The summer of spotted lanternflies finally came to an end in New Jersey. They were annoying and gross, but their name didn't evoke fear in our residents. That is not true for all New Jersey insects.

Photo by Umesh Soni on Unsplash
Photo by Umesh Soni on Unsplash
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There are some insects native to New Jersey that have names that will send an absolute bolt of chill up your spine. Their names alone are the things nightmares are made of.

Here are 5 of the scariest New Jersey bug names we came across in our research. Brace yourself, these are not for the faint of heart.

Assassin Bug. No bug named "assassin" can be trusted, right? According to Insect Identification, they use their fangs to stab their prey to death. Nice. Don't worry, their fangs fold away, so they're only out when they're using them.

Photo by Tahiro Achoub on Unsplash
Photo by Tahiro Achoub on Unsplash
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Running Crab Spider. "Spider" and "running" should never be in the same sentence. Apparently, their really long front legs are used to attract mates. No thank you.

Photo by Maria Lysenko on Unsplash
Photo by Maria Lysenko on Unsplash
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Pseudoscorpion. I need a pseudo-for-sale sign. Here's the good news. They are so small and harmless, they rarely even get noticed. They should change their name to something much cuter.

Photo by Braxton Apana on Unsplash
Photo by Braxton Apana on Unsplash
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Masked Hunter. They are gross and scary, and according to experts, don't put it by them to bite you if you handle them wrong. If it's alright with you, I'll skip the handling them part.

Photo by Zachary Kadolph on Unsplash
Photo by Zachary Kadolph on Unsplash
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Predatory Stink Bug. Remember the good old stink bug. He was our biggest problem before the spotted lanternfly showed up. Well, there's apparently a predatory version of the stink bug that eats caterpillars.

Have you had enough yet? There are hundreds more, but we'll let you digest those a little bit. Sleep well tonight.

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