Sometimes, the things that scare us the most are the things that we can’t see. Or, almost can’t see. This is not an exception when it comes to the animal kingdom. Sure, I know; bears, lions, sharks, crocodiles, killer whales and other huge animals are very intimidating and even threatening if we get too close to them. But what are the chances that they’ll come during our sleep and attack us? You’d have to be in the open wild for that to happen. If you look around, the most common animals that scare and have encounters with humans on a daily basis are small! Small animals can attack you without you seeing them. Today we’ll be looking at 10 of the most dangerous insects in the world! And no, I’m not including cockroaches, because they’re just gross, but not necessarily dangerous. At least not as dangerous as the insects I’m showing you today. And, I shouldn’t have to explain myself, but just in case…don’t expect any spiders, because spiders are not insects! Stay with me all the way to number one and find out what’s the number one dangerous insect on this list! Maybe you’ve been attacked by one and you never even noticed. Maybe you’re being eaten by one of them right now.
Do you feel something small moving on your arms? Make sure is not one of these insects! Let’s have a look.
10. Bullet Ants
Let’s start this list with the largest ants in the world: The Bullet Ants! You can find these insects in the rainforest of Central and South America – Nicaragua and Paraguay to be more specific. Have you ever been stung by a bee? It’s a very painful sting, but they say that the sting of a bullet ant is 30 times worse than the one from a honey bee or even a wasp. Some people call it the “24 hour” ant because they say that the pain it produces will last for a full day. The bullet ant is also known for its unpleasant smell. This odor is released when predators approach, in the hopes of scaring them away. But if this trick doesn’t work, then they get stung! I guess you can’t complain when you’ve been warned by a bad smell.
9. Bot Flies
And once again, another insect from the rainforests of Central and South America – I guess it’s impossible to appreciate the beauty of the countries out there without the company of some insects. So why not learn more about them, right?
The bot flies are dangerous for the simple fact that they can be living under your skin! That’s right, they love the skin of mammals and humans are no exception. They say you can even feel the movement of its larvae underneath your skin when they’re there. But don’t worry too much! The larvae will only stay for up to 60 days. It will go out of your body once it turns into a fully developed insect. I guess that’s a relief, no? Well, having larvae under your skin for that long can definitely have some serious effects on your health, so I would make sure to avoid any bot fly laying any eggs on me.
8. Fire Ants
What can be worse than the largest ant in the world? The fire ants, of course! If you like the outdoors, you know quite well that red ants don’t like any kind of interruption. I mean, who does? Red Ants will fight back whoever invades or threatens their space. They can crawl all over your skin and sting you multiple times before you notice them. They will keep stinging until you remove them from your skin and sometimes they’re so many that it’s hard to quickly shake them all off. In more serious cases, fire ants can release some venom that causes allergic reactions and even produce a white pustule that will last a long time. So, if you see a group of hard working red ants near you, just let them carry on with their work. They’re small animals you don’t want to mess with.
7. Fleas
Fleas are a more popular threat to dogs and other animals than to us humans, but still, they can be quite dangerous to us. These small insects are known for sucking blood from their host. You’ll know you been bitten by one when you see an itchy red spot or a bump on your skin. The scariest thing about them is their size. They are as big as the tip of a pen and reproduce at a very fast rate. A female flea can lay 2,000 in her three months of life. They usually bite humans around their waist, elbows and knees and sometimes, their bites can cause an infection.
6. Killer Bees
5. Kissing Bug
4. Tsetse Flies
3. Driver Ants
2. The Giant Japanese Hornet
1. Mosquitoes
