June 25th, 2010 by Shaun Day

Meet eight of the scariest, angriest, most dangerous insects in the world today. Tsetse Fly

Blood belly: World Cup-induced laziness takes its toll even on the insect world

Not visually dissimilar to the common housefly, Tsetse flies (or tik-tik flies as they are sometimes known) are the ones responsible for the disease trypanosomiasis, or ‘sleeping sickness’. This potentially fatal disease initially manifests itself in the form of fever, headaches and joint pain. Lymph nodes on the back of the victim’s neck may begin to swell – a tell tale sign of trypanosomiasis - and an unfortunate indication to the agony that is sure to follow. Victims will start to feel disorientated, confused and will suffer irregular sleep patterns – often becoming nocturnal as a result. Lack of sleep will lead to severe mental deterioration which, when not treated effectively, will result in a coma and eventually death. Not only does the Tsetse fly spread this awful disease to humans, it will happily sink its proboscis (teeth) into cattle, pigs and even horses, meaning levels of livestock between the Kalahari and Sahara deserts take a significant yearly plunge. Puss Caterpillar

Terrified of its sting, people will bribe the caterpillar into staying away with loose change

Megalopyge opercularis (or Puss Caterpillar) is a bizarre furry looking thing that some believe to look like a tiny Persian cat (presumably where its nickname came from). The similarities between insect and feline, however, are only skin deep. For example, stroking one of these hairy beasts or offering it a saucer of milk will probably result in a severely painful sting rather than a gentle purr. The hairs, you see, are in fact highly venomous spines that, when touched, cause horrible reactions that will often affect your entire arm/leg/face/wherever the critter happens to make contact. Symptoms have said to include swelling, numbness, rashes, blisters, nausea, headaches and general disorientation that, if untreated, will last a long time if not treated. Black Spitting Thick Tail Scorpion

Scorpions are known to disguise themselves as coiled party whistles

(Although not an insect, I felt it was unfair to miss this creature out just because it has two extra legs) Never a contender for Animal You Most Want to Find in Your Sock, this quite frankly terrifying monster is the Parabuthas transvaalicus (or Black Spitting Thick Tail Scorpion), mostly found in parts of Botswana and Zimbabwe. Not happy with a pair of sharp pincers to do its evil bidding, the 5 inch beast comes with a venom packed tail capable of spraying a jet of burning scorpion death-juice over 1 metre at its enemy (ie whoever is in its way), causing severe pain and systemic effects which can potentially be lethal. Oddly enough, people actually keep these cranky creatures as a pet. Whilst it may be a thrill to watch the arachnid gorging on its diet of crickets and roaches, I for one would demand a high security scorpion prison were it to live in my home. Asian Giant Hornet

Having hair like Art Garfunkel doesn’t make you any less evil, you brute!

The Vespa Mandarinia (or Asian Giant Hornet). Thought the most evil species on the planet was man? Think again. Whilst its sting is especially painful and potentially fatal to humans, it’s their ongoing feud with the honeybee that I find especially fascinating. Growing up to 50mm (about the size of your thumb) these creatures have few natural predators and prefer a diet of honeybee larvae. Not happy with standard predatory behaviour though, these sadistic creatures will search for a hive, call for reinforcements and then proceed to wipe out an ENTIRE colony of honeybees  before stealing the larvae and taking it back to their nest, where it will be eaten by hornet and hornet young alike. Chewing up and decapitating 40 bees a minute with its huge crushing mandibles, it only takes 30 of these murderous psychopaths to munch their way through 30,000+ of the poor things before they steal the young, leaving a trail of dismembered bees in their wake. Even if the bee’s sting was enough to penetrate the hornet’s thick exterior and cause slight damage, its sting is barbed (unlike the hornet’s) meaning it would perish regardless. If like me you sympathize with the relatively defenceless bees, then you can take solace in the fact that the Japanese honey bee has formed a collective (and quite intelligent) defence against the barbaric hornet. When the bees detect an incoming hornet by sensing its phenomenal emissions (which are used to guide fellow hornets to the ensuing bloodbath), they will collectively gather near the entrance, keeping it open in order to lure the unsuspecting insect in. Once inside, the bees will latch onto the hornet, preventing it from moving, seeing or breathing. The giant carpet of honeybees becomes a powerful and potent wasp killer. Immobilized by the 100 or so bees, the hornet slowly starts to simultaneously suffocate and burn due to the intense vibration of the bee’s flight muscles. Of course once the hornet perishes, so does the comrade-attracting pheromone, meaning the bees can go back to their job without worry of another hornet attack. Crisis averted! Black Widow

While many believe the marking resembles an hour glass, it is in fact an egg cup

Although again not an insect, this creature still falls into the category of having more than two legs and being incredibly dangerous. If like me you’re terrified of spiders and would run a mile even if their behaviour was characterised by being saintly and playing with balls of string, then it won’t make a blind bit of difference that they’re the most dangerous spider in the world because you’re not foolish enough to be within a close proximity in the first place. Whilst the Black Widow has not caused a great deal of fatalities, it has caused anyone unlucky enough to fall victim to its highly venomous bite a huge amount of pain, sometimes lasting a few months. Latrodectism, the symptom caused by the bite, initially causes a great deal of muscle pain – primarily in the area of the body that the spider bit. Victims will also suffer muscle cramping, joint pain, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, anxiety, excess sweating, nausea – the list goes on. If the victim continues untreated then there can be potentially fatal consequences. After a couple of days the symptoms will begin to let up slightly although the victim will still suffer anxiety and general weakness for the following few weeks. Mosquito

A mosquito lands on Alec Baldwin’s chest

While many holidaymakers will see the mosquito as a mere annoyance or as target practice for their latest pest control products, its bloodsucking behaviour can be fatal as they are responsible for transmitting the disease malaria across Africa, South and Central America, Asia and Mexico. That’s not all, though. Mosquitoes are capable of spreading a plethora of diseases; particularly Elephantiasis. For those who have not seen the YouTube video of the poor man and the contents of his wheelbarrow, Elephantiasis is a disease that causes the swelling of the legs and other parts of the body. Perhaps the most famous instance of Elephantiasis is the case of poor old Joseph Merrick, aka the Elephant Man. Merrick possessed physical deformities such as the thickening of the skin and irregular bone structure, deformities that resulted in him being exhibited in a ‘freak’ show. However, it has since been questioned that Merrick did not suffer from Elephantiasis at all – it may well have been a combination of Neurofibromatosis Type I and Proteus Syndrome. Either way, the symptoms are very similar so to avoid contracting one of the horrific diseases carried by mosquitoes I would suggest purchasing some mosquito repellent to keep the murderous savages at bay.

Human Botfly

I think I’d prefer lamb on my skewer, but thanks all the same

Whilst mosquitoes pose a significant threat to humans, they still have to answer to the dreaded botfly. This winged beast will go to extraordinary lengths to raise its young and, inevitably, cause horrible pain for anyone unfortunate enough to fall victim. Upon producing eggs, the botfly (native to Central America and Mexico) will capture an unsuspecting mosquito, attach its eggs to it, send it off and get back to its daily botfly routine. The mosquito, on its search for human blood, will inadvertently grant passage for the now hatched larva INTO the skin of the mosquito’s victim. A quick Google Images search will whisk up a vast array of graphic examples of botfly intrusions. Whether it be through the arm, leg, eye or brain (yes, BRAIN) these things will happily chomp their way through wherever the mosquito happens to drop it, causing unimaginable pain. Not only this, but the larva possesses a pair of hooks attached to its backside, used for latching itself into your flesh meaning an attempt at early eviction whilst the thing is alive will result in very painful resistance. Luckily, there are ways to deal with the larva – namely covering the entry point with either nail polish or Vaseline, which will inevitably cause partial asphyxiation. It will then hopefully try to arise at the surface for air, where it is ripe for the taking. If painting your skin isn’t your thing however, physicians have discovered that venom extractor syringes can remove the problematic creature with relative ease – sparing the victim eight weeks of terrible pain. Flea

Fleas can jump 13 inches in the air - I can jump 5 feet in the air so I think we have a clear winner

Whilst many pass off the flea as a common nuisance or annoyance (much like the mosquito), many fail to remember that the flea was more or less responsible for wiping out a third of the European population some time ago. The Bubonic Plague is a killer disease that has caused a number of pandemics and outbreaks throughout history, most notably the Black Death. The disease manifests itself in the form of swollen lymph glands, often followed by terrible aches and pains, coughing, vomiting and urination of blood, headaches and extreme tiredness. Whilst many believe that rats are the ones responsible for this particularly nasty illness, it is in fact the rat flea that should be held on trial. On the other hand, we humans certainly had a hand in the devastating amount of fatalities caused by the plague. Governments majorly underestimated and even ignored the potential havoc that would ensue. Cats, deemed to be evil, were killed in the masses which meant a surge in rat population which, of course, meant an increase in infectious rats. Dead bodies were abandoned in the street, meaning diseases other than the plague would spread and infect people by the thousands. It wasn’t a pleasant time by any means. Sadly, flea killer was not something you came by back then, and desperate times meant desperate measures - anyone unlucky enough to fall victim to the plague would seemingly try anything to relieve them of the ensuing horror: •Drink ten year old treacle •Sit in a sewer so the bad air of the plague is driven off by the horrible stench •Swallow a powder of crushed emeralds •Throw sweet smelling herbs onto the fire to clean the air and drive off the air of the plague •Bleed yourself a small amount so as to rid your blood of the plague •Shave a live chicken’s bottom and strap it to your boils Strangely, none of these had any effect. So whilst the modern day flea bite can be a bit of an annoyance, count yourself lucky that you’ll suffer no more than the occasional itch.