What is this beast?!

[Melissa]

Ok so there is this NASTY bug at work. Every night when I RUN to my car I see about 20 of these alien things. They kind of look like lobsters and beetles and roaches all at the same time.

Well TWICE now(including tonight) I have vomited in the employee parking lot because of these gross beasts from the underworld. NO ONE seems to know what they are called. Most people say its a palmetto bug.. not.. I have also heard scarab, roach, beetle, gator flee and a bunch of other crazy nonsense.

So tonight a bunch of us are walking out to the car and this man is stepping on them. Im about 20 ft away and I can hear the CRUNCH! I started gagging. Then he picked one up.. got bit(from what I heard) and then swore and I looked over as he BIT IT IN HALF! AND thats when my 20$ eat by myself dinner came up. I was not very pleased.

Sorry its not the BEST quality.. I had security take a picture of it for me and he was bent over his bike shaking to get close enough...

 

[Newt]

I'd be more freaked out by the crazy bug-eating dude then by the bugs themselves.
Argh!!
sorry though, no idea on what they might be...

 

[Kalandra]

Mel see if he looks like this: http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bugs/giant_water_bugs.htm

If so he is a giant water bug.

 

[mishellyshel]

ewww.................uhhhhhhh where do you live??

 

[Chinniechantel]

Eewwww Melissa, it is a giant water bug! Are you by swamps and water at your work? It bites, flies and pinches! That is one nasty looking creature.

 

[Essentia]

How big are they? By looking at that picture it looks ginormous!

 

[Chinmama]

Palmetto bugs are nasty, but not as nasty as that...

 

[Cinder and Me]

Ewwww, he bit it in half? I'm getting queezy just thinking about that! Yuck!!!

 

[Jeanette]

Ew!!!
That gives me the creeps!! I don't think that I could even step foot in that parking lot!!!

 

[Tiatrack]

OMG, I just read the link about those bugs. They eat SMALL BIRDS?!?!? That is one powerful bug. The bugs/lizards/frogs/beetles in Florida terrify me!

 

[3CsMommy]

"Toe Biter", also called Giant Water Bug... and one more reason I'm glad I live in the snow belt.

 

[Jenn]

This is exactly why I don't leave the NW! It might be a little wetter here, but we don't have any nasty bugs that I come in contact with, except the aggressive house spider, which has renewed and strengthened my fear of spiders!

I can't believe someone would pick it up, let alone bite it in half!

 

[Melissa]

Mel see if he looks like this: http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/bugs/giant_water_bugs.htm

If so he is a giant water bug.

OMG THATS IT! They are soo nasty! Now I can tell them what it is! These are about 3-4 inches long, Ill see if I can get someone to do a comparison picture for me.

Its so weird that its a water bug though I only see them on dry nights. Not wet ones. We do have ponds and ditches with water around the Casino... Its in Immokalee.. Im not sure if thats considered the Everglades but its close enough I guess..

Either way Im grossed out every night at work!

 

[mishellyshel]

i would be grossed out too.................especially that there is a guy in th parking lot willing to bite a bug that large! i get the shivers just thinking about it!! and now i am itchy!! lol

 

[eroomlorac]

Three to four inches long???

:swoon:

Maybe you only see them on dry nights because they are going from one water source to another. When it's wet, maybe they are content to stay put.

 

[Kalandra]

The link says they fly from pond to pond during the mating season. Maybe the parking lot lights are attracting them. That's assuming its the mating season for them.

 

[Spoof]

Yea, I saw one for the first time last year. They're HUGE, and they do bite and look creepy as hell!

 

[Vortex]

EW EW EWW!!!
and why in the world would that guy BITE a bug in HALF? let alone a bug like THAT! EWWWW! *Gags*

 

[JennyBug]

I think it was Paula Poundstone who had a bit where she would talk about Florida bugs and the fact that you could drop a brick on them, and if you waited a few second, the brick would start moving... this only confirms that bit of comedic genius.

Gross... but I can't say much. When we had our HUGE cicada hatching a few years ago, I ate stir fried cicadas... but at least they were COOKED and no longer wiggling!!!

 

[blue_soda025]

Ew. Ew. EW. I've never seen those or heard of them until now. How could anyone EAT something like that? Especially right off the ground! Just think about where it... Nevermind. And oh my gosh! 3-4 inches long! I would scream if I saw one that big, let alone 20.
Most bugs disgust me, except for praying mantises! I love those guys! Orchid mantises are so pretty. It's a shame we don't have those here. I sure am glad we don't have any really freaky/nasty bugs around here though. =P