What The Hell is This Creepy Looking Bug Spotted in Texarkana?
The extremely hot weather is causing all sorts of problems across the country from power outages, and forest fires, to railroad tracks buckling because of the extreme heat. But have you noticed a creeping-looking bug that has been in more abundance in the Texarkana area?
I saw one flying around my back door the day and thought it was a wasp but after observation, I remember telling myself "What the hell was that? Has this hot weather spawned some bug from hell? One of my coworkers saw one on her truck and snapped a photo as she freaked out.
After doing a Google picture search it looks to be a robber fly, of course, it is much larger than your average fly or horse fly. If that is what it actually is.
The robber fly comes from the Promachus family of flies. The name Promachus comes from Greek Mythology according to Wikipedia.
Now you may be wondering, is the robber fly dangerous to a human being?
Yes, just like a wasp if agitated they can inflict a painful bite that shoots enzymes into their prey to pre-digest it by liquifying the tissues. Most likely it would probably destroy human tissue a little bit too. They prey mainly on butterflies, wasps, bees, dragonflies, grasshoppers, beetles, and other flies. If bitten by one of these flies the best remedy is to apply hydrocortisone or calamine lotion to the bite area for soothing and healing. Seek out a medical professional if your bite worsens or you become ill.
Robber flies love hot sunny weather and if you have lots of shrubs, plants, or other types of vegetation in your yard, you are prone to see these giant devilish-looking species.
All I can say is to steer clear of these insects if you can and be mindful of your surroundings They shouldn't attack you if you don't bother them.
I'm just happy it's not some apocalyptic sign!