Most of us are unaware of threatening creatures living in our backyards. Some bugs bite, sting, and even carry and spread diseases. Mosquito bites are prevalent, but unfortunately, they’re not the only ones to cause havoc. Watch out for these common bugs, biters, and stringers who can carry life-threatening diseases and protect yourself and your family.
Wheel Bug
The wheel bug is 1.5 inches long and is the largest terrestrial bug in North America. What makes this bug noticeable is the spikey, half-wheel of armor along its back. This assassin bug is a robust and dark creature with long antennae and large eyes on a slim head. Female wheel bugs are larger than males.
The wheel bugs feed on soft-bodied insects like caterpillars, Mexican bear beetle, and cabbage worms. Although the wheel bug is slow to defend itself, its sting can cause pain and numbness that lasts for a few days. The bite is worse than the bee, wasp, and hornet bites.
Assassin Bugs
Assassin bugs bite, and their bite can be fatal to humans and insects. It is a predatory insect that feeds on other bugs, reptiles, birds, mammals, animals, and humans. Most gardeners think that the assassin bugs are beneficial to the gardens as they feed on other flies, ladybugs, bees, caterpillars, and other harmful creatures that might destroy your plants. Assassin bugs are dangerous to deal with, and you should know how to act when you see one. To humans, these bugs can be very dangerous and, in worse cases, fatal.
Black Widow Spiders
These spiders get their name for a fascinating reason. They were named black widow spiders after finding that female spiders kill the male spiders and feed on them after mating. You can identify them with their black and shiny body and red hourglass shape on the abdomen.
The bite from a female black widow spider can be fatal. They are most aggressive when they are trying to protect an egg sac. However, males are relatively small and less dangerous. Small or younger children and adults with a compromised immune system are at the highest risk of dying of a bite from a black widow spider. Pain from such bites becomes intense within a few hours and can last many days.
Brown Recluse Spiders
The most infamous species of recluse spiders, brown recluse spiders, can be deadly to children under seven years old. With a violin-like shape on the back, these spiders have six eyes set in three pairs. Brown recluse spiders are timid and often hide in dark places like under the porch or in the closet.
Some people show an immediate reaction, some delayed, and some no reactions at all, and most people heal without any medical attention. In worst cases, when the person who gets bit is sensitive, it may take several weeks to recover and may leave scars. Those bitten may experience nausea, fever, vomiting, sweating, chills, or discomfort.
Spittlebugs
If you see frothy white spit-like foam in the garden, these are maybe spittlebugs. These are also called cuckoo spits because, like the call of the cuckoo, spittlebugs are a sign of spring’s arrival. The nymphs produce protective foam by mixing air with the chemical it releases to protect itself. The foam serves more than one purpose. It hides the spittlebugs from the predators’ eyes, and it acts as an insulator against cold and heat. It also controls the moisture as, without it, the nymph may dry up. These nymphs feed on the plant sap without causing much damage to the plants, but a few species are serious agricultural pests.
