Photo Shows What Tick Eggs Look Like-Fiction!
A photo of small black larvae has been misidentified as a tick nest on social media. Actual tick larvae are much smaller and translucent, however.
Insects
Monsanto Says Genetically Modified Ants Could Replace Honey Bees-Fiction!
Monsanto plans to replace honeybees that are wiped out by pesticides with genetically modified ants.
Deadly Brazilian Wandering Spider Found in Bananas-Reported as Fiction!
Shoppers have been warned to check bananas for spider eggs after a woman found a nest of Brazilian Wandering Spiders, the world’s most venomous, in a bunch of bananas.
Ziploc Bags Full of Pennies and Water Keep Flies Away- Fiction!
Ziploc bags filled with water and pennies can be used to keep flies away.
Camel spiders in the gulf-Truth!
Camel Spiders in the Gulf-Truth! But It’s a Close-up! Summary of eRumor: Photo of a gigantic spider allegedly caught by military members serving in Iraq. The Truth: We haven’t tracked down exactly who took this picture or when and where, but the chances are good that it’s authentic. Camel spiders are real, are large, and …
The man-eating snake-Unproven!
The Pictures of the Man-Eating Snake–Fiction! Summary of eRumor: This eRumor comes in several versions. All of them include pictures of a large snake that has obviously swallowed a very large meal. Then there are pictures of a human body apparently being cut from the belly of the snake. The differences among the versions are …
Ants can invade your brain, so don't eat sweets at bedtime-Fiction!
Don’t Eat Sweets At Bedtime Because Ants May Invade Your Brain-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: Two stories are told in this email. One is of a boy who died because of ants in his brain. He fell asleep with sweets either in his mouth or nearby and the ants that were attracted got into his brain …
Ants can invade your brain, so don't eat sweets at bedtime-Fiction! Read More »
The cactus that was teeming with tarantulas-Fiction!
The “noisy cactus” That Turned out to Have Thousands of Tarantulas In It–Fiction! Summary of eRumor: A lady buys an expensive decorative cactus to put into her home. One day, the cactus starts swaying and humming. Alarmed, the homeowner calls 911, happens to get an operator who knows what is going on and who tells the …
The cactus that was teeming with tarantulas-Fiction! Read More »
Beware of New Poisonous Spiders In the United States-Fiction!
There are two major versions of this circulating. Both quote an alleged article from the Journal of the United Medical Association about people mysteriously dying then investigators finding deadly spiders from foreign lands living under toilet seats. One version says the spider is from South American and was found to be hiding under toilet seats in a restaurant at Chicago’s Blare airport. Another version says the spiders are appearing in North Florida, traced to a restaurant, and have come aboard airplanes from India.
Cockroach eggs in taco meat-Fiction!
Cockroach Eggs Are Incubating In People’s Mouths-Fiction! Summary of eRumor: There are several different versions of stories about people who accidentally got infested with roach eggs in their mouths or salivary glands, then experienced a disgusting mouthful of hatched roaches. Some versions say a person got infected with the eggs by eating contaminated …