Bugs, arachnids, creepy crawlers, pests, or whatever else you call them one thing is true – they flourish in the state of Indiana. I don’t know about you, but I’m not really a huge fan of bugs. I see one creepy crawler in the house and I want to whip out some bug bombs. Anyway, I decided to do a little research and learn more about specific bugs that flourish in Indiana. Did you know we have nearly 300 different bugs here? No, I’m not going to cover all 300. But, I found some I think are pretty creepy and/or interesting.

1. Rhaphidophoridae

They call this creepy little guy a camel cricket. He’s also known as a cave cricket, camelback cricket, or a spider cricket. Personally, I think he looks like if a cricket and a spider had a baby. After the creek behind my mom’s house flooded, her neighborhood was swarming with these things. Have you ever tried killing one? Well, let me tell you they look like a spider and JUMP like a cricket. I felt like it was chasing me around the bathroom when I tried to kill one!

2. Arrow-Shaped Micrathena Spider

This little spider is tiny, but pretty interesting to see if you happen to get a glance of it. The females are twice the size of the males and they have the ability to hide in their own web from predators.

3. Bed Bug

I can honestly say that I’ve never seen one of these and I’m not really unhappy about that. Easily one of the more disgusting little critters in Indiana. Once you get them in your home they are supposed to be next to impossible to get rid of!

4. Assassin Bug

This little guy has a very strong beak that it uses to violently stab anything it feels threatened by or is trying to kill. While it probably isn’t going to kill you, the bite is extremely painful. It is recommended that you observe one of these without getting too close.

5. Argiope Aurantia

He's known better as the yellow garden spider or the corn spider. You're probably not too shocked that Indiana would have a spider named corn spider right? This spider immediately drops itself to the ground and hides anytime it feels threatened. Because it has fairly long legs, it tends to be intimidating to humans.

6. Latrodectus Mactans

This is a spider you probably known fairly well as the black window. It acquired its name because it likes to eat its mate after they reproduce. While it is creepy and very deadly to other insects, it's rare for this spider’s bite to be fatal to a healthy human.

7. Phidippus Audax

If there is one thing I definitely don’t want to see a spider do. it's jump. This spider is known as the jumping spider. It's capable of jumping four times higher than the length of its body. This is how it sneak attacks its prey. It's also it's main defense against predators. They do have a bite, but it's not likely to hurt you much. The most the bite will do is sting for a while.

8. Brown Recluse

When it comes to spiders, people tend to be more afraid of this one than any other spider. It's important to keep in mind this is not an aggressive spider. It does not go out of its way to attack and bite people. Medical attention is strongly encouraged if you think you’ve been bitten by this spider. While it may not kill you, the venom can be very dangerous to a human (especially without treatment). An ideal situation would be to catch the spider, alive, in a jar and take it with you to the doctor. You should still go to the doctor even if you can't capture the spider.

9. The Wolf Spider

One word came to mind as I came across this picture, "Nope." This is a nocturnal spider, so you're only going to see it at night (usually). Did you know the female carries her egg sac around on her back until her eggs are born? I’ve seen one with an egg sac before. It's pretty gross…

10. Eastern Velvet Ant

Even though this guy looks like a cute little fuzzy red ant, that is not what it is. This is actually a wasp and referred to pretty frequently as the cow kill. It's rumored to have a sting strong enough to kill a full-sized cow! This wasp will actually lay its eggs inside of a bumble bee nest. When the eggs hatch, the babies will eat the bumble bee larvae! While this bug is not likely to kill you, it isn’t in your best interest to touch it either. The sting definitely hurts.

I know this only begins to scratch the surface of bugs in Indiana. If you enjoyed reading this article, leave a comment and share it with your friends. If I get enough comments and shares I might even do sequel article or companion piece.