“Flying sulfuric acid”? Don’t take photos of it casually if you encounter it!

Tuchong Creative

Most parts of the country have entered the hottest and most unbearable season of the year. However, it is not only the hot weather that bothers us, but also mosquito bites. Mosquitoes, ticks, horseflies, midges, gnats, sandflies, and other small vampires whose names and appearances are unfamiliar to us have already given us a headache. However, I recently saw such a news: Ms. Wang in Zhuji, Shaoxing, casually slapped a "mosquito" that landed on her body, but when she woke up the next day, she found that she had many large blisters as if she had been burned! So what exactly is the insect that caused such exaggerated harm to Ms. Wang? What harm does it cause? How to prevent and control it?

According to the news, the dermatologist who treated Ms. Wang said that what Ms. Wang killed was probably a rove beetle, also known as a "flying ant." He also said that he had recently treated 17 patients with the same symptoms as Ms. Wang, all of whom were injured by rove beetles.

Rove beetles, as the name suggests, are not visible to us when we see them in daily life. Rove beetles are not ants. You can see two pairs of wings of flying ants, which are the reproductive ants of ants. Rove beetles belong to the family Rovetidae of the order Coleoptera of the class Insecta, which means that rove beetles are a kind of beetle, but their appearance is too "non-mainstream". If beetles are compared to wearing long pants, the elytra can completely cover the abdomen, then most rove beetles only wear a pair of shorts, and some may only wear a pair of large shorts, and most of their abdomens are exposed.

More than 6,000 species of rove beetles have been discovered in my country, and they can be found in most areas of the east. Hearing this, many friends may feel a little shocked, but don't worry, most species of rove beetles will not harm us. The only ones that can burn us are poisonous rove beetles, which are also a "minority" in the rove beetle family.

The harm of the poisonous rove beetle to humans is that it can burn human skin, which is why it is nicknamed "flying sulfuric acid". There is even a rumor on the Internet: "Wherever the poisonous rove beetle crawls, big blisters will appear!"

First of all, this is a rumor. The poisonous rove beetle will not bite, sting or bite people. You will only be hurt if you kill it and let the fluid in its body touch your skin. This is because the hemolymph of the rove beetle contains a non-protein toxic fat-soluble substance: rove beetle toxin, which is accumulated by the metabolites produced by the symbiotic army in the rove beetle. This is a strong acidic substance with a pH value of 1-2. When its body breaks, the objects it touches may be corroded. In fact, this is the passive defense mechanism of the poisonous rove beetle. If a predator tries to eat the poisonous rove beetle, it will be burned by the rove beetle toxin in its body. This bad memory will leave a conditioned reflex in the predator, and the predator will definitely stay away from the poisonous rove beetle next time it sees it.

Many species of rove beetles are predatory insects, and part of their food is agricultural and forestry pests. From this perspective, rove beetles should be considered beneficial insects in agriculture and forestry. However, poisonous rove beetles can hurt people, so they can also be considered a "dangerous insect."

We can take precautions as the main measure and control as the supplementary measure for poisonous rove beetles. First of all, try not to have close contact with poisonous rove beetles. Install screens and curtains on the doors and windows of your home. If there are any gaps or holes, block them in time. Rove beetles, like many insects, are phototropic. You can turn on fewer lights at night, and it is best not to turn off the lights before going to bed and play with your phone in bed.

If you go out, especially to places with lush vegetation, try to wear long sleeves and long pants. If you see brightly colored insects, especially those with black and red or black and orange bodies, it is best not to touch them. In addition, you must develop the habit of "looking first and hitting later." Many people will subconsciously hit an insect if they feel it crawling on their body. You must resist the urge and take a look at what kind of insect it is before deciding whether to hit it or not. If a poisonous rove beetle crawls on your body, don't panic. You can gently blow it away or shovel it off with a piece of paper and throw it outside. If you find that the poisonous rove beetle has been killed and the body fluid of the poisonous rove beetle is already on your skin, it is best to go to the hospital as soon as possible.

This article is a work supported by the Science Popularization China Creation Cultivation Program

Author: Li Weiyang, science writer

Reviewer: Yin Haisheng, Senior Engineer, Researcher, Shanghai Insect Museum, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Produced by: China Association for Science and Technology Department of Science Popularization

Producer: China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., Beijing Zhongke Xinghe Culture Media Co., Ltd.