Hemipteran Bites – Worse than Wasps
Hemipterans are a large order of insects most of which we refer to as bugs and rightly so. This is the order of insects that are true bugs. A ladybug after all is not a bug, she is a beetle. A dragonfly is not a dragon, it is an orthopteran. Stink bugs, assassin bugs, ambush bugs, bed bugs, and many others are all bugs and their bite can be worse than the sting from a wasp.
The Bite of Hemipterans
One of the classifications of hemipterans is that they have a piercing-sucking mouth. Their mouth looks like a very sharp needle which they jab into their victims. While that sound pretty bad, especially if you are the one being bitten, it gets worse. Mostly, hemipterans that are predators attack other insects while the remainder eat plant sap. Stink bugs, generally, eat plant sap, but they will bite you as will the assassin and ambush bugs. The problem is that when they do bite, they inject a chemical into their pretty that causes the flesh to liquify so that that they can then suck it up through their needle-like mouth. It is much like those little boxes of juice that come with the sharp straw that you then jab into the little foil hole and then start sucking out the juice. Yep – That’s just exactly how hemipterans feed.
Now, most do not feed on humans. The exception are bed bugs which feed almost exclusively on human blood. Bed bugs don’t inject a chemical that liquefies flesh, because they don’t eat meat. Instead, they drink blood, so they inject an anticoagulant, so we just keep bleeding.
Some hemipterans that may bite us, are worse than the stings of wasp because we have a reaction to the chemicals that they inject. The bite site may swell to three or four times its normal size. Your hand is not the size of your thigh. You get the picture!
You can learn more about controlling pest insects by reaching out to our team. We provide fast, efficient, safe, and affordable pest control throughout the Bryan and College Station Communities.
