One might think that Texas is the holy grail of all insects and pests. Some of them can be just annoying, while others are quite a threat. In the past years people have identified around their homes some pretty nasty critters, horrific in look and worrying in size. Known as Giant Water Bugs or Toe Biters, these pests can be considered detrimental or beneficial, depending on your insect tolerance levels. Today, our pest control The Colony, TX want to offer you some tips on how to handle the Giant Water Bugs provided you find some lurking around your property.
The Giant Water Bugs – What Are They?
Nature played a sick game when it conceived this bug. Its size ranges over 4 inches in length. Belonging to the Hemiptera order, this critter is also known as the “true bug”. Among many species we have the Giant version – the largest of its kind in the U.S. and Canada. Looking alien and behaving even more alien, the bug lives around water sources (water-centric landscape elements, ponds, pools, fountains, wells etc) and it can breathe under water through its rear. It can also carry its own oxygen supply in its own bubble and is, of course, a fierce predator of other water-loving insects.
How Can the Giant Water Bug be a Beneficial Insect?
Our pest control The Colony, TX experts deem the Giant Water Bug beneficial only if you have a mosquito problem on your hands or if you struggle with getting rid of other water-loving infesting pests. The bug feeds on all mosquitoes, larvae and adults alike, but it can also feed on tadpoles, salamanders, fish, crustaceans or amphibians. While preying on mosquitoes may be a positive thing, fearing for your water creatures in ponds, pools, fountains, and waterscapes may not be such a good thing after all.
The problem with the bug is that it doesn’t discriminate when it comes to feeding. Getting rid of mosquitoes by entertaining the bug on your property may lead to future problems as your pond fish may fall collateral victims to the Giant Water Bug. Moreover, this predator is able to hunt, kill and eat an animal 50 times its size in only one sitting, so small wildlife isn’t safe either around this horrendous pest.
Loving Light and Biting Toes
The Giant Water Bug has two nicknames: the Electric Bug and the Toe Biter. Many homeowners lost their appetite and overall ability to enjoy life after encountering these creeping monstrosities having the time of their life on the well lit porch, patio, or outdoor living spaces. Since they love electric light, you will find them at night roaming freely everywhere you have garden lamps, around the garage, the parking lot, on the garden walkways, the driveway and under your windows. If you have such a pest problem, electric light is a beacon for them to suddenly feel summoned and the encounter is far from being pleasant.
The “Toe Biter” nickname is quite self explanatory: the creature bites in case it is approached, handled without care or if it feels threatened. Children and pets are the most vulnerable to its bites. While not dangerous from a medical point of view, the bite can produce negative effects on those suffering from allergies.
As pest control is concerned, it is better to call your local pest control The Colony, TX specialists to take the appropriate measures.
