Bug of the Day: Giant Water Bug

18May/069

Bug of the Day: Giant Water Bug

The Giant Water Bug is an aggressive predator of fresh water. It is also commonly called a “toe-biter” (guess why). While they primarily live in ponds, lakes, and streams Giant Water Bugs will occasionally leave the water to fly around light sources at night. Some people who see these large insects buzzing around lamp posts at night often mistake them for cockroaches; of course, since we know that cochroaches actively avoid light, these people are morons.

Giant water bugs are not scavengers: they love to hunt. They are large enough to capture small fish, tadpoles, and snails. Giant water bugs first capture prey with their powerful legs. Once in their grasp prey are pierced with a pointed mouthpart, injected with a digestive enzyme that liquefies tissue, and sucked dry like a giant smoothie. Yum!

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Ginger

I was having dinner with my husband and a friend on my deck last night (Sept. 4, 2006) and was hit in the back. I jumped so high that I almost hit the roof of my gazebo. It was just getting dark and there was very little light. ( which is ever stranger for it to find us)
When I saw what this was I freaked. I live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and have never seen one before. Are they indiginous to this region? I really don't ever want to see another one.

Mike B.

Hello Ginger,

The various species of giant water bugs (family Belostomatidae) live mainly across North and South America and also eastern Asia. I'm not surprised that you saw one up in BC; the climate is not ideal but is within their range.

Wikipedia has an excellent article that includes a lot of interesting facts on these amazing beetles.

Jenny

I found one of these giant and fascinating little guys the other night, and had no idea what it was. No one I asked had any idea either. NO one had ever seen one before. When I got home from work, I did some research and came across your picture and knew right away that I had found my answer. I let my beetle go, which I fondly name Wilfred. I hope he's happy wherever he is now. And I hope that I find another so I can try and raise it in my home! I live in (way) Northern California and am now keeping my eye out for another Toe Biter, just hope I don't meet one in the water!

Jim M

Found one of these bad boys flying around a Target parking lot (by the light, of course). Thought it was a bat but when it landed, YIKES!

tomandjake

we saw one in the pool and we squised it with a brick.

PAULA AUDET

my sons doing insects at school and his grandad found this water bug(which I had no idea what it was) in Rockhampton, Queensland Australia.My son is pretty impressed with it. He'll sow his class and let it go.

Jenn

I was at work closing one night when my people greeter called me over to her. There was the biggest bug with pinchers comming out of its face that I have ever seen before. It freaked me out and thats when I did the research and saw its a giant water bug. YUCKY!!!

treeman123

Just found one on our front porch in Whonnock - Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Thought it was a cockroach at first but researched it and found this site. It is about 4 inches long in total and very aggressive. My daughter will be taking it to her Biology 12 class in the morning and will then let it go. Scared us to death when we first saw it and the info on it is even scarrier. Never seen one before in my whole 40 years. Would love to know approximately how many have been seen up here or roughly what their population may be.