A-luring Tails
Posted by Mark Link on September 15, 2005
Q: hey, what kind of beetle bit my neck 7-8 times in a row, after about 5 seconds it felt like a bee sting, and left a welp on my neck about 1" long and 3/8" wide. it started making a scab the second day, and the 3rd day/today the welp has gone down.....the bug—shiny-black about 1" long x maybe 1/4" wide, like other more common beetles we see around yards except this one had "orange-red legs". thanks, mark
Habitat: suburban/yard
State: Virginia
Habitat: suburban/yard
A: I'm not entirely sure what your beetle was but from the sound of it, it may have been a Bombardier Beetle. These beetles are able to spray a hot liquid onto a predator and I wonder if that's what happened to you? Take a look at this site and see if this beetle looks like the one you had. Keep in mind that there are many kinds of Bombardier Beetles so your beetle may look somewhat different.
Although beetles can bite, they do so only in defense and I can't believe one would bite you 7 to 8 times in different places. Hope this helps, if not, get back to us and we'll keep trying.
John Wiessinger ( September 19, 2005)