Animals given a new lease on life!
Did you know that there are more than 3,000 species of mosquito? But there are only three members of this large family responsible for the spread of human diseases. That still makes the mosquito the deadliest insect on the planet.
The human bot fly is a large, densely haired fly that looks like a bumblebee. The insect itself is not known to transmit disease-causing pathogens. But the larvae of this species will infest the skin of mammals... and us!
The larvae penetrate through to the subdermal zones of human skin and can live there for more than 60 days. The effects are horrible. The infestation of any fly larvae inside the body is known as myiasis and can cause painful pustules that secret fluids. And get this! You can often feel the movement of the larvae under the skin. Disgusting!
Okay, they are flightless. But a flea can leap vertically up to 18 cm (7 in) and horizontally up to 33 cm (13 in), making it one of the best jumpers of all known animals (relative to body size). But they are not on this list for their athletic prowess. Instead, it's their ferocious appetite for blood that we're talking about.
Fleas suck blood from humans, birds, reptiles, and wild and domestic animals. The rat flea is well known as a vector of bubonic plague and flea-borne typhus. Cat fleas incidentally transmit tapeworms. The sand flea or jigger burrows into the skin of humans and may cause infections.
Sometimes called the Japanese giant hornet, this is the world's largest hornet, and it has an attitude to match. Their sting is extremely painful, with one hapless human victim describing the sensation akin to a hot nail being driven into their leg.
Aggressive and fearless, the Asian giant hornet is the honey bee's worst nightmare. But humans have fallen victim to this merciless critter on numerous occasions. Its venom contains a neurotoxin that can cause an allergic reaction and dissolve tissues within a short time. Repeated stinging by a group of hornets can result in kidney failure and is potentially fatal.
The tsetse is a biological vector of trypanosomes, which causes human sleeping sickness and animal trypanosomiasis. According to Access to Medicines, an estimated 50,000 to 500,000 people die from trypanosomes every year.
The original "killer bee," Africanized bees are so named after the East African lowland honey bee, which was introduced to Brazil in 1956. The following year, however, 26 swarms escaped quarantine and spread throughout South and North America. They are typically much more defensive than other varieties of honey bees, and react to disturbances faster.
The reason they're a threat is due to their tendency to create nests of up to 4,000 wasps in attics and walls of buildings in close proximity to people. Disturbed, they will sting aggressively and repeatedly in order to defend a queen and her larvae.
Tarantula hawks are armed with one of the most painful stings on the planet. As its name suggests, this wasp feasts on tarantulas, but it's only the female that takes on this huge and hairy adversary.
Warrior wasps are known for their aggressive behavior, a threat display consisting of multiple insects guarding a nest and beating their wings in a synchronized fashion. If that doesn't work, the gloves come off.
As previously described, yellowjackets are predatory in nature, and the western yellowjacket is up there with its German cousin for belligerent and aggressive behavior.
Though they tend not to sting unless a violent struggle occurs, western yellowjackets nonetheless violently protect their nests and can sting repeatedly. The trick is to stand still rather than swat at or run from them.
These flying fortresses can be intimidating, but it's only the female that's equipped with a stinger, and she'll use it if you end up agitating her, or threatening her burrow. And be warned: her stinger contains venom, and she's able to sting more than once.
Named for the reddish-brown color of its body and head, and its habit of using fiber from plant stems to build nests, the red paper wasp is generally docile and tends to mind its own business. But cut him up the wrong way, and you're in trouble.
While not the most agonizing sensation on the block, a sting from one of these guys is often painful and causes localized swelling and itchiness. In extreme cases, victims have reported developing a full-body rash that one entomologist has described as feeling like "spilling a beaker of hydrochloric acid on a paper cut."
(Source: Access to Medicines)
See also: Are we facing an insect apocalypse?
Another nasty member of the horse-fly family is this colorful critter. But don't be fooled by its bright and breezy veneer: the yellow fly is notorious for its propensity to inflict painful bites on people.
Again, it's the female you need to watch out for. She's one of the most serious biting fly pests out there. And she's crafty. They fly with little sound, the first sign of their presence noticed by humans being their bite. This creates a swollen and itchy welt, which may lead to infection if not kept clean.
Anopheles mosquitoes are the only species known to carry malaria. They also transmit filariasis (also called elephantiasis) and encephalitis. Nasty enough, eh? But it gets worse. Culex mosquitoes carry encephalitis, filariasis, and the West Nile virus. And Aedes mosquitoes, of which the voracious Asian tiger (pictured) is a member, carry yellow fever, dengue, and encephalitis—three bugs of a kind that you want to avoid at all costs.
A common nuisance for humans, black flies spread several diseases, including the terrible river blindness in Africa. The female black fly is the blood sucker, and a greedy one at that!
A sting from one of these insects results in an intense pain that can last up to 30 minutes. Fortunately the venom injected into the victim is not toxic or lethal to humans or other animals.
A bite from a female horse-fly is painful and reactions to it include tongue and throat swelling, as well as a swollen face. A bite can also transmit parasitic worms, and wounds can easily become infected.
Despite their large and cumbersome frame, horseflies are surprisingly agile in flight. Both males and females feed on nectar and plant fluids, but it's the female that places this drone species firmly on this list.
If you're unfortunate enough to be stung by a tarantula hawk, expect "immediate, excruciating, unrelenting pain that simply shuts down one's ability to do anything, except scream," as one unlucky researcher described the sensation.
But here's the frightening bit. If angered, they can chase a person 400 m (0.25 mi), and since the late 1950s they have killed some 1,000 humans, with victims receiving 10 times more stings than they normally would from European honey bees.
Yellowjacket or yellow jacket is the common name in North America for predatory social wasps. One species stands out, the German yellowjacket.
It looks like a beetle on steroids, doesn't it? And indeed, the tropical carpenter bee is a very large and robust insect. However, it's actually a gentle giant. But there are limits to its patience.
The swarming behavior of blackflies can make outdoors activities unpleasant and at times absolutely intolerable.
Tsetse flies have the dubious honor of being the deadliest biting insect native to the African continent.
Did you know that some of the most dangerous bugs in the world have wings? Besides the usual suspects—wasps and mosquitoes, for example—there are a host of other winged menaces out there that with one bite or sting can cause acute pain and discomfort, and even death. So, what are the most ferocious flying insects you don't want to meet?
Click through the following gallery and find out just how deadly these airborne critters really are.
Ferocious flying insects you don't want to meet
These are the insects you should keep your distance from
LIFESTYLE Bugs
Did you know that some of the most dangerous bugs in the world have wings? Besides the usual suspects—wasps and mosquitoes, for example—there are a host of other winged menaces out there that with one bite or sting can cause acute pain and discomfort, and even death. So, what are the most ferocious flying insects you don't want to meet?
Click through the following gallery and find out just how deadly these airborne critters really are.