Millions of species of insects that live on the Earth today, play a vital role in the ecosystem of our planet. Although most of them are safe, some may give the person a lot of trouble, and some can be poisonous and even deadly. From the usual ants and flies, to the more exotic beetles, we offer you a list of the 25 most dangerous insects in the world.
1. Termites
Termites are not a direct danger to humans, play an important role in the environment, moreover, in some cultures, they even eat. But the little termites can cause enormous damage to infrastructure, sometimes making the house completely uninhabitable.
2. Lice
Lice are wingless parasites that feed on particles of skin, blood and other secretions of the human body. Most often the carriers of these insects serve people, and in nature, there are approximately fifteen different types of lice. Despite the fact that, like termites, lice do not always bear a direct risk to human health, they can be carriers of diseases.
3. Deer tick
Every year the deer tick infects thousands of people with Lyme disease, which begins with a rash around the bite resembling a bull's eye. Early symptoms of this disease include headache and fever. With the further development of the disease, the victim also begins to suffer from problems with the cardiovascular system. Few people die from these bites, but the consequences can last for many years after the unpleasant meeting with mites.
4. Army ants
The first establishment on our list, which is dangerous in the literal sense of the word – army ants, known for their predatory aggression. Unlike other species of ants, stray not build their own permanent nests. Instead, they create colonies that migrate from one place to another. These predators are constantly moving during the day, hunting insects and small vertebrates. In fact, the whole United colony can kill in one day more than half a million insects and small animals.
5. OSA
Despite the fact that most of the OS is not a special direct danger, certain varieties, such as the German wasp of North America reach large sizes and can be incredibly aggressive. If they sense danger or notice the intrusion on their territory, can sting repeatedly and painfully. They will mark their aggressors and, in some cases to chase them.
6. Black widow
Despite the fact that the sting of a female Black Widow spider can be very dangerous to humans due to released by the bite of neurotoxins, if the time to provide the necessary medical care, the consequences of a bite will be limited to only some pain. Unfortunately, isolated cases of death from the bite of the Black Widow still met.
7. The hairy caterpillar of the Moth-coquette
Despite the fact that these caterpillars of the Moth Megalopyge opercularis coquette look cute and fluffy, don't be fooled by their cartoony appearance, because they are extremely poisonous.
Usually people believe that burning are hairs, but in reality the poison is released through the spikes hidden in the “fur”. The spikes are extremely break-up and remain in the skin after touch. The poison causes a burning sensation around the affected area, headache, dizziness, vomiting, sharp pain in the abdomen, lymph nodes and, sometimes, respiratory arrest.
8. Cockroaches
One of the most famous beetles, the cockroach is known as a carrier of many diseases dangerous to humans. The main danger of life together with cockroaches is that they get into the toilets, garbage cans and other places where bacteria, as a consequence – are their vectors. Cockroaches can be the cause of many diseases: from worms and dysentery to tuberculosis and typhoid. Cockroaches can carry fungi, unicellular organisms, bacteria and viruses. And here's a fun fact – they can live for many months without food and water.
9. Parasitic worms
Parasitic worms are a type of eukaryotic parasite. Most parasitic worms, as is known, lives in the digestive tract of humans and is the cause insomnia, vomiting, nausea and many other health problems.
10. Bed bugs
The person does not feel the bite of a bug, because the bug's saliva includes an anaesthetic substance. If the bug the first time could not get close to the blood capillary, it can bite a person several times. On the site of the bug bite is itching, and you may receive a blister. Occasionally people experience a strong allergic reaction to the bite of a bedbug. Fortunately, 70 percent of the people do not feel virtually no effects from them.
Bed bugs are household insects and do not belong to the group of vectors for infectious diseases, but in their body they can to keep long pathogens, transmission of infection through blood include: viral hepatitis, can also survive a plague, tularemia, Q-fever. The greatest harm to the people they deliver their stings, taking away a person's normal rest and sleep, which subsequently can have a negative impact on the moral health and efficiency.
11. The human gadfly
Human botflies have larvae that can transmit life-threatening parasites to people. Also known as torsalo, human botflies are typically transmitted by mosquitoes. When a mosquito carrying the larva of the human bot fly, lands on the skin, it is the larva enters the body of the carrier. After a few days it grows under the skin and can cause serious infection if not treated the bite of a mosquito.
12. Centipede
Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata). This insect, which is also called the flytrap, supposedly appeared in the Mediterranean. Although other sources say about Mexico. The centipede became very common around the world. Although the types of these insects and unattractive, they generally perform useful work, as they eat other insects and even spiders. However, if entomophobia (fear of insects), such an argument will not help. Usually people kill them because of unpleasant appearance, although in some southern countries centipede even protected. Flycatcher is a predator, they inject the victim with poison and then kill her. Often flycatchers settle in apartments without harm to the food or furniture. They love moisture, often, centipedes found in basements, under bathtubs and toilets. Live flytrap from 3 to 7 years, newborns have only 4 pairs of legs, increasing them by one with each new molt. Usually the bite of this insect do not be anxious for a person, although it may be compared with a small bee sting. For some it may even be painful, but usually it is limited to tears. Of course, centipede is not an insect that is responsible for thousands of deaths, but many of us will be surprised that every year someone dies from these bites. The fact that a possible allergic reaction to insect venom, but it still happens very rarely.
13. Black Scorpion
Despite the fact that Scorpions are not insects, as belong to the order of arthropods of the class Arachnida, we still made them in this list, especially that black Scorpions are the most dangerous species of Scorpions. Most of them live in South Africa, most often they can be found in the desert areas. Black Scorpions are distinguished from other types by their thick tails and thin legs. Black Scorpions sting, injecting their victims with a venom that can cause pain, paralysis and even death.
14. Fishnets
Another bloodsucker – Jimnez, aka Assassin bug, Reduviidae he. Their main diet is insects and their larvae, but some tropical species are not averse to drinking the blood of small animals and even humans. Fishnets otvetstven for the transfer of Chagas disease, this beetle is a parasite often infects people living in impoverished rural regions.
15. Ant Bullet
Paraponera clavata is a species of large tropical ants of the genus Paraponera Smith and subfamily Paraponerinae (Formicidae), with a strong sting. Called the bullet ant for the reason that the victim of the bite compares it with a pistol shot.
People bitten by this ant can feel throbbing and relentless pain for days after a sting. Some of the local Indian tribes (Satere-Mawe, Maue, Brazil) these ants are used in a very painful rites of initiation of boys to adulthood (leading to temporary paralysis and even blackening of the fingers stung). In the course of studying the chemical composition of the poison, he was isolated from a paralyzing neurotoxin (peptide) called powertossim.
16. The Brazilian wandering spider
Also known as Phoneutria, Brazilian wandering spiders are venomous creatures that live in the tropical South America and Central America. In the Book of Guinness World records 2010 this type of spider called the most venomous spider in the world.
The poison of spiders of this genus contain a potent neurotoxin, known as PhTx3. At deadly concentrations, this neurotoxin causes loss of muscle control and breathing problems, leading to paralysis and eventually asphyxiation. The average bite of pain, the poison causes immediate infection of the lymphatic system, getting the blood in 85% leads to heart failure. Patients feel wild Mortis in life, men sometimes causes priapism. There is an antidote, used along with antibiotics, but because of the seriousness of the harm to the body poison the detoxification procedure is actually a chance of survival of the victim.
17. The Anopheles mosquito
Malarial mosquitoes or Anopheles is a genus of Diptera, many species of which are vectors of human parasites — malaria parasites. The mosquito becomes infected with malaria Plasmodium from one person — the patient or carrier. Malaria parasites takes place in the body of the mosquito cycle sexual reproduction. The infected mosquito becomes a source of infection for humans via 4-10 days after infection and is maintained for 16-45 days. Mosquitoes serve as vectors and other species of Plasmodium that cause malaria in animals.
18. Rat fleas
Rat fleas - one of the most dangerous types of fleas (Pulicidae), a carrier of plague. Are parasites of rats (Rattus, Nesokia) and jirds (Gerbillinae). Are vectors of the Plague Bacillus (Yersinia pestis) and Rickettsia typhi, as well as intermediate hosts of parasitic worms the rat tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta and the rat tapeworm Hymenolepis nana. Diseases can be transmitted from one generation to the next through the eggs.
19. The African honey bee
African bees (also known as bee's “killer”) – descendants of bees brought from Africa to Brazil in the 1950s in an attempt to improve honey production in this country. Some African uterus began to interbreed with local European bees. The resulting hybrids have moved North and are still in southern California.
African bees look the same, and in most cases behave like the European honey bees, which currently reside in the United States. They can only be detected by DNA analysis. Their sting is also not different from ordinary bees. One very important distinction between the two types – protective behavior of the African bees, which manifests itself when protecting their nests. Some attacks in South America, African bees have killed livestock and people. This behavior & has earned the nickname “killer Bees”.
In addition this type of bee is known that behaves as an invader. Their hives attack of hives regular honey bees by invading them and installing a Queen. They attack in large colonies and are ready to destroy anyone who would encroach on their uterus.
20. Fleas
Despite the fact that Bloch is usually not perceived as dangerous, fleas transmit numerous diseases between animals and humans. Throughout history, they have contributed to the spread of many diseases such as the bubonic plague.
21. Fire ants
Fire ants — ants from several related groups of species Solenopsis saevissima species-group of the genus Solenopsis, with a strong sting and poison, whose action is similar to a burn from a flame (hence their name). Often under this name appears invasive Red fire ant that has spread around the world. There are known cases of stings of the person one ant with serious consequences, anaphylactic shock, or death.
22. Brown recluse spider
The second spider on our list is the Brown Recluse, does not release neurotoxins like the Black widow. Its bite destroys tissue and can cause damage to heal which will take months.
Bite very often goes unnoticed, but in most cases the sensations are similar to feel the prick of the needle. Then within 2-8 hours the pain makes itself felt. Further, the situation develops depending on the amount of venom in the blood. The venom of a brown recluse hemolytic action and, therefore, cause necrosis and tissue destruction. The bite for small children, elderly and sick people can be fatal.
23. Ants Siafu
These nomadic ants live primarily in Eastern and Central Africa but also found in tropical Asia. The insects live in colonies that can consist of up to 20 million individuals, all of them blind. Travel your they do with pheromones. The colony has no permanent home, wandering from place to place. During the movement to feed the larvae of insects attacking all invertebrates. Among these ants have a special group of soldiers. They can sting, which use their hooked jaws, and the size of such individuals is 13 mm. The jaws of the soldiers is so strong that in some places in Africa they even used to secure the seams. The wound may be closed for the whole 4 days. Usually after the bite Siafu consequences are minimal, don't even need to call the doctor. However it is believed that the young and the elderly are particularly sensitive to the bites of these ants, observed deaths from complications after contact. Each year, according to statistics, from 20 to 50 people die from these insects. This contributes to their aggressiveness, especially when defending their colony, which people can accidentally attack.
24. Giant Asian Bee
Many of us have seen Bumble Bees, they seem pretty small, and there are no special reasons to fear them. Now imagine a Bumble bee, which grew as if on steroids, or just look at the Asian giant. These are the largest hornets in the world – they can reach a length of 5 cm, and the wingspan should be 7.5 inches. Length the stings of such insects can be up to 6 mm, but with a bite of him is neither a bee nor Wasp, bees, and can sting repeatedly. Such dangerous insects in Europe or the United States to find, but traveling to Asia and the mountains of Japan, they can and to meet. To understand the consequences of the bite is enough to listen to eyewitnesses. They compare the sensation from the sting of a bumblebee, with a hot nail through my leg. Poison sting has 8 different compounds that cause discomfort and damage soft tissue and creating a smell that may attract the victim of the new bumblebees. People who are allergic to bees can die from the reaction, but there are cases of deaths due to poison compared to the previous one, which can be dangerous, hitting deep enough into the body. It is believed that every year from these bites killed about 70 people. Curious, but sting is not the main tool of hunting – the bees of their enemies crushed by large jaws.
25. The Tsetse Fly
The tsetse fly lives in tropical and subtropical Africa, chosen of the Kalahari desert and the Sahara. Flies are carriers of Trypanosomosis that cause animal disease and human sleeping sickness. Tsetse anatomically very similar to their normal cousins, they can be distinguished by the proboscis on the front of the head and a special way of adding the wings. It is the proboscis and allows to extract the main meals – the blood of wild mammals in Africa. On this continent there are 21 species of flies, which its length can reach 9 to 14 mm. It is not necessary to count the flies so harmless to humans, because they actually kill people doing it quite often. It is believed that Africa was now infected up to 500 million people carotid disease carried by this insect. The disease disrupts the endocrine and cardiac systems. Then affects the nervous system, causing confusion in the minds and sleep disturbance. Bouts of fatigue are replaced by hyperactivity. The last major epidemic was recorded in Uganda in 2008, in General, the disease refers to the list of forgotten who. However, one in Uganda for the last 6 years killed 200 thousand people from sleeping sickness. It is believed that this disease is largely guilty of the deterioration of the economic situation in Africa. Interestingly, flies attack any warm object, even a car, but the Zebra they do not attack, considering it an flashing strips. Tsetse flies also saved Africa from soil erosion and overgrazing caused by cattle. People have invented various methods of dealing with these insects. In 30-ies on the West coast killed all the wild pigs, but it gave a result of only 20 years. Now fighting through the hunting of wild animals, cutting down of bushes and the treatment of male flies with radiation to deprive of the ability to reproduce.