Nature Loving gets scary!!!!

After a busy and productive Sunday refinishing and painting old picture frames for the lodge, we decided to take a stroll down to the lake and relax for awhile before dinner. While there we noticed a HUGE bug swimming in the paddle boat and we spent about 5 minutes trying to catch it so we could show all the kids. I was a little afraid to touch it since I really didn’t know what it was, but after we caught it, I started feeling pretty comfortable that it was just another harmless, big bug. I handled it without incident and even tried to coax the kids into holding it for awhile before taking it back to it’s home in the back yard. Later that evening I received an email entitled “big yucky water bug” with a little more information about the bug we had just seen. It was information I did not want to read…..

Turns out this bug is called a Belostomatidae and it is known as a giant water bug, toe biters, electric-light bugs and Alligator Ticks. They live in the water, breathe air and hunt small fish. They also have a nasty bite. Their bite, in fact, is considered one of the most painful inflicted by any insect (from the Schmidt Sting Pain Index) . They often play dead only later to “come alive” with painful results. I read one story in which a guy got bit and his whole arm was numb for two weeks following the event. Lesson learned? Not sure….