Katydid Bite: Getting Your Pet To Stop 'Bug'ging You With Their Bites

Katydids, also known by the name bush crickets, are a large group of leaf-shaped insects, which fall under the family of Tettigoniidae and live on the leaves of all plant types.

They belong to the order Orthoptera (a huge group of insects that includes grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and katydids). Their long and slender shape gave them the name long-horned grasshopper.

The first pink katydid (a color morph) was discovered in 1887. The katydid is often related to crickets but is more like grasshoppers. There are almost 6,400 species of katydids all over the world. This widespread insect is generally seen in areas of bushes, grasses, and trees. They are seen in North America and Australia but are not found in Antarctica. These insects would also visit your garden. They don't have a long life and live only for a year or less. They can live for several years in the tropics. The eggs can only survive in winter. Females will die after their eggs hatch. Katydid tends to bite humans if they feel threatened. It won't do much harm to your health nor will break your skin. These insects mostly bite when you keep them in your bare hand. Bug bites usually transmit poison which may cause many illnesses but katydids are not poisonous.

The katydid is very much known for the sound they make in order to attract females for mating purposes. They rub their wings together which makes a buzzing sound. This is part of their mating ritual and they got their name from the 'katy-did' sound. Since it has a higher frequency, this mating sound feels buzzy to the human ear. It disturbs people. Some of their species are rare due to the disappearance of certain habitats or the food they eat.

They don't live in groups and thus are not social. Sometimes the males come together in groups to attract female katydids. The female katydid does not call. They can smell each other, see, and communicate through their antennae. They can touch and smell with their antennae. In order to escape from predators they have got the skill to jump very quickly and some adults can also fly. The baby katydid which has to undergo partial metamorphosis are called nymphs. During this stage, they won't have wings and have black and white banded antennae which makes them easier to identify.

An interesting fact about katydid is that they can change their color with the food they eat for camouflage. This trait or ability to change color is seen among garden katydids. Their color depends on the food they had from your gardens like the buds or petals. So the plants can decide a katydid's color.

If you enjoyed reading this article, why not also read about what do katydids eat and is an insect an animal?

Are katydids aggressive?

Katydids are a large group of insects that many people keep as pets. They show extremely gentle behavior, not dangerous to people but might disturb you with their bug bites. They are non-poisonous insects that will never cause you serious illness from bites. These critters are rarely seen to pinch people and are not aggressive toward people.

People consider katydids as aggressive because of their bug bites. But they are a gentle group of insects that are never harmful to people but can be helpful for them. Katydids are considered garden pests as they eat crops, fruits, and all parts of a plant, especially citrus plants. However, they don't cause much damage to your garden as they don't eat the edible parts of the fruit. They always go for the peels of citrus fruits like orange peel. And eating the same orange cannot do any harm to your health. It can't cause any infectious disease or so.

In other cases, they can be helpful for people as they feed on small insects like black ants which many other predators refuse to have and they also help in pollination. A mature katydid can eat small insects, nectar, pollen, citrus fruits, buds, and flowers. Katydids are very friendly to humans as you can handle them in your hands but they tend to bite if frightened. You can also keep them as pets.

Do katydids have stingers?

Katydids are large insects whose size varies from 0.4-3.2 in (1-8.1 cm). Katydids are often mistaken for leaves. Their wings are green with markings that very much resemble leaves. It is an adaptation of katydids that makes it difficult for predators to find it. These nocturnal insects (insects that hunt and feed at night) are expected to be seen only at night time.

The females are larger than males. They have a very sharp stinger-like structure at the end of the abdomen. These stingers are the ovipositors which they use for thrusting their eggs into the ground or into the plant stems. A katydid looks very much like the grasshopper, with the only difference we can cite being their antennae. Grasshopper has short and thick antennae while katydid has antennae that are longer than their body. These insects are adapted to hot climates so they tend to come in during the summer season.

Why was my katydid thinking of nipping my hand?

Some katydids tend to nip your hands in fear and worry. They worry about the humans. They think that humans might attack them so they nip people to escape.

It is more likely to nip your hands if you handle them with your hands and pick them up. The nipping can't break your skin and is not more painful than a mosquito bite. These insects are adapted to hot climates so they tend to come in during the summer season.

Preventing Your Katydid From Biting You

Prevention is more likely better than cure. You should try not to handle these nibbling creatures with your hands and use gloves while taking them.

Since katydids have access to you through gardens. Some of them can cause damage to your garden. So this garden pest can be prevented by using homemade sprays which can be made out of soap, garlic, tabasco sauce, and water. They also can eat the peel of oranges in the garden, however in case of more damage caused you can also use the mildly toxic spinosad which can get rid of these bugs.

Do katydids pose any other dangers to people, pets, or our homes?

Katydids are insects that look very similar to grasshoppers. They are not harmful to people, pets, or to our homes.

They tend to bite if they feel afraid. This bite does not tear up your skin nor will it create any illness. It is not dangerous for your health and you don't need to get any medical attention. You can wash the bitten area with soap and water, apply some anti-itching lotions, or in case of swelling, apply ice or a wet washcloth over it. If the bite is painful, you can go for any pain relievers.

Gardeners consider katydids as garden pests as they eat leaves and other parts of the plants. Katydids love to eat citrus plants and fruits, but they mostly eat the peel of citrus fruits. They might eat crops but it can't create serious damage to your garden or home. These insects give a helping hand to plants as they help in pollination and also eat small insects. In some cases, pet dogs eat these bugs. Eating katydids can do no harm to dogs because they are not poisonous. However, if your dog eats more than two or three katydids it may upset their stomach and can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. This is because katydids have hard shells which are difficult for dogs to digest. In other cases, these bugs are not dangerous for humans or to our homes.

What to do if you've been bitten?

A katydid bite does not require medical treatment. It is as simple as a bite from an ant which may create pain and irritation initially but will be cured in a few minutes.

Katydids belong to the family of grasshoppers and crickets. Katydid bites are not poisonous, harmful, or dangerous. Katydids or long-horned grasshoppers exist in more than 6,000 types. If you get a katydid's bite should wash the bitten area with soap and water. If you have pain or swelling, then apply a cold compress like ice or a wet washcloth. This cold compress can help in relieving pain and swelling. You can apply the cold to your skin for about 20 minutes. Then wipe out the area with a towel and can also reapply these cold compresses after two hours for swelling. A cold compress can also relieve you from fever by making your body cool. You can take pain relievers like ibuprofen in case of unbearable pain, apply anti-itch lotions for the itchiness and avoid scratching the bitten area. Any illness or irritation caused by a katydid's bite will last only for a few days. In case you are not sure about the bite, consult a doctor.

How to take care of a katydid?

Katydids are gentle creatures that are the pets of many people. It's a pretty simple task to take care of them. They always need a warm climate for their living, and 75% of the katydid population lives in the tropical Amazon Rainforest.

All you have to do while keeping a katydid is to make the right habitat for them. Keep them in a ventilated tank. Ventilation helps them to be free from suffocation. The floor of the tank should be covered with moisture-absorbing substances like small pebbles or tissue paper. You can use a light bulb in the tank which can provide both light and adequate heat for them. In order to keep them moist, spray the inner area of the tank daily. This sprayed water will keep the pebbles moist. Once a week, you should clean the tank.

You can provide them with leaves and should replace the old bunk of leaves on a regular basis. You can also feed them with apples, oranges, and grapes but try not to leave these fruits in the enclosed ventilated tank for more hours. Always try to take care of yourself while handling them, as there are chances for them to bite you. Try to keep a minimum of two species of these katydids together.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for katydid bite then why not take a look at insect body parts or katydid facts?