What is this?

[ConstitutionCowboy]

I'd be more worried about that anal-probe-looking antenna.

Oh, do they eat grasshoppers? If so, where can I get a few dozen of them?

Woody

 

[Ready_fire_aim]

They are "good bugs" UNTIL they bite you or a loved one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reduviidae

Some are known to spread Chagas Disease. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/chagas-disease-(american-trypanosomiasis)

Which is becoming more prevalent her in the US.

I don’t think these wheel bugs are known to spread chagas. Chagas is carried by “kissing bugs” who suck blood and contract chagas from infected animals they feed blood from.

Kissing bugs have a painless bite and are known to bite people as they sleep, especially while camping.

These wheel bugs don’t suck blood they just eat other bugs. Also their bite is supposed to extremely painful. Unlike the kissing bug with a painless bite that sits there and gives you a toxic blood transfusion while you don’t realize it.

 

[1911DA]

Those things are just fugly to live..........kill em .........just sayin for a friend

 

[Fredkrueger100]

I have a bunch of these and I have let them crawl all over me and they never bite. They are beneficial so don’t ever kill them like some have suggested. If you don’t scare them or hurt them they won’t do anything to you.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Get several and do the stop action lego production of "Starship Troopers."

 

[C_Hallbert]

Once I put one of those in a jar with a scorpion. I went after the scorpion, held down its stinger, raised its head and stuck its proboscis into the scorpions back. The venom it injected disabled the scorpion, immediately. My wife and I usually leave them alone, but we warn others when one is around and take time to inform children that they are somewhat dangerous. There is another insect that mimics their appearance but doesn’t have the ability to inject venom (no long proboscis).

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Once I put one of those in a jar with a scorpion. I went after the scorpion, held down its stinger, raised its head and stuck its proboscis into the scorpions back. The venom it injected disabled the scorpion, immediately. My wife and I usually leave them alone, but we warn others when one is around and take time to inform children that they are somewhat dangerous. There is another insect that mimics their appearance but doesn’t have the ability to inject venom (no long proboscis).

Elephants have a long proboscis, do they inject poison with it?

 

[John6185]

Kill it. Kill them all.

You want to go to jail for such a trivial crime? There has to be a fringe group somewhere that protects bugs.

 

[rlongnt]

They may be good in that they kill other bugs but Lord help you if you get nailed by one. Worse than a wasp sting by far. I found out the hard way. They love hanging out on pecan trees.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

I guess they are flesh eaters. Be it bug, animal, or human, food is food.

Woody