We are surrounded by insects everywhere we go. You may spot some and miss some, but look closely, and you are bound to spot many insects around you daily. Now, all of these are not dangerous. Some of them co-exist with us and are completely harmless. However, there are a few deadly insects too. They can hurt and harm us in many different ways.
The Most Dangerous Insect
Just because an insect is big or in an odd color, it need not be dangerous. Similarly, a harmless-looking insect can be very dangerous too. Let’s dig deeper and find which of those harmless-looking insects are, in fact, dangerous and prove looks can be deceptive.
Different insects have different strengths and ways of endangering us. While some insects like spiders and ants can attack us directly, insects like locusts attack things important to us. Either way, they can be dangerous to us humans.
- Mosquitoes – Causes Most Deaths
Many consider the mosquitoes to be the deadliest insect around the world. Different species of mosquitoes are found in different parts of the world. One common thing is that they are found everywhere and cause death in many cases. Mosquitoes have the record for causing the most deaths annually due to an insect bite. They are thus responsible for a large number of deaths across the world every single year.
- Ants – Causes Most Pain
Another harmless-looking creature. It is tiny, goes about its own business, and is always busy running away somewhere. You can never see an ant come straight for you to attack or harm you.
Just like the mosquitoes, there are many ant species across the world. The red harvester ant and the bullet ants are considered to be two of the deadliest species of ants. They can sting you real bad!
According to American entomologist Dr. Justin O. Schmidt (who the “Schmidt pain index” is named), these two types of ants can cause real pain with their tiny sting filled with venom.
While paper wasps are dreaded for their stings, a bullet ant can inflict more pain with its sting. A Brazilian male initiation ceremony is believed to require a male to place his hand in a glove filled with bullet ants for 10 minutes. He succeeds if he can withstand the pain. Though the sting’s pain can fade over time, multiple stings from this ant will require medical attention.
- Black Widow Spider – Contains Most Venom In One Bite
Many are aware of this particular species of spider. Black in color with a distinctive red hour-glass-shaped marking on its body, the black widow spider, lives alone. Since it eats its male partner after mating, it is commonly known as the black widow spider.
Many don’t know that the black widow spider does not attack you unless threatened. It is not considered aggressive, especially the female spider. On the other hand, the black male widow is reclusive and hardly seen by humans. The males are not black, but brown or grey in color with red spots instead.
It can survive up to 3 years in the wild. It is the deadliest insect because of how much venom it can infuse in a single bite. Its bite contains venom 15 times that of a rattle snake’s bite. However, this poison is rarely fatal for humans. It can cause severe pain and even paralyze the person or make them feel nauseous.
