When heading down my stairwell I saw the biggest most menacing bug I’ve ever seen. In the urban Chicago landscape truly large, scary bugs are a rarity and this is nothing like I’ve ever seen before. I know there are some bug-o-philes on this board and I’m curious if this is the type of bug that delivers are really nasty sting. From the looks of it it does.
Anyways, the bug was large and long. About 1.5 inches long, about the thickness of a pencap and jet black. It had what looked to be 6 medium length legs and probably 3 segments. My first impression was that it was a type of hornet, it had a hornet or wasp-like shape and motion to it but it was much bigger and thicker than any hornet I’ve ever seen. Also the wings, which I think it had, were not very prominent. They appeared to be stowed flat against it’s body as opposed to outstretched like you usually see wasps. They were also difficult to notice as they seemed small and folded against the bugs body, in fact I can’t say with 100% certainty it had them, but I’m pretty sure.
It wasn’t a beetle or a roach, this much I’m sure of.
Well, I decided to do a little recon and 2 hours later the critter was still hanging out around the 3rd floor stairwell and I decided it was time to do battle. Armed with a can of Raid Ant and Roach spray I strafed the bugger from the partially opened firedoor.
I just love the way that people who have never lived in the tropics think that a hornet 3.5cm long is “large and long”, in fact “really fucking big”. To me if it isn’t >3cm long then it’s not a hornet at all, just a little wasp.
Pfft. An upside of having snow and cold is supposed to be no bugs considered “big” by us Chicagoans. Come vacation here in January and we’ll see who’s more put out. (I think it’s seriously worth the tradeoff, myself.)
