NJ stink bugs don’t stink, and jaw-dropping giant insects to fear

You think those 17-year cicadas or New Jersey's spotted lanternflies are problematic? In just a bit we're going to show you some bugs you will be so horrified to see you'll thank God they're not in New Jersey.

We're talking about one insect that is literally 2 feet long. We're talking another called a tarantula hawk that hunts down tarantulas, paralyzes them with a sting, then drags them away to eat them whole.

I kid you not, your mind will be blown.

But first, just real quick, can anyone back me up on a theory I have about stink bugs being a myth? Oh, they exist. That's not the myth part.

The myth is that they stink. I've killed many of these for many years and their very name comes from a defensive smell they're said to release when they feel threatened or when they are crushed.

I should know. I'm kind of the drafted bug assassin at the radio station. I've been known to barehand kill things if it's necessary. (Yes I immediately wash my hands afterwards.)

Now these stink bugs in my extensive experience never once lived up to their stinky reputation. I've touched them. I've moved them. I've squished them. I've stomped them.

Nothing. Not a whiff.

Is this whole stink bug thing a lie? Is it the new insect urban legend just like we believed as kids we'd go to jail if we killed a praying mantis? Where is Snopes on this whole thing?

Again, as the insect mercenary at work my kill count on these things must be in the dozens. And I think we've been hoodwinked.

Also, as the bug assassin at NJ 101.5 I don't mind handling bugs of the New Jersey variety. But not a chance would I tangle with these bugs you're about to see from all over the world. I wasn't even happy the first time I visited Florida and dealt with palmetto bugs. But the following bugs are a true horror show. Read on.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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