Summerland man spots bug outside of window Feb. 7

Waterscorpion in winter

Photo: Al Varisco

A Summerland man spotted a waterscorpion outside his kitchen window Feb. 7.

Today marks a first for Castanet's Bug of the Week.

It is the first time a bug has been featured in February, which is still in the grip of winter – or it is supposed to be in the grip of winter anyway.

On Feb. 7, Al Varisco spotted a bug outside of the kitchen window of his Summerland home.

Varisco said he observed the insect until it got dark and, not surprisingly, it hardly moved.

Bug expert Steve Ball Sr., with BugMasters in Kelowna, said it was tricky to identify the critter based on the picture, but he believes it to be a waterscorpion.

“Fairly common throughout the Northwest, but uncommon at this time of year, as generally the water temperature is too cold for egg incubation,” Ball said. “Their diet consists of a variety of aquatic bugs.”

According to Wikipedia, while water scorpions do not sting with their tail, which is used for breathing, they do have a painful bite, although it is much less harmful to humans than a true scorpion's sting.

The waterscorpion is not an actual scorpion, as it lives in water.