[FIELDNOTE] Giant Water Bug

A couple weeks ago, my husband was working away on our property building a maintaining wall for our new entrance to the cabin when he discovered something very large under a piece of lumber. He called me at the house and very excitedly, asked me to bring him a cup. I ran down with a large, purple, plastic cup expecting him to pop in a cute little frog or salamander or maybe even a Northern Alligator Lizard to show the kids.

"This cup's not big enough...grab a large jar" - not big enough?? It was a very large vessel...what the heck does he have out there. So I ran back up to the house, grabbed the largest jar I could find, and delivered it. I could see a huge, insect leg sticking out from the purple cup...oh gosh...what is he going to put in the jar...

Aaaahhhhhhh...yikes!! A giant bug!! And I mean GIANT!! I recognized it as a Giant Water Bug (nickname: Toe Biter), but couldn't understand why it was in our lumber pile. So I set off to Google this cool guy and find out more about this large specimen.

Here's some cool and somewhat unsettling facts about the Giant Water Bug (Lethocerus americanus)

The mammoth Giant Water Bug uses its strong pincers to hold its prey in place, but its mouth is where the threat really lies.

The Giant Water Bug is a large insect with equally large and very noticeable foreleg pincers. These pointy appendages are used to catch similar-sized underwater prey like small fish, frogs, small newts, snails, and sometimes even snakes. A strong bite injects a solution that liquefies the insides of the prey, allowing the bug to drink it in. The Giant Water Bug's body is mostly flat and oval shaped with dark brown, "dead leaf" coloring. Unable to hold its breath, small breathing tubes called spiracles allow the bug to stay under water while drawing in air trapped under its wings, somewhat like a straw. It is known to play dead in order to escape predators. It is also known for delivering a painful bite when disturbed or threatened by people. It carries the the nickname "Toe-biter" because it does just that. Barefoot swimmers and people who tread in shallow waters may get a toe pinched by one if they step too close to the Giant Water Bug. Aside from that defensive reaction to threats, this insect is generally uninterested in people. 

They make their homes at the bottom of muddy waters and ponds, or surrounding vegetation, so they can be seen swimming as well as walking near the water's edge. Muddied Giant Water Bugs may be somewhat hard to distinguish until they are rinsed. This insect can tolerate slightly polluted water, unlike many other aquatic insects like dragonflies. Giant Water Bugs are drawn to light sources at night and are often found inside or around backyard pools. A female lays fertilized eggs at the edge of a waterline whereupon the male guards them until they hatch.

Source: Insect Identification

We had to share this creepy creature with our critter loving pal, Bo, and headed over to their house to show him our find. He's such a funny kid - his first question, 'can I hold it' - a very different reaction than Chloe who screamed at the top of her lungs, burst into tears and hid under her covers and refused to leave her room until my new friend was released back into nature far far away from our home.

Released him/her into the waters of Grafton Lake - pretty nice place to live!

So my guess is that this creature ended up in our lumber pile when it was attracted to the light that was left on by accident in our garage. We have a lot of water sources around our home in the form of creeks and wetlands so he/she must have come from one of those areas for a visit. No offence buddy, but I don't think Chloe will welcome you back anytime soon!