The Wheel Bug
Wheel bugs are rather uncommon. This fellow is a large adult, about 2 inches in length. They have a grayish/ black body with a half wheel crest of armor on the thorax bearing numerous protruding tooth like structures and a long, slender reddish/ brown colored antennae. They are voracious predators, attacking large bugs, flies, caterpillars, and other soft bodied insects, injecting them with salivary fluids which dissolves soft tissue. Wheel bugs are considered beneficial insects, although they can inflict a painful bite if handled carelessly.
This guy was really checking me out as I was walking around him taking his picture.
If it wasnt for the cold, I believe he would have been hiding, or possibly going after me, as they are usually shy and stay out of sight.
He was found attached to the garage at my son's country home in Washington County Ohio.
The Wheel Bug
Wheel bugs are rather uncommon. This fellow is a large adult, about 2 inches in length. They have a grayish/ black body with a half wheel crest of armor on the thorax bearing numerous protruding tooth like structures and a long, slender reddish/ brown colored antennae. They are voracious predators, attacking large bugs, flies, caterpillars, and other soft bodied insects, injecting them with salivary fluids which dissolves soft tissue. Wheel bugs are considered beneficial insects, although they can inflict a painful bite if handled carelessly.
This guy was really checking me out as I was walking around him taking his picture.
If it wasnt for the cold, I believe he would have been hiding, or possibly going after me, as they are usually shy and stay out of sight.
He was found attached to the garage at my son's country home in Washington County Ohio.