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--20cf30363f81ee34d604dd50d391 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 For a few years, I've been working on an aquatic insect project. Today my student Mallory and I caught a number of Giant Water Bugs ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethocerus_americanus) and larger Predaceous Diving Beetles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predaceous_diving_beetle). The bugs are also known as "toe-biters". I've never heard of any toes getting bit, they normally feed on tadpoles, salamanders and more. Mallory and I brought the live insects back to the lab and were working with one of the bugs...they grab onto you with their raptorial claws, which is mildly annoying, but then I saw the proboscis start to move - it pierced me before I knew it, and the pain it caused was akin to a mild or moderate bee sting. And it lasted for a good five minutes. Years ago, I picked a backswimmer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backswimmer) out of a net and received a sharp bite (again, more of a piercing)...the bug bite today was very similar to that. The two insects are both true bugs, but I've really no idea if the pain-causing agent is the same in both. Randy _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. --20cf30363f81ee34d604dd50d391 Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr">For a few years, I've been working on an aquatic insec= t project. Today my student Mallory and I caught a number of Giant Water Bu= gs (<a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethocerus_americanus">http://e= n.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lethocerus_americanus</a>) and larger Predaceous Divin= g Beetles (<a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predaceous_diving_beetle= ">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predaceous_diving_beetle</a>). The bugs are = also known as "toe-biters". I've never heard of any toes gett= ing bit, they normally feed on tadpoles, salamanders and more.<div> <br></div><div>Mallory and I brought the live insects back to the lab and w= ere working with one of the bugs...they grab onto you with their raptorial = claws, which is mildly annoying, but then I saw the proboscis start to move= - it pierced me before I knew it, and the pain it caused was akin to a mil= d or moderate bee sting. And it lasted for a good five minutes. Years ago, = I picked a backswimmer (<a href=3D"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backswimmer= ">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backswimmer</a>) out of a net and received a= sharp bite (again, more of a piercing)...the bug bite today was very simil= ar to that. The two insects are both true bugs, but I've really no idea= if the pain-causing agent is the same in both.</div> <div><br></div><div>Randy<br clear=3D"all"><div>___________________________= ______<br>RF Lauff<br>Way in the boonies of<br>Antigonish County, NS.</div> </div></div> --20cf30363f81ee34d604dd50d391--
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