Woman terrified after mysterious ‘harmless-looking’ insect bit her while sitting on sofa – before insect professionals reveal its sinister name
- Woman bitten by ‘harmless-looking insect’
- Felt severe pain before you found out why
A woman suffers pain after being bitten by a mysterious insect – only to find out it’s been dubbed an assassin because of its excruciating bite.
The little creature looked harmless on the woman’s couch, but caused severe pain.
She was confused and took a picture to ask if anyone knew what it could be – and the information came in quickly – whereupon a woman told her to go straight to the hospital.
“Please go straight to the doctor. They need an injection, antihistamine and painkiller. Good luck,’ she said.
Others said the assassin’s bite is only painful for a short time.
A woman has suffered severe pain after being bitten by this ‘innocent-looking’ microbe
“I wouldn’t go to the doctor, the pain will be gone by then,” said one woman.
Their bite hurts. Ice it and you’ll be fine,” said another.
“I was bitten by one like that a month or two ago. It hurt a lot, but the pain went away after about an hour,” said another.
Others warned that the beetle can transmit disease.
Assassin bugs are natural predators for termites, caterpillars and locusts and are found all over Australia.
The insects are known as assassins and feast on caterpillars, termites and grasshoppers
They ambush their prey and paralyze them with their saliva.
“The fluid immobilizes the prey and dissolves its tissues,” the Australian Museum said.
“When provoked, assassins can bite people. Their venomous bites are immediate and very painful. If you’ve been bitten by an assassin, make sure you wash the bite and apply antiseptic if necessary,” experts at Pest World advise.