Random Scariest Types of Insects in the World (10 items)

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  (#2) Botfly

  • Oestridae

  Size: Very small, usually just 0.5 to 3 mm in size.

  Location: Africa, Asia, the Middle East.

  Distinguishing Features: Their most distinguishing feature has to be the fact they lay eggs in the flesh of humans. There are numerous species and subspecies of botfly, but the Human Botfly, Dermatobia Hominis, is the only one that specifically targets humans.

  Why You Should Be Scared: These otherwise adorable little flies have the nasty habit of burrowing into a person's flesh and laying an egg. As the egg develops into a maggot, it ingests the surrounding flesh and tissue, which has resulted in these guys burrowing into people's skulls. Once matured, it emerges from the wound and flies away, but they often leave a severe scar and can result in serious medical complications and even death from infection.
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  (#4) Platymeris biguttatus

  • Platymeris biguttatus

  Size: 4 to 44 mm.

  Location: Pretty much anywhere people are: Europe, Africa, Asia; North, Central and South America.

  Distinguishing Features: They have a very large curved proboscis, which they use to stab their prey.

  Why You Should Be Scared: If they stab you with their proboscis, it's likely they will inject some of their saliva, which has the ability to liquefy its prey from the inside. This allows the insect to kill and feast on prey much larger than itself. While a sting won't result in your immediate death, it is incredibly painful and can cause severe irritation at the bite site. These bugs are highly aggressive and should be handled with extreme caution... and a baseball bat.
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  (#1) Asian giant hornet

  • Vespa mandarinia

  Size: 1.4" in length with a 3" wingspan.

  Location: Temperate and tropical Eastern Asia, including a subspecies in Japan.

  Distinguishing Features: Aside from being incredibly large and angry, their stinger can get up to 0.24" in length.

  Why You Should Be Scared: They don't call these the "Yak-killer Hornet" for nothing. Their sting has been described as feeling "like a hot nail being driven into my leg" and that has a lot to do with its size and the potent venom it packs. Their sting can kill if a person is susceptible to an allergic reaction. In Japan alone, their sting results in between 30 to 40 deaths each year.
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  (#10) Saddleback caterpillar

  • Sibine stimulea

  Size: 0.3" to 0.9" (1 to 2 cm).

  Location: Eastern North America.

  Distinguishing Features: The majority of the body is green, but features a white-ringed brown dot in its center. This feature resembles a saddle, which is where it gets its name. 

  Why You Should Be Scared: These guys are pretty neat to look at so people tend to pick them up. Don't ever do this! Their body is covered with urticating hairs, which secrete an irritating venom. This venom causes pain and a swelling rash, but can sometimes lead to nausea. They won't kill you, but you aren't going to have a very good afternoon if you touch one of these.
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  (#7) Tsetse fly

  Size: 0.5-1.5 cm, which is very large for a fly.

  Location: Tropical Africa.

  Distinguishing Features: They have a distinctive three-pronged proboscis and are considerably large for flies. They group in large populations, which can result in the spread of infectious diseases.

  Why You Should Be Scared: These large, biting flies are a major concern across sub-Saharan Africa due to their transmission of disease. They feast on large animals by biting them and sucking the blood, which can transfer diseases from one population to another. In humans, they can transmit Human Sleeping Sickness and Animal Trypanosomiasis. They have been known to cause the deaths of whole cattle populations, which have resulted in a subsequent famine. In turn, this causes a large number of deaths in a local human population.
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  (#5) Scolopendra gigantea

  • Scolopendra gigantea

  Size: Up to 12" (30 cm).

  Location: South America and the Caribbean.

  Distinguishing Features: They are unusually large for an arthropod and they possess a deadly venom.

  Why You Should Be Scared: Generally speaking, the Amazonian Giant Centipede isn't a danger to humans, but at least one death has been attributed to one. A four-year-old child in Venezuela was bitten by one hiding in a soda can, which resulted in the child's death. They often feed on small birds, lizards, frogs, snakes, and bats, but they would feed on humans if they could... they just aren't large enough... yet.

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