intimate photos of one with her prey a few years back – [click the thumbnails to enlarge](http://www.flickr.com/photos/pinfeatherphotos/tags/cicadakiller/). ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/34 "2012-04-15T04:19:41Z")
One of the first things I saw once I stepped out of my car in Florida was a grasshopper approximately the size of a Chihuahua. It took me about a minute to convince myself it wasn’t a plastic model some kid had left in the grass. And then it moved. - shudder \* ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/35 "2012-04-15T04:30:22Z")
From Wikipedia, “Adults fly at night.” I emphasize: these things can FLY. I am joining **RickJay** in Antarctica, where you will find me hiding under mybed surrounded by a wall of protective penguins. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/36 "2012-04-15T04:39:00Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > One of the first things I saw once I stepped out of my car in Florida was a grasshopper approximately the size of a Chihuahua. Are you sure it wasn’t a locust? ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/37 "2012-04-15T15:43:47Z")
Note to self: Don’t click any links in this thread. That picture of the bug in that guy’s hand almost made me shit my pants ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/38 "2012-04-15T15:51:56Z")
Sheet, that ain’t nuthin, boy… if you can handle the most twisted and horrifying bugs we already have, you can handle anything. (And of course I am referring to [this Satanic monstrosity)](http://www.google.com/search?as_qdr=all&num=30&q=potato%20bug&hl=en&safe=off&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=8e2KT6XyOMTmiAKGwJjcCw&biw=1537&bih=767&sei=-u2KT-bYAcKYiALpxpz9Cw) ---
**Author:** ![Mann\_Slaughter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Mann\_Slaughter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mann_Slaughter)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/39 "2012-04-15T17:39:04Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Note to self: Don’t click any links in this thread. That picture of the bug in that guy’s hand almost made me shit my pants This. ^^^ I innocently clicked on the OP’s link only to be faced with a creature that will haunt my dreams for the next six months! I love reading everyone’s descriptions and stories, but I’ll be damned if I’m clicking on any more of these links. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![shantih](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f6c823/32.png) [@shantih](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shantih)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736/40 "2012-04-15T18:19:27Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > One of the first things I saw once I stepped out of my car in Florida was a grasshopper approximately the size of a Chihuahua. It took me about a minute to convince myself it wasn’t a plastic model some kid had left in the grass. And then it moved. > > - shudder \* Could that have been a [Lubber grasshopper](http://bugguide.net/node/view/8811)? They’re not Chihuahua-sized, but they’re awfully substantial. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrifying-bugs-invading-earth/618736.md?page=3)