Comments on: meet the phymata

By: bev

bev — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:42:18 +0000

Which photo, Coral? Do you mean this one? If so, the phymata is there, but it's inside the flower, hanging upside down, with the fuzzy fly gripped with its front legs. It's quite pale green, so not easily seen.

By: coral

coral — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:36:45 +0000

I clicked on the picture with the fuzzy bee-like spider photo. I appreciate the info but the picture is not here as stated…Is it one in the same?

By: burning silo

burning silo — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:19:26 +0000

Don – I was bitten by either an Ambush Bug or a Stink Bug a couple of years ago while photographing spiders. I’m not sure which as the insect rolled out of the shirt sleeve and fell to the ground before I had a chance to look at it. The bite was on the front of my shoulder in the space just below the end of my collarbone. The pain was fairly intense for a couple of minutes — I’d describe it as a “searing pain” as though being burned by something like battery acid (I was once burned on the leg by battery acid and the sensation was very similar). There was no real bleeding, but the entire area swelled up — probably an area about 2-3 inches in diameter and the shoulder felt stiff for a couple of days. Although the swelling subsied, there was some pain in that spot for a few weeks and there was also a lump there for a long time. As both predatory Stink Bugs and Ambush Bugs are supposed to be able to inject a kind of saliva that dissolves the body tissues of the insects they are consuming, I would think that stuff would do some kind of damage to human tissue as well. However, the good news is that, in time, the lump went away and no more pain. I’m not sure if the insect bit me in an attempt to feed, or if it got into my clothes and the bite was some kind of fear response to make me “release” it as is often the reason that spiders bite when they become trapped in our clothing. Whatever, I don’t wish to repeat the “experiment” anytime soon! (-:

By: Uncle Don

Uncle Don — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:53:33 +0000

Two weeks ago, while working in my flower garden, I felt a sharp pain in my back. I thought I had been stung by a bee, but immediately felt a second sting. Whipping off my shirt, I found an ambush bug hanging on to the fabric for dear life. Returning her to her butterfly bush, I felt my back and discovered it to be bloody. It looked like I had been bitten by a vampire: there were two wounds oozing blood, about an inch apart. Each wound was swollen up with a bump about the size of a dime. The bites hurt for several hours, and I still have marks on my back. After looking through various sources, I believe it was an adult female jagged ambush bug.