More diverse than any other class of organisms on earth, the insects have between 6 and 10 million species. These tiny critters look scary especially due to the presence of a large number of appendages on their body, such as many legs, antennae, (compound) eyes, and so on. We have prepared a list of the top 7 extremely dangerous insects on earth. Just read on and you will come across some very valuable information.
Anopheles Mosquito
Various mosquito species cause troubles for humans in different ways. They come into contact with human body mainly to suck blood, thus living as a parasite. Apart from inflicting irritation, some mosquitoes are also responsible for causing certain diseases in humans. While feeding on your hot blood, they transfer the disease-causing germs. Female anopheles is one of them. It was first described and named by J. W. Meigenin 1818. This genus of mosquitoes contains around 460 species, nearly 100 of which are responsible for causing malaria in humans by transmitting plasmodium.
Fire Ants
Fire ant is a name commonly given to over 200 species of ants belonging to the genus Solenopsis. Possessed with a very venomous sting, they are regarded as the most aggressive species of ants in nature. If provoked, they attack the victim with a very painful sting. The light brownish red color of their body gives them an alternative name ‘red ants’. The fire ants usually live in soil and feed on small insects, like crickets as well as plant tissues. They have got so dangerous sting that small animals can be killed with it.
Tsetse Fly
Notorious for causing trypanosomiases or African sleeping sickness disease, the tsetse flies feed on the blood of humans and transmit the germ responsible for this illness. They live in the African continent. You will be surprised to know that these flies take the lives of over 250 million individuals every year. If the disease transmitted by these flies, i.e. African sleeping sickness, is not treated timely, different vital bodily functions stop working and the affected person dies.
Locusts
Though not deadly to humans, the locusts can cause a huge economic loss by destroying plants and crops on large scale. They usually attack in swarms, consisting of several thousand insects, and completely eat up the plants in the fields. The crops stretched across millions of acres of land are destroyed by them every year.
Rat Fleas
Measuring about the size of a nail, the rat fleas carry very harmful germs that can even prove to be fatal. The Yersinia pestis bacterium is one of the most famous of such germs. This bacterium was responsible for causing Black Death in the fourteenth century, which lasted from 1348 to 1350 and caused more than 350 million deaths in Europe. Though fleas are also found on cats, dogs and other animals, they are not as deadly as the rat fleas.
Bullet Ant
A predator species of the ants, the bullet ant is also known as giant hunting ant. Its powerful and potent sting gives it the name of bullet ant. Inhabiting mainly the rainforest areas of Paraguay and Nicaragua, they are considered as the largest of all ant species in the world. Their sting is associated with a severe pain in the victim that can last for up to 24 hours. Based on this fact, the locals also give them the name “24 hour ants”.
