KY Critter Kills Bad Things, Good Things, and Leaves a Nasty Bite

I do not frequently go out of my way to handle insects, but if I know they're not going to bite a plug out of my hand or they're not poisonous, sure, I'll, ahem, bite.

I've escorted those brown hard-shell light bugs out of the house by hand. No issue. I've let June bugs walk across my hand because it's a cool kind of weird. No issue. And, of course, lightning bugs. But who hasn't held those? Oh yes, stink bugs. Well, I can't smell them, and, since they hardly move, they're easy to scoop up and take outside.

But I learn a lot about insects doing research for these stories I share with you. And I've discovered there are quite a few little critters we have around these parts that I've never heard of before, let alone encountered.

Or so I thought...

Let me tell you about a rather imposing, but interesting looking bug I encountered recently. It's called a "wheel bug."

Many Types of Assassin Bugs

You want these creatures around because they kill and eat the REAL pests you absolutely want nowhere near your garden--pests like aphids, Japanese beetles, and caterpillars. Wheel bugs are actually a type of the colorful and more dramatically named "assassin bug," and Kentucky has plenty to offer. And, in true horror-movie fashion, these assassin bugs use their proboscis (like a nose) to stab its prey, inject it with toxins, and then remove the liquefied insects.

In fact, there are multiple kinds of assassin bugs, including the "bee assassin" which does exactly what the name suggests. This one species of assassin bug I don't want around. We need the bees.

Here's the thing, you'll want to leave all types of assassin bugs alone. As I mentioned, they're good for the garden, but they also have a very painful bite you don't want to experience. Plus, because of their venom, some folks have a much worse reaction to a bite than others.

We're heading into fall, and maybe these won't be terribly necessary in the coming months. Also, it's nice to know there won't be one more creepy-crawly around that might bite you.