# What's the coolest bug (or bugs) that you see on a regular basis? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763 "2021-06-21T14:40:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/1 "2021-06-21T14:40:32Z")
Please define “cool” or “regular basis” however you want. I only ask that we don’t get too pedantic and challenge someone if theirs is a spider or something else that isn’t a true bug. For me, it’s fire flies (or lightning bugs). I’ve seen them in the evenings lately by the hundreds. I’m not sure what the atmospheric conditions are that made this year a banner year but they are all over our neighborhood. We always have some but this year’s crop is off the charts. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/2 "2021-06-21T14:54:57Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > I only ask that we don’t get too pedantic and challenge someone if theirs is a spider or something else that isn’t a true bug. Got me wondering what exactly is the definition of ‘bug’, since I typically use it loosely and colloquially to refer to any critter that has an exoskeleton and more than 4 legs (and yes, that would include shrimp and lobsters, which are delicious bugs). Turns out the term ‘bug’ is not a vague, slangy one after all, but a precise term that means a specific type of insect. I found it interesting, anyway. This is not intended to try to shape the thread or hijack it, just sharing some knowledge I just learned. Please continue to define “bug” any which way. My personal coolest bug would be the praying mantis. I don’t see them as often as I used to, but when I was a kid I’d find them everywhere. I’d put them on my shoulder and ride my bike around the neighborhood until I found a girl I could freak out. Once I offered a grasshopper to a praying mantis and it immediately grabbed it in its vice-like arms and started chomping on it like an ear of corn. Kid me thought it was very gross and cool. > [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > For me, it’s fire flies (or lightning bugs). Good one. There’s a species of lightning bug in the Smoky Mountains that blinks in unison for about a 2 week period right around this time of year. I’d love to see that. But it’s difficult to plan a trip for because the 2-week window doesn’t happen exactly the same time of year. > **["Bug" vs. "Insect" - Dictionary.com](https://www.dictionary.com/e/bug-vs-insect/)** > > We tend to use the word bug loosely for any very small creature with legs. However, a true bug is defined as belonging to the order Hemiptera. These creatures characteristically have tough forewings and lack teeth.... ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/3 "2021-06-21T15:16:56Z")
Not a bug, but the most impressive small creature I sometimes see is the Five-lined Skink, a type of lizard, which features an iridescent blue tail. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/4 "2021-06-21T15:25:48Z")
> [@solost](#): > > My personal coolest bug would be the praying mantis. I don’t see them as often as I used to, but when I was a kid I’d find them everywhere. I’d put them on my shoulder and ride my bike around the neighborhood until I found a girl I could freak out. > > Once I offered a grasshopper to a praying mantis and it immediately grabbed it in its vice-like arms and started chomping on it like an ear of corn. Kid me thought it was very gross and cool. When I was a kid I raised and/or collected all sorts of insects, especially praying mantises. They were hella more numerous back then. Their life cycle is fascinating, especially some of their more gorey habits. For a while I was keeping praying mantis egg cases in my bedroom. Until one of the cases hatched and several hundred tiny mantises spread out in search of food. My mom was not too pleased with this. In 8th grade science class, we had to catch and mount an insect collection. I brought in about a dozen cases, just a fraction of my collection, and they put it into the main display case by the school’s entrance. For about a month I was the star of the school. Oh, and yes, there are “true bugs”. But the term has come to represent any little creepy crawly thing. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/5 "2021-06-21T15:27:38Z")
My favorite “bug” (not an insect) since I was a kid is the Pill Bug/Wood Louse/Roly Poly: [![](https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/Q0iHO12FM9PD5UQIu1s5aAIqN3w=/1280x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/1280px-Armadillidium_vulgare_001-5a9acde7ae9ab80037ceae8a.jpg) ](https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/Q0iHO12FM9PD5UQIu1s5aAIqN3w=/1280x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/1280px-Armadillidium_vulgare_001-5a9acde7ae9ab80037ceae8a.jpg) It’s like a living, breathing techno-inspired piece of art. Bonus points for not biting or stinging. I believe they also used it as inspiration for the ‘Reaver’ in Starcraft: > **[Reaver (StarCraft)](https://starcraft.fandom.com/wiki/Reaver_(StarCraft))** > > The reaver is a powerful protoss siege-artillery robot. The unit was voiced by Glenn Stafford. The reaver has an extremely powerful attack, suited for destroying clusters of units with fewer than 100 hit points, such as hydralisks. It is an extremely... ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/6 "2021-06-21T15:39:07Z")
Roly polies are probably second on my list. I saw some yesterday while doing some weeding in the flower bed. I’m still fascinated by them and their defense mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/7 "2021-06-21T15:54:20Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > …praying mantises. They were hella more numerous back then. Were they? I figured I just don’t notice them as much as when I was a kid, because I no longer have that kid natural curiosity and don’t poke around looking for them anymore. > [@panache45](#): > > For a while I was keeping praying mantis egg cases in my bedroom. Until one of the cases hatched and several hundred tiny mantises spread out in search of food. My mom was not too pleased with this. Haha, I can imagine. She was probably finding praying mantises (manti?) in the house for months afterward. ---
**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:** [June 21, 2021, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/8 "2021-06-21T15:59:40Z")
I don’t get too many interesting insects here. I’ve always loved any big beetle and used to see stags and rhinoceros beetles when I was younger. I do get June bugs occasionally. And true bugs like stink bugs. Every summer I see a tiger swallowtail or two. The coolest insect I ever found was a pair of eyed elaters. I knew instantly what they were but I always assumed they were the size of other click beetles. The eyed elater is huge! I kept them in a jar in my office for a day to show people then put them back on their rotten log home. > **[Eyed Elater - Alaus oculatus](https://bugguide.net/node/view/922582)** > > An online resource devoted to North American insects, spiders and their kin, offering identification, images, and information. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/9 "2021-06-21T16:15:05Z")
We have house centipedes (or, as my wife calls them, “walking eyebrows”) in our house. I usually let them be, because (a) they eat bugs and spiders, and (b) they’re pretty cool-looking. We’ll often find one stuck at the bottom of the bathroom sink, having headed in there for water, but unable to make it back up the slipppery side of the sink basin, so we help them get out. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/10 "2021-06-21T17:18:41Z")
I’m a bug-lover who used to draw the line at house centipedes, but they’ve grown on me. I think I was just so shocked the first time I saw one, because they are freaky-lookin’. Another vote for the roly poly. I used to collect them in buckets as a child. I was once taking a scientific survey about regional dialects that asked what I called that little fellow. The options were pill bug, roly poly, etc. I was amused that when I clicked on the image link it was titled “roly poly.gif.” Hope it didn’t skew the research results. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/11 "2021-06-21T17:48:52Z")
Big showy butterflies, of course, like this guy: [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u5tW843cl4ktIP99LnjF1a31hiuvGooR1KjckqbuO_oPUGjrGMKb57n-0QXDLh6GvGNbAV7zVyJyk2ahuTjWz7xdBlQtqYviKo0yVagZgrjQS4m9S1LKCXT_bMskejp-2VKvUQsBAUk=w600-h315-p-k "New item by Romansperson") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/gaatvqPPkuL625HX6) And hawk-moths (this one is a clearwing hummingbird moth): [![Google Photos](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SjFfOinizlnVNaRAHjEsIs6sAeHBAs3wHSWoOyZ5qlMPeH66fT4rV709ULzXT3WYAL-EFJpxjFUmsj12-dcRk5LFx9K7vHrOQHsfiQVoE2pzEve4jxeNI6rwHQXzhwMQfK0ElPy4lwA=w600-h315-p-k "New item by Romansperson") ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/QQy8Zr7PSxF2uNyC6) ---
**Author:** ![thdudescar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thdudescar/32/4638_2.png) [@thdudescar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thdudescar)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/12 "2021-06-21T18:01:44Z")
I like Lovebugs because they’re always having sex. Though they make a mess of your car. > **[Lovebug](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovebug)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The lovebug (Plecia nearctica) is a species of march fly found in parts of Central America and the southeastern United States, especially along the Gulf Coast. It is also known as the honeymoon fly or double-headed bug. During and after mating, matured pairs remain together, even in flight, for up to several days. > The species was first described in 1940 by D. E. Hardy, but was seen in Louisiana as early as 1911. At that time, he reported the in... ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/13 "2021-06-21T18:21:28Z")
Dragonflies. We’re close enough to a pond to get them flying by once in a while. Roly polies are the second. Don’t see fireflies enough to remember that they exist. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/14 "2021-06-21T18:49:10Z")
When I went to see the Spring Temple Buddha, which is gold plated, there were many green, iridescent beetles around. Like [this](https://bugguide.net/images/cache/TZK/R3Z/TZKR3ZSR0H3LOLXZBLSZALQZVLIZOLMZWL3L2L7RWLSRPLHZDZSRFZHZPLZZFZ2RLHKRNL3LULRZPLYL9LJL2LRZ6L.jpg). I have no idea whether they are attracted to the gold statue, deliberately seeded there or, of course, just a coincidence. ETA: Guess this doesn’t count as “regular basis”. I’m going to leave it though, as I have seen those beetles at least a couple times since. ------------------------------- As weird as it sounds, I have to say I still think tiger mosquitoes look cool. Despite all the bites, including a skin infection, that they’ve given me over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/15 "2021-06-21T18:52:19Z")
I just saw a couple of swallowtail butterflies in the yard yesterday. We don’t get many of those. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/16 "2021-06-21T18:54:47Z")
I get a kick out of annual cicadas. It’s fun to see them midway out of their shell. Sometimes, I’ll find a bunch of shells on a yardwaste bag that weren’t there the day before. Speaking of, cicada killer wasps are incredible animals. They haven’t been around the last few years but there was a 4 or 5 year stretch I had some every summer. Terrifying looking bugs but harmless to people. The burrows they dig are impressive. Toward the end of the summer, I often get a neat orb weaver spider. The webs are really big and it’s cool to get a flashlight and watch it getting built in the evening. The spider itself is black & white with a bright yellow zigzag. And they’re pretty big. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/17 "2021-06-21T19:10:44Z")
> [@Dark\_Sponge](#): > > Pill Bug/Wood Louse/Roly Poly: My beloved granddaughter’s favorite bug. She attends a lab preschool at our land grant university agricultural campus and they spend a big portion of their day outside in their outdoor classroom. Inevitably every day she comes home with a pocketful of pine cones and stories of ‘her bugs’. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/18 "2021-06-21T19:17:06Z")
I also have not seen cicada killer wasps lately, but they had a burrow under our front porch about 5-10 years ago. Our computer room/office looks out over our front porch, and while I was sitting at the computer I would frequently hear something hitting against the window glass. When I started keeping an eye out, I realized it was cicada killer wasps bumping into the window. They look terrifying! At first I was worried we might have hornets, until I looked them up, found out what they were, and discovered they are mostly harmless. Once I was doing yardwork out front and caught something out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to see a cicada killer wasp, gripping a cicada, doing a sort of controlled glide from our oak tree down to the ground and into a hole in the dirt under the porch. That was pretty cool. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/19 "2021-06-21T20:05:27Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I looked up to see a cicada killer wasp, gripping a cicada, doing a sort of controlled glide from our oak tree down to the ground and into a hole in the dirt under the porch. Same except mine was a pine. 'Matter of fact, that was how I finally identified the bug. I’d made some halfhearted attempts to search the internet but there are a lot of scary looking bugs and the killers are hard to get a good look at in flight. Adding ‘cicada’ to the search terms quickly cracked the case. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2021, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763/20 "2021-06-21T20:06:18Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Toward the end of the summer, I often get a neat orb weaver spider. The webs are really big and it’s cool to get a flashlight and watch it getting built in the evening. The spider itself is black & white with a bright yellow zigzag. And they’re pretty big. We get one or two of these every summer - the kind that have the golden silk. Sometimes they’ll make a web that starts at the end of a tree branch and attaches to either the deck or plants on the ground. They’re pretty in the right light, but if you don’t see it and walk through it - yech. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-coolest-bug-or-bugs-that-you-see-on-a-regular-basis/944763.md?page=2)