May 12, 2026
"A berry green, [most] beautiful beetle I’ve ever seen. And I just picked him up and I said, ‘Whoa, you’re so pretty.’ And within seconds, I felt burning through my body."
From "Maine woman picks up ‘beautiful’ bug that caught her eye — it almost killed her" (NY Post).
Notable sentence: "With her kids in tow, the desperate mother bolted straight up a grassy hill — ignoring the park’s windy, paved path — to the park’s gift shop, where she collapsed in front of Dean Martin...."
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39 comments:
I'd collapse too if I saw Dean Martin.
Words for urban people and those visiting the tropics or snorkeling or Australia: Bright-colored animals are often bright and visible to warn predators of their poisons.
Did Dino offer her a cocktail?
Ain’t that a kick in the head…
Don't pick up large insects. Common Sense 101. their bite is usually harmless, but why take the chance. And I'm glad Ranger guy saved her life, but his my advice: Speak in the past tense!
Dean Martin? Was Rodney there, too?
She's lucky it wasn't frank sinatra. he might have said "Tough luck, babe" and gone off for a drink.
In the south, Florida et al they have cow killers, the most beautiful and intense shade of red, when they bite the toxin will wreck your week. I saw one walking along the green and was told I wouldn’t be able to kill it. Try to smash it with your putter and it will start to wriggle underneath it and when you give up and lift your putter it will be mad…
Play stupid games. Win stupid prizes.
"When the venom hits your central nervous system, like a six-spotted tiger beetle, that's anaphylactic shock."
OT a little but I never knew "leaping lizards" were a real thing until I moved to Florida. The lizards in the west just crawl*. The ones here actually leap from ground to plant and other places. Of course, that phrase is really old, even older than me.
*Although we get occasional large sized ones out in the Mojave, Gila monsters and this other lizard that puffs up between rocks so he can't be pulled out of hiding.
It's a pretty beetle, but I don't understand the desire to pick up random wildlife. I was taught not to do that when I was a child. ("How would you feel if some giant beetle picked you up to look at you?")
Aggie said...
“Dean Martin? Was Rodney there, too?”
Thornton Melon was on his way either to schmooze Diane in the faculty lounge or to the pool to practice the Triple Lindy.
Crafty edit with "Dean Martin."
The end made me laugh:
“If the roles were reversed, I’m sure Antoinette would’ve done the same for me,” he added.
Webb could not be reached for comment.
She's still mulling it over.
Beautiful, Wince. I can hear him singing that.
I got bit by an ant while searching for interesting rocks in Australia. Though it hurt, I wasn't at first concerned. Until I remembered I was in Australia. Spent the rest of the day worrying about my throbbing finger.
Everybody saves somebody sometime. CC, JSM
It’s frightening how fast life or death sh*t can happen.
Buried in the story is that both victim and rescuer are veterans. Victim had enough presence of mind to recognize anaphylaxis coming on and instantly decide to use her last free breaths to get to help. Rescuer was a retired medic, and even without his whole aidbag, was able to diagnose the problem and do what he could with what he had. CC, JSM
So this type of allergic reaction is less rare than a bear attack. I bet nobody is going to be picking up any any bright green bugs after reading this, LOL. The revulsion of creepy crawly things is also hardwired into our lizard brains.
I'm wondering though. Perhaps we could find some way to shoehorn climate change into this story.
Probably not a bad idea to keep Benadryl around at all times just in case.
The airwaves are full of ads for Neffy - an epinephrine nasal spray that looks a lot like the Narcan sprayer. It's meant to replace the EpiPen, especially for kids with food allergies who might be reluctant to jab themselves and unable to get their friends to do it. I assume it does a better job than Benadryl - not sure if it has the same effect as an injection. CC, JSM
He gave her Benadryl while waiting on the ambulance which probably helped save her life. Years ago, when my boys were young we did a lot of hiking, rock-climbing, and caving. I always carried Benadryl in my fanny pack first aid kit in case of encounters with bugs, plants, etc that might cause an allergic reaction. I had to dispense it once when hubby got stung by some type of flying insect. But as to bugs, we always told our boys, "Don't pick up it! Poke it with a stick instead".
"But as to bugs, we always told our boys, "Don't pick up it! Poke it with a stick instead"."
As a child I got stung by a "dead" bee I picked up. Learned my lesson.
I have been stung lots of times by lots of bees. A couple of years ago I got stung on the thumb by a white faced hornet. Hurt like hell, but I was trimming hedges and wasn't far from the end of the job so I put some mayonnaise on my thumb (for the vinegar--it usually works) and kept working. Still hurt like hell. Then my hands and the soles of my feet started itching. I jumped in the pool to cool off. Didn't help.
It was late on a hot Sunday afternoon. I started to feel pretty crappy. My wife insisted on taking me to the local walk-in clinic, which closed as we drove up, and they wouldn't let me in without a mask anyway (!!). I got disgusted and went home and took some Benadryl.* It didn't seem to help. I spent several hours on the sofa in 92 degree heat with three wool blankets on me, shivering, trying to stay warm. And my thumb still hurt like hell.
I woke up the next morning and felt OK, but I now have an Epi-pen in the kitchen cabinet by the sink, and another in my golf bag.
I did get stung last summer by a wasp, but it just hurt a little and swelled up briefly. The mayo took care of it.
*You may ask why I did not go to the ER. It was in Hartford, in the summer, on a Sunday evening. It would have been faster to get up in the morning and go back to the walk-in.
Back in 2014 there was a chef who died after getting bitten by a cobra that he had decapitated. The severed head bit him.
Blogged here: https://althouse.blogspot.com/2014/08/chef-dies-of-bite-from-severed-head-of.html
There are also some reports of death from detached jellyfish tentacles.
"... she collapsed in front of Dean Martin..." OK, I initially read this as the beetle caused her to hallucinate.
And rehajm you are spot on. I discovered a "cow killer" in the wooded part of my lot a few years ago. I stomped it, stomped it again... and again.. then I left it to walk away. Never been bitten by one, but the tales are horrifying.
Both the attraction and danger of Fugu (Japanese pufferfish) is its poison. At low levels it numbs and tingles in the mouth -- otherwise just plain whitefish. If prepped wrong...death to the chef or death to you.
To be clear, it's a very common beetle. She just had an undiagnosed allergic reaction to the bite. Strange that she'd pick it up though.
I guess Fredo decided to skip this thread.
I'm gonna quit giving advice about bothering wildlife.
Go ahead. Have at it.
We need to thin the herd.
Imagine the Dean Martin you run into as you're dying happened to be an Army medic.
I wonder if his name is also Dino Crocetti.
Sheesh.....the nature isn't a Disneyland park full of cute cuddly pretty animals. Beware and be smart. Don't pick up living things (especially brightly colored things) that you know nothing about. Don't try to pet the Bison or take selfies with them.. Wolves and Grizzly bears are not your friends. Not all dogs want to be petted. Get a clue.
Also don't cross jet runways, stand in front of moving trains or walk through "certain" neighborhoods with your ear buds in staring at your (omnipresent) cell phone..
Stupid woman. I don't feel sorry for her in the least.
Here's what the internet has to say about the bug:
General Information
The six-spotted tiger beetle, scientifically known as Cicindela sexguttata, is a common species found across North America. It is recognized for its striking metallic green color and distinctive six white spots on its elytra.
Non-Poisonous: The six-spotted tiger beetle is not poisonous and is largely harmless to humans.
Biting: While it can bite if handled, this bite is not venomous and does not pose a significant threat.
There's no reason to give this woman a hard time for not knowing she was a rare exception who would suffer adversely from handling the beetle.
"I have been stung lots of times by lots of bees. A couple of years ago I got stung on the thumb by a white faced hornet. "
Bees are usually cool, if you leave them alone they do the same. And if you get attacked, its just because they're defending their hive.
Wasps and Hornets, OTOH, are vicious bastards who will chase you a 1/2 block just to sting you. For the fun of it.
Back in 2014 there was a chef who died after getting bitten by a cobra that he had decapitated. The severed head bit him.
Both the severed head and the headless corpse of a snake can retain some neuromuscular activity for a surprisingly long time after decapitation.
I once killed a large rattlesnake in our yard, and heeding my grandfather's advice, buried the head well underground and covered it with a large rock, lest it bite some passer-by who was not as herpetologically sophisticated as I - or worse, my inquisitive dog.
The headless body of the snake was draped over a fence rail, with the intention of coming back later and removing the skin and beautiful long rattle. This was in the early to mid-afternoon. Hours later, as twilight approached, I went and picked it up off the fence, at which point the body contracted violently and the stump of its neck hit my arm with approximately the same force it might have if the snake were still alive and intact. It was a REALLY disturbing sensation, and momentarily quite frightening. But after the shock wore off, he made a fine hatband that I still have somewhere.
this other lizard that puffs up between rocks so he can't be pulled out of hiding.
That would be the Chuckwalla, a large but harmless lizard that can be a foot and a half long and weigh two or three pounds.
Harmless insect you say?
The Black Death aka Bubonic Plague was caused by fleas infected with a bacteria and carried on otherwise "harmless" rodents. Research suggests it came from a central Asian town/valley along the Silk Road circa 1338. Within 15 years it killed 50% of all Europeans.
Ah, to inhabit a climate where you can feel empathy for insects. Where I live, the term for insects is “malang” and my small daughters are learning the proper adjective to go with that is “fucking”. Ants are called “mote” and they are similarly adorned in household speech.
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