Sunday, August 3, 2008

Wheel Bug

Last week we had Biologist Boot Camp at Southeastway Park. Each day we explored various scientific methods that biologists use in the field. On Tuesday, we caught insects with sweep nets. Great fun! I was really excited to see lots of these guys, one of my favorite bugs-the Wheel Bug. What an amazing critter to behold! Ominous looking as it lurks about on the vegetation, looking for prey. "What is that???!!!!" was uttered by may of the kids, wanting to know more about this crazy looking bug. The insect is big, about one and a half inches long, with a strange jagged wheel sticking out of its back. It looks like it belongs in the movie, The Road Warrior.


Wheel Bugs are in the Assassin Bug family, Reduviidae and like the common name implies they are vicious assassins. They have a specialized mouthpart called a stylet that they use to immobilize their prey. The Wheel Bug walks around on vegetation in a slow, methodical way, almost like a mini-robot, until it comes across an unsuspecting critter, usually a soft bodied insect. It will quickly grab it and stab its stylet into the prey's body. I have watched some captive ones feed and they are quick as lightening. Once the stylet is inserted into the prey's body, the Wheel Bug injects enzymes that digest the insides, turning them into liquid. The Wheel bug will then slurp up the juice, like a delicious bug milkshake, using the stylet like a straw.

I am cautiously holding this one, so the business end, its stylet, cannot pierce my hand. In my experience, they usually do not bite if they are handled with respect. If you swat or pinch them in some way, you might get a very painful bite. Sometimes when you handle them, they have orange scent glands located on their abdomen that pop out and emit a funky smell. This one wouldn't do it, so sorry - no pic.


Sorry about the blurry picture, but I cropped it so you could see a close up of the stylet. As you can see, the stylet is fairly large, about half the size of my thumbnail. I would hate to be an insect that had this jabbed into it. You might also note there is a liquid coming out of the tip, which is the saliva it uses to digest its prey's innards. I am using my thumbnail, so I won't get accidentally stabbed.

Wheel Bugs lay eggs on vegetation which are very interesting in shape. Here is a photo of them on Bugguide. When the young nymphs hatch, they are red in color and then gradually turn gray. It takes about three month to change from a red nymph to a completely gray young adult. They lack the crazy crest that the adults have. Below I have a young adult on my hand.


Wheel Bugs frequent areas where there is lots of prey to feed upon. A good place to find them would be on a woodland edge or a weedy area with taller grasses and forbs. Hopefully you will spot one, but be very careful if you attempt to handle it!StumbleUpon

9 comments:

Danielle said...

yikes! I was sitting outside on my porch deck when I spotted one and now I'm very grateful to have read this because I would have most likely been bitten because of my fearless attitude. I just looked at it again with with this new knowledge and before I was completely unaware of the beak...ouch. Thanks a bunch!!!

Amber Coakley said...

Hi - I just found this post from a link in another of your posts in the current CotS. I saw my first wheel bug last year and was really fascinated by it. I noticed the stylet (aka huge stabby thing) right away and was quite happy to observe it only. Would not even consider handling it as you so bravely did!

Anonymous said...

My wife was watching tv when she let out a scream. I live in the north east and right now we have a bunch a stink bugs all over the place. So naturally i thought it was one of them in her hair (again). But when I walked into the room it was on the baseboard. I did know what to think. I grabbed a paper towel and threw it in the toilet. There was already a stick bug floating around in there. The stink bug starting to climb on the whhel bug. Not for long it only took the wheel bug 4-5 seconds to kill the stink bug. WOW! I ran to the computer to look up what the wheel bug was (i had no clue). So my question is, I live in PA, how did it get up this far north? I really don't want these things in my house!

Amber Astacio said...

i found one while coming out of my church, it was huge!i took it home and gave it a medeum criket i fond. it ate it till it was COMPLETLY HOLLOW.i was amazed, so i look it up, i found a pictre that looked like him, but not so much. i scrolled dow pictures and i found one exactly like him! that led me to this website, im keeping this one-his name is spike-forever!

Anonymous said...

Whoa!! You're very brave! I've heard wheel bug bites are extremely painful, and can actually take MONTHS to heal!

Anonymous said...

My daughter just saw this bug on our outside porch light (Pittsburgh, PA). I was tempted to pick it up just to show her it was just another harmless (to humans) bug, similar to all of the stink bugs around. I am glad I didn't pick it up after reading about the bug. I will let it live, especially with all of the stink bugs in our area. However, I hope it doesn't hang around in my pole beans. It is hard to see what is in all of the vegetation when I am looking for beans!

Anonymous said...

Injurious insects and other risky creatures would have found great appeal to Roman Catholic Inquisitors centuries ago. They did in fact use rats as torture instruments.

Anonymous said...

I live in PA and we have tons. I just recently got bit by one and pain is not the word to use!! It's been almost a month, and it still hurts. I have the bit mark still and a lump under so be careful!!

Anonymous said...

I live in Southern Virginia. I have seen these all my life (and have always been afraid of them). Until I read this post, I had no clue on what they were called (besides the horrible-gray-dinosaur-bug. They always hang out on my front porch...once I found on swimming in the fish tank in our living room, yikes! (I have absolutely no clue on how it found a way into the house and into the fish tank)