Adult water bugs overwinter in water bodies. I wasn't able to find out when the last moult from nymph to adult occurs in Manitoba. Does anybody out there know? If so, please drop us a line. As larvae, Giant Water Bugs obtain oxygen through their cuticle skin , but the adults must breath air directly. They do this, and remain under water, by means of a snorkel-like appendage at the base of their abdomens. This tube allows for the exchange of air from the atmosphere to a bubble of air trapped under the wings.
Air enters the insect's body through holes, called spiracles, in the abdomen. Giant Water Bugs, and their nymphs, are fierce predators feeding on small fish, tadpoles, salamanders, even small frogs.
They usually hunt by lying-in-ambush clutching a submerged plant or rock with only their breathing tube sticking above the surface. Any passing motion can trigger a rapid "lunge and grab" with the hook-tipped front legs. My captive bug would even lunge and grab the net or anything else I stuck into the aquarium.
I had been warned not to stick my fingers in front of its face and I willingly complied. If prey is successfully grasped it is quickly dispatched with a pierce from the bug's needle-like rostrum fused mouth parts and an injection of toxic enzymes. These enzymes poison the prey and begin to digest it at the same time. Once the enzymes have completed their job the bug again uses its rostrum, but this time sucks out the pre-digested soup that was its prey, leaving a limp bag of skin.
If this critter sounds like some kind of mini-monster, don't despair. In the orient, giant water bugs are renowned as a great delicacy, so, as always, critters seem to have more to fear from us than we from them. The bug's hunting technique is not limited to lying in wait. It will actively swim after prey that is a ways off or that it has missed on its first lunge. Giant water bugs actually have two really unique adaptations for this!
In short, they breathe through their butts. They have two long, tubular, retractable appendages that extend from their abdomen to their rear. When oxygen is needed, giant water bugs will come toward the surface of the water and tip themselves at an angle so that these anatomical snorkels and their butt can breach the surface of the water and pull in some oxygen. In fact, giant water bugs need relatively healthy water that supports a variety of insects and animals for them to feed on, and plants to provide a safe haven for spawning and young.
During the warmer months, the plants and mud provide the perfect hiding spot to ambush prey, while protecting them from the cold in the winter. From spring through autumn, giant water bugs can also be found flying about to seek out new aquatic habitats for spawning. They are drawn to lights, and sometimes are found in large numbers in residential areas buzzing about street lights or backyard bulbs.
Another significant threat to these important aquatic predators is artificial lighting. Like other nocturnal insects, giant water bugs are drawn to light. As a result, during mating season they can be found flocking to street lamps and even the headlights of cars, where they die not long after due to starvation, inability to find a new wetland home, or being hit by cars or purposely killed by people. Also know that your pond is a safe haven for wildlife, and can help them more than you might guess!
Thanks to their formidable, impeccably evolved morphology, giant water bugs can eat prey items as much as 50 times their own size! This primarily includes tadpoles, other insects including mosquito larvae! When hunting, giant water bugs will either partially submerge themselves in mud or cling to the underwater stem of a plant and wait for prey to unwittingly cross their path.
I gave them to people there to eat never tried it but they did not waste them and enjoyed it. I think it is like us eating crawfish the same way sucking the head for juice. When I was there in each bug could cost i baut or 5 cent. Pungent liquorice flavor! After that smell which I will never forget, I would never imagine consuming one cooked or raw. To many pesticides in the environment. Would love to try it in Bangkok. American Waterbugs are definitely inedible.
Meng means stinky in Thai, so it is literally stinky bug. But Thais love it, just like durian. But falangs love stinky cheese, which smells even worse. Thai language is tonal — 5 to be exact. These are delicious! The smell is spectacular.
It somehow conjures up memories of green apple candies from childhood. I had it on the street in Bangkok. Any ideas on what the other ingredients might have been? It was one of my top food experiences. Thank you Mark! Hey Jason, great to hear from you. These giant water bugs are commonly used in nam prik chili dips.
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