GIANT WATER BUG . The National Park Service has warned members of the public to watch out for a giant water bug that bites humans. Bug bites are irritating, and some can be harmful. Water bugs are referred to as Toe biters because they do bite.Water bugs are harmless to humans.They don’t seek for people to go and bite them up.Water bugs bite is considered to be most harmful and painful.They bite on rare occasions when we get scared, or they get terrified. Although they have a nip, which is not dangerous, they are believed to deliver the most painful bites among all insects, which last for several hours. In the creeks and ponds of the world — including America — lives an insect that can reach four inches long and bears a pair of giant pincers and a … Ambush Hunters Giant water bugs are ambush hunters, lying motionless and waiting for their prey. The family is Belostomatidae, which consists of bugs commonly known as Giant Water Bugs (not beetles). Giant water bugs are predatory and will hunt and kill other insects, as well as small fish and animals. Giant Water Bugs are frequently called Toe-Biters because they can give a painful bite to swimmers that encounter them at the bottom of ponds, or Electric Light Bugs because they are frequently attracted to powerful lights. Giant water bug bite or toe biter? These huge mosquitoes attack people, and their bites really hurt. Although there are many bugs that live in both freshwater and ocean environments, giant water bugs are the species that can and do bite humans and are probably the biggest cause of concern. These insects have toxic saliva capable of provoking intense pain and paralysis in vertebrates. This creature is in the insect order known as Hemiptera, or the "true" bugs. Many Giant Water Bugs are kept in zoos, where they are fed crickets. We report 7 cases of patients bitten by giant water bugs, large predatory insects belonging to the Belostomatidae family (Hemiptera, Heteroptera). Predators of giant water bugs include birds, fish and other aquatic predators. Though they are aquatic, Giant Water Bugs are also strong fliers which suits them well if their ponds dry out. Bug Index. What are gallnippers, and what can you do to protect yourself from them? When sitting motionless, giant water bugs resemble dead leaves. Still, giant water bugs have the same structures as other insect eggs and those structures do the same things for the insect developing inside the egg as they do in other species. We would counsel you to seek medical attention. The Attack of the Giant Water Bug. Learn to identify the type of bug bite and when to seek emergency medical care. Hemiptera comprises the order of insects known as true bugs, which includes more than 50,000 different insect species, and true water bugs are aquatic species belonging to this order, such as the giant water bug, the water scorpion and the water boatman.