The most dangerous insects in the world

Mosquitoes and wasps are among the most dangerous bugs in the world. When they sting, they transmit disease or deadly venom.

Sunday, June 18, 2023

Army Ants

Army ant is the common name for more than 200 species of ants in the world living in large numbers. This is an ant that is among the most fearsome animals on the planet with the ability to eat large prey in a matter of minutes, or is known for its terrifying carnage. Army ants can attack any animal they encounter on their way. In fact, they can even eat up to 500,000 prey per day.

Caterpillar Puss

When looking at this Puss caterpillar, you seem to find it quite cute, don't be fooled by its appearance. The outside is hairy, hiding the spines on the inside. When accidentally touched will cause severe pain, numbness, sometimes shortness of breath and chest pain. There are many cases of having to go to the emergency room because of touching this animal.

Cockroaches

Cockroaches are known to cause many different diseases that can harm humans. They can live without water and food for months.

Scorpion

More than 1,700 species of scorpions have been discovered, varying in color and size. All other scorpions are neurotoxic. These neurotoxins contain small amounts of protein, sodium, and potassium cations. The scorpion uses its venom to kill or paralyze its prey; This action is quite fast and effective. Fortunately, the venom of most scorpions is harmless to humans, but it can cause other reactions such as pain, numbness or swelling. Scorpions are generally quite shy and harmless, they only sting when capturing prey or defending themselves. In case of danger, scorpions often run away or stay still.

Blood sucking bugs

Blood sucking bugs are species that specialize in sucking human blood such as ticks and mosquitoes, which can cause redness and skin irritation. They are the cause of drowsiness (Chagas) and we need to get medical attention immediately when stung.

locusts

The locust is a species in the grasshopper family. Their main food is plants. Although locusts are not harmful to human health, they pose a financial threat. In fact, locusts destroy thousands of hectares of valuable crops each year.

Poisonous spider Katipo

The Katipo venomous spider is native to New Zealand and is related to the black widow and redback spider. A bite from Katipo produces a toxic syndrome known as latrodectism. Symptoms include extreme pain and potentially systemic effects, such as increased blood pressure, seizures, or coma. In just a few minutes, the venom can spread throughout the body and can be deadly.

Red back spider

The redback spider is considered one of the most dangerous spiders in Australia. They have a neurotoxin that is toxic to humans with a bite causing severe pain, usually within 24 hours. Their bites will cause serious damage if not treated promptly.

House centipedes

House centipedes are known to have venomous legs like forcipules. Their bite is very dangerous to humans, causing extreme pain and can lead to severe swelling.

Mosquito (Mosquito)

They kill more people every year than any other bug or animal on earth. There are more than 2,500 different species of mosquitoes living all over the world. The most dangerous mosquito species is the Anophel mosquito. It transmits malaria. There are mosquitoes that also transmit encephalitis.

Mosquitoes never get sick, they just transmit the disease. Mosquitoes are attracted to the scent of their host's sweat. They can smell their victims from up to 50km away. The more carbon dioxide in sweat, the more attractive it is to mosquitoes. Pregnant and overweight people are more likely to be bitten by mosquitoes than others. Mosquito bites need to be treated quickly to prevent infection.

Tsetse Fly

Like mosquitoes, the African tsetse fly is a vector of disease. They are mainly found in Africa. Their proboscis is used to suck the blood of both humans and animals. The main diseases spread by tsetse flies in Africa is Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness. African sleeping sickness affects not only humans, but livestock as well, with about three million animals dying each year.

Fly bites affect nearly half a million people each year, some of whom die from sleeping sickness. Sleeping sickness is one of the deadliest diseases in Africa. When bitten by the African tsetse fly, the victim has flu symptoms, fatigue, severe headache, swelling and in many cases high fever, slurred speech and seizures.

Japanese Giant Hornet or Asian Hornet

Giant wasps grow up to 75mm long and have more painful bites than any other stinging insect. The venom injected from the stinger of the bee contains eight different chemicals that not only cause tissue damage, but leave an odor that attracts many other wasps to the victim.

It is not particularly aggressive unless it feels threatened. On average, more than 40 people die each year from this bee sting. It became the deadliest animal in Japan, killing more people than any other wild animal in Japan.

Killer Bees or Africanized honey bees

The result of a horribly wrong scientific experiment. In a scientific experiment, biologists tried to create a productive bee species by crossing European hybrid honey bees with healthy African bees. Unfortunately, this experiment was unsuccessful and did not produce the desired productive bees, but rather aggressive bees. When attacked by them in groups, the victim can suffer severe pain for a long time or may die.

Black Widow Spider

The black widow spider is one of the most venomous spiders in the world and is easily identifiable by the red hourglass shape on its abdomen. Black widow spiders are found in different parts of the world. The most common species in the US are the Northern Black Widow, the Southern Black Widow and the Western Black Widow. All three types are very toxic.

The name black widow spider comes from the fact that it often eats its mate after spawning. The average lifespan of black widow spiders in the wild is 1-3 years. In addition to sometimes feeding on male spiders, female spiders also use their webs to capture other prey such as worms, beetles, mosquitoes and flies.

Although highly venomous, the bites of black widow spiders are rarely fatal in humans. However, the bites can be fatal to young children, people with heart disease or health problems, and the elderly.

Bullet ants

This ant species looks quite small, but they can cause terrible pain to a creature many times larger than themselves. Their sting is considered to cause extreme pain in humans. It is described that the sting of the bullet ant feels exactly like being shot, which is why the ant gets its name. The pain from the sting can last from 12 to 24 hours. The venom of bullet ants has the ability to affect the nervous system, causing indescribable pain to the person being stung. According to some studies, the sting of this ant can kill a laboratory mouse several times faster than a common scorpion.

The bullet ant or bullet ant (scientific name: Paraponera Cavata) is an insect that lives in tropical rainforests. Ants get their name because the bite causes terrible pain to the victim (like being shot by a bullet). The bullet ant sting is the most painful and persistent of any insect. Bullet ants have many common names. In Venezuela, it is called the "24-hour ant" because the pain of the bite can linger all day. In Brazil, ants are called formigão-preto or "big black ants". The Americans called them "deep wounders." By any name, this ant is very scary and needs to be cautious when entering areas where they are present.

Bullet ants live in the rainforests of Central & South America, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. Bullet ants build nests in tree stumps, so they can safely store food. Each nest has several hundred ants. Bullet ants are not aggressive, they only get angry when you deliberately provoke them. When stung, the ant releases chemicals that signal other ants in the vicinity to sting more often. Bullet ants have the most painful bites of any insect, according to the Schmidt Pain Index. The pain is described as blinding, electric pain, comparable to being shot with a gun.