Top 10 Most Dangerous Insects In The World

Which animal species frighten you the most? Wild animals or insects. Wild animals is probably your answer. But did you know that many stings and bites from insects are much more dangerous and painful and can cause all kinds of nasty diseases. Without proper medical treatment, some insect stings and insect bites can even lead to death. The following list contains the top 10 most dangerous insects in the world.

1. Mosquitoes

Every day thousands lives are affected by mosquitoes throughout the world. This life-threatening insect causes more than 1 million deaths each year from malaria transmission. Mosquitoes transmit malaria germs from one place to another, and spread bacteria in the victims' blood by biting. The World Health Organization estimates that a child dies as a result of malaria every 30 seconds and that 500 million cases of malaria are reported every year. Malaria is a blood-borne disease. The disease is not contagious when you come into contact with a person affected by the malaria disease. It is transmitted by parasites, mainly by mosquito bites. In addition to the spread of malaria, mosquitoes also spread dengue fever, yellow fever, brain infections and the West Nile virus.

2. Predatory ants

Predatory ants have the largest insect colonies of all other insects in the world. Every colony of predatory ants has more than 22 million members. Even elephants run away when confronted and attacked by a group of predators. They try to get rid of every animal that tries to cross their path. Predatory ants usually kill thousands of different animals with a single pass. They repeatedly injure animals and humans with the help of their razor-sharp jaws. Predatory ants also attack other insect nests for food and kill anything that stands in their way.

3. African honey bee

African honey bee, also known as the killer bee in the United States, is one of the most aggressive and dominant insects in the world. A group of African honey bees can chase their victims for more than 1.6 km. They mainly attack in groups with repeated stitches. The African honeybee mainly focuses on the face and eyes of humans. Their poison is not that dangerous. But an attack by a group of African honey bees could be fatal. They live in large colonies with more than 80,000 members. Once they are disturbed, the bees are notified for 24 hours and they attack any animals or people within their reach.

4. Tsetse fly

The Tsetse fly is a deadly biting insect that originally comes from Africa. They feed primarily on the blood of vertebrates. The extremely dangerous insects inject powerful toxins. It is estimated that about half a million people died from tsetse flies in Africa. In the initial phase the poison of the tsetse flies would cause sleeping sickness on the victim. But this can also lead to a fatal outcome without proper treatment.

5. Japanese giant hornet

The Japanese giant hornet is the largest hornet of its kind in the world. This species can grow up to 3.5 centimeters long, making it the largest wasp-like species in Belgium and the Netherlands. Every year, up to 40 deaths are recorded by the sting of the Japanese giant hornet. The poison from the Japanese hornet could provoke an allergic reaction with disastrous consequences for the victims being stabbed.

6. Kissing bugs

Kissing insects are named after their custom to bite the lip of humans while they sleep. They also transfer a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi. Kissing insect disease, or "changas," kills more than 12,000 people worldwide every year. Chagas disease spreads in the same way among animals and pets. Chagas disease leads to immediate perceptible changes in the victim's body, such as getting stretch marks and rashes.

7. Fire ants

There are more than 285 different types of fire ants in the world. Once disturbed, they would repeatedly stab intruders. Fire ant stings are very painful. Once you are stung by a fire ant, a kind of white pimple appears that is visible for weeks. The poison from fire ants could also cause various skin problems. Fire ants usually attack in groups that have ten to hundreds of ants. The poison from fire ants also leads to unpleasant allergic reactions.

8. Fleas

Fleas are external parasites that suck blood from humans, birds, reptiles, wildlife and pets. The fleas can cause itchy spots on the skin of hosts. Fleas are very small insects about 2-3 mm in size, brown-black in color with long legs and they reproduce very quickly. Every female flea lays around 2,000 eggs during its lifetime. Young fleas can absorb blood more than 15 times their body weight. The effects of flea bites on the human body result in red bumps. Flea bites are often found around the waist, knees and elbows. Flea bites are very itchy and can also lead to serious infections.

9. Hornets

Hornets, not to be confused with blood sucking gnats and stabbing hornets, cannot bite or stab, they have no moving mouth parts nor an angel. However, the larvae of hornets are harmful because the larvae parasitize live animals. The only species that parasitizes humans is Dermatobia hominis. Also, this hornet cannot bite, but let the larvae be transported by a mosquito to human skin. The larva usually crawls in through the hole of the mosquito bite. When they are fully grown, they are invited, but they can also eat themselves through the skin and then pupate in the ground.

10. Bullet ants

Bullet ants are the largest ants of all the ants on earth. They mainly occur in the rain forests of Nicaragua and Paraguay. Bullet ants are named after their painful stab. After a victim was bitten by a bullet ant, the pain would feel like a shot of a hand weapon. In fact, the sting of a bullet ant is 30 times more painful than the sting of a wasp or honeybee. The bullet ant is therefore also called the "24 hour ant", due to the pain that follows after a stab that can last for up to a day. Each bullet ant colony contains hundreds of ants. They usually make a nest at the foot of large trees. Bullet ants also spread an unpleasant odor once they have discovered a predator. If this ruse doesn't work to scare away the predator, they would attack together with their powerful sting.