{"id":5288,"date":"2015-02-23T09:44:36","date_gmt":"2015-02-23T14:44:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/home-and-garden-ipm\/?page_id=5288"},"modified":"2020-04-14T00:34:56","modified_gmt":"2020-04-14T04:34:56","slug":"water-scorpions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/home-and-garden-ipm\/fact-sheets\/common-name-listing\/water-scorpions\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Scorpions"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Water Scorpion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Water scorpions<\/strong> belong to a family of aquatic predatory insects known as Nepidae.\u00a0 There are two genera of water scorpions in the northeast and Maine.\u00a0 Those in the genus Ranatra<\/em> (such as the one pictured here) are thin-bodied and much<\/em> more common than those in the other genus, Nepa<\/em><\/a><\/strong>, whose members are fat-bodied and look very much like a Giant water bug<\/a><\/strong>.\u00a0 Although the name sounds very menacing, due to the family’s outward superficial resemblance to a scorpion, members of the Ranatra<\/em> genus are said to be docile and quite safe to handle, unlike<\/em> a giant water bug which can inflict a very painful bite.\u00a0 Ranatra<\/em> water scorpions are also sometimes called needle bugs or water stick insects due to how slender they are, and people sometimes confuse them for some type of walking stick.\u00a0 The long tail is not used for stinging, but instead, for breathing.<\/p>\n\n\t\t