# Id this bug? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098 "2019-03-13T21:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/1 "2019-03-13T21:51:32Z")
[Seen in Georgetown SC](https://imgur.com/a/7nAiB3K) a few days ago. I don’t have anything to show scale, but it was huge, body possibly an inch long or more. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/2 "2019-03-13T22:01:45Z")
Yeth, that id bug. Literally. A true bug, [of the “giant water” variety](https://www.google.com/search?q=giant+water+bug&client=firefox-b-1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwixlqf3joDhAhVK_4MKHVPFBrMQ_AUIDigB&biw=1408&bih=703). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/3 "2019-03-13T22:06:11Z")
BTW, in some parts of the world, these are known as “[food](https://www.themarysue.com/giant-water-bugs-ready-to-eat/).” ---
**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:** [March 14, 2019, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/4 "2019-03-14T14:16:35Z")
Also known as toe-biters. Their bite is said to be quite painful. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/5 "2019-03-14T14:50:05Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/6 "2019-03-14T16:54:14Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Also known as toe-biters. Their bite is said to be quite painful. More accurately, their stab. They have a pointed straw attached to their faces and the whole world looks like a packet of Capri-Sun. But they don’t just suck, like a mosquito, they inject digestive enzymes to turn surrounding tissue into a slurry to then be sucked out. I’ve never been stabbed by a giant water bug, but once I had a nymph of an assasin bug walking across my arm. It was only around the size of a fire ant and wasn’t too concerned about stopping what I was doing to bother with it, until it decided that the landscape that it was standing on was a meal. It was at least as painful as a beesting from that tiny thing. Give [this](https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/450/from-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek) a read. I don’t know wher I came across it as a kid (I know I’ve never read the whole book) but I never forgot it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/7 "2019-03-14T17:10:35Z")
Aaaccvkkk! ---
**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:** [March 14, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/8 "2019-03-14T22:18:43Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > More accurately, their stab. They have a pointed straw attached to their faces and the whole world looks like a packet of Capri-Sun. But they don’t just suck, like a mosquito, they inject digestive enzymes to turn surrounding tissue into a slurry to then be sucked out. I’ve never been stabbed by a giant water bug, but once I had a nymph of an assasin bug walking across my arm. It was only around the size of a fire ant and wasn’t too concerned about stopping what I was doing to bother with it, until it decided that the landscape that it was standing on was a meal. It was at least as painful as a beesting from that tiny thing. > > Give [this](https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/450/from-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek) a read. I don’t know wher I came across it as a kid (I know I’ve never read the whole book) but I never forgot it. Most insect bites are stabs. Not many are chewers. Fire ants bite with their mandibles, but it’s just to hang on while they sting with their other end. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/9 "2019-03-14T22:49:07Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > Most insect bites are stabs. Not many are chewers. [Not](https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/true-bugs) [really](https://livingwithinsects.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/stink-bug-proboscis/). ---
**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:** [March 15, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/10 "2019-03-15T17:13:02Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Give [this](https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/450/from-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek) a read. I don’t know wher I came across it as a kid (I know I’ve never read the whole book) but I never forgot it. Great writing. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/11 "2019-03-15T18:22:26Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > More accurately, their stab. They have a pointed straw attached to their faces and the whole world looks like a packet of Capri-Sun. But they don’t just suck, like a mosquito, they inject digestive enzymes to turn surrounding tissue into a slurry to then be sucked out. I’ve never been stabbed by a giant water bug, but once I had a nymph of an assasin bug walking across my arm. It was only around the size of a fire ant and wasn’t too concerned about stopping what I was doing to bother with it, until it decided that the landscape that it was standing on was a meal. It was at least as painful as a beesting from that tiny thing. > > Give [this](https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues/450/from-pilgrim-at-tinker-creek) a read. I don’t know wher I came across it as a kid (I know I’ve never read the whole book) but I never forgot it. That was beautifully written, I enjoyed the read very much. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2019, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/12 "2019-03-16T01:12:16Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Not](https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/true-bugs) [really](https://livingwithinsects.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/stink-bug-proboscis/). I was referring to bites as wounds caused to people by insects. ---
**Author:** ![GMANCANADA](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gmancanada/32/2837_2.png) [@GMANCANADA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GMANCANADA)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/13 "2019-03-16T01:46:42Z")
I came across this website / organization recently, it may be helpful: [https://www.inaturalist.org](https://www.inaturalist.org) It was mentioned as one of the sources used to identify the species of Sunfish that washed up on the California beach last week. I haven’t yet signed up (I will) but from what I can tell, you can post there and naturalists from around the world and/or other users help you identify the species of plant, insect, animal you’ve seen. They also track your sighting in a database to help determine species range and population estimates. Like you, I’m often curious about the stuff I see on hikes etc and this sounded like a pretty cool way to help identify things and to help contribute to science. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/14 "2019-03-16T01:57:09Z")
There is also [this site](https://www.whatsthatbug.com/) for “bugs” specifically. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2019, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-bug/831098/15 "2019-03-16T15:28:27Z")
Ahh, the maeng da in Thai. The wife and her friends like them ground up as a dipping sauce. . The do have an odd smell. You can also just but the distilled essence and it comes in a tiny clear bottle, very in innocuous looking. Dennis