Bugs In Japan - warning, bug pictures

[burkhartdesu]

Luckily, for the time being, I live in Alaska- where there are virtually no poisonous bugs.


What about the Japanese hornet?

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by burkhartdesu

Luckily, for the time being, I live in Alaska- where there are virtually no poisonous bugs.


What about the Japanese hornet?

THIS! This is the thing I`m absolutely terrified of. I`ve been terrified of it long long before ever visiting Japan. When I was in grade school someone gave me a paperweight with one inside of it. Not only is it huge and scary it`s also deathly poisonous.

Ugh. *shudder*

[Mauja]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

THIS! This is the thing I`m absolutely terrified of. I`ve been terrified of it long long before ever visiting Japan. When I was in grade school someone gave me a paperweight with one inside of it. Not only is it huge and scary it`s also deathly poisonous.

Ugh. *shudder*

Oh, hornets.. I´m scared of them too.. Once there was one lying in front of our house.. It was there for a week, then disappeared. I believe that it was simulating death and waiting for a chance to kill me. I used to go to school longer way just because wasn´t able to go past it..

[burkhartdesu]

[RKitagawa]

those hornets are probably the number one most dangerous insects in Japan.

Heres a few facts about them for those who are interested:

1. The venom they sting you with contains many different chemicals which do different things, One of them burns through human tissue.

2. Another chemical in the venom has an odor which will attract many other hornets to you.

3. It can fly 50 miles in a single day.

4. Like all hornets, they can sting you repeatedly.

5. 20-40 people in Japan die each year because of them.


So.. if you see one of these things... BE CAREFUL! they are one of the most deadly insects in the world.

[RKitagawa]

Originally Posted by spicytuna

The bugs seem to be bigger in Japan don't they? The cockroaches, dragonflies, hornets, etc. I guess it's that warm humid climate.

The bug that scares me the most out here are the ticks. They're sneaky little bastards and many of them carry Lyme disease which is pretty nasty.

TICKS! oh man, I didn't even know there were any in Canada. I live down in Toronto though, so I'm far away from any real dangerous bugs. But yeah, Lyme's disease is pretty terrible, and those bugs are so small, you might not even notice it until it's too late.

[Miyavifan]

Originally Posted by burkhartdesu

Luckily, for the time being, I live in Alaska- where there are virtually no poisonous bugs.


What about the Japanese hornet?

Are these worse than in the U.S.? and does it matter whether you're allergic or not?

I'm fairly certain it was a hornet which stung me repeatedly once, and only ended up puffy and red, where I was stung.

[spicytuna]

Originally Posted by RKitagawa

TICKS! oh man, I didn't even know there were any in Canada. I live down in Toronto though, so I'm far away from any real dangerous bugs. But yeah, Lyme's disease is pretty terrible, and those bugs are so small, you might not even notice it until it's too late.

You won't encounter any of them in downtown Toronto.

However, they're everywhere out here in the mountains. I went out this past weekend and my 2 partners and I counted about 8 ticks all over us. One of my friends had one embedded in his upper leg.

I'd happily take a hornet bite over a tick bite. The hornet bite will hurt a lot more but at least it won't lead to a rash of illnesses over the following weeks/months/years.

[RKitagawa]

Originally Posted by Miyavifan

Are these worse than in the U.S.? and does it matter whether you're allergic or not?

I'm fairly certain it was a hornet which stung me repeatedly once, and only ended up puffy and red, where I was stung.

these things... will kill you, lol. So yeah, I'd say they're worse.
If you get a good dose of their venom, it is lethal regardless of allergies.

I'd happily take a hornet bite over a tick bite. The hornet bite will hurt a lot more but at least it won't lead to a rash of illnesses over the following weeks/months/years.

a regular hornet bite? or a japanese hornet bite? because the japanese ones are lethal.

I'd personally prefer the tick, just sprinkle some vinegar on it and you'll be fine.... probably

[FeyOberon]

Originally Posted by Miyavifan

Are these worse than in the U.S.? and does it matter whether you're allergic or not?

I'm fairly certain it was a hornet which stung me repeatedly once, and only ended up puffy and red, where I was stung.

Oh, yes, they are worse. An American hornet is pretty much just a hornet unless you are allergic, their sting is like a nasty pinch that swells up and stays sore for a few days. They are kind of mean, but not as bad as some kinds of wasp.

By contrast, a Japanese (or Asian) hornet is a vicious, hateful bastard that has the capacity to kill a person with no allergy. And just to make things more fun, they have absolutely no natural predators.

As for ticks vs. hornets/wasps -- I would trade my hornet sting for a tick bite any day! Lyme disease is actually very rare and only deer ticks are carriers. (Deer ticks are the brown ones with a single white dot on their backs. They are about the size of a capital "O.")

Of course, I'm allergic to bees/hornets/wasps, so it's an easy choice for me.