Beware of ROVE BEETLE!

This morning, when I'm brushing my teeth, I saw an insect, an unusual one. I recalled back the googled image-- OH! It's rove beetle. I tried to splash water on it, but it didn't work. So, I decided to catch it with plastic bag. Within the time I get a plastic bag, it disappeared! I was so nervous. Since then, I walk carefully once I entre kitchen. An hour later, my mom had got back from market. When I want to untie my wan-tan-mee, I SAW THE ROVE BEETLE AGAIN! I grabbed the plastic bag and catch it. I let it go into the plastic bag and I sealed the plastic bag. PHEW~~

You will maybe like: Why are you so fucking nervous about this beetle??!!

Well, it's not a normal insect! I repeat IT IS UNUSUAL!

The rove beetles are a large family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that leave more than half of their abdomens exposed. With over 46,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is the second largest family of beetles after the Curculionidae (the true weevils). It is an ancient group, with fossil rove beetles known from the Triassic, 200 million years ago.One well-known species is the Devil's coach horse beetle.

The thin rod of the labium ends in a pad of bristly hairs and hooks and between these hairs are small pores that exude an adhesive glue-like substance, which sticks to prey.

Hmm... This seems so scientific. In short, this horrible insect has wings but it hides it. The name in Chinese is 隐翅虫, which mean invisible-wings-insect. It secretes juice from it's hook at the tip of the tail. This juice is a strong acid of about pH 1 to pH 2. My sister had once smashed on it and the acid left on her hand, her hand was like corroded, the best word I can say. It really do! Just now, when I was playing with it, it squirted out some acid. The acid is first brownish, but within seconds, it coagulated and formed a white sticky glue-like substance. Don't believe how horrible if it smears on you?? See this:


The rove beetles are a lot at Penang especially Georgetown area. My sister told me that Macalister Road are full of rove beetle, on the road, especially. So, BEWARE! When you see this:

CATCH IT AND LET IT DIE NATURALLY or else if the acid splash on you, refer to the first picture.