Entomological scientists account for more than 3 million species of representatives of the class of invertebrate arthropods. Among them, there are beautiful butterflies, and harmless grasshoppers, and useful ladybugs.
There are monsters that carry infections or melt mortal poison in their stings. And although these creatures do not have the size of a lion or tiger, close acquaintance with the most dangerous insects is sometimes a great danger.
Red fire ant
The reddish-red habitat of the huge family of ants is America, China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Australia. Having a 6 mm body, these insects are not the largest representatives of their kind. However, their toxin is 12 times stronger than the poison of the honey bee and hornet. The attack of a miniature ant is accompanied by intolerable pain and injection of poison into the skin. The poisonous cocktail includes 46 dangerous ingredients that have a negative effect on the nervous system.
The threat lies in the militancy of insects. Should a person or an animal inadvertently disturb an anthill, all its inhabitants instantly pounce on a potential enemy. For small mammals, such an attack becomes fatal. It threatens people with sensations comparable to a fire burn, redness, swelling and dizziness.For allergy sufferers, an attack of red fire ants can result in anaphylactic shock and coma.
Caterpillar lonomy
Once a year, at the beginning of summer, harmless nocturnal moths living in the moist forests of South America produce offspring. They lay the smallest testicles in the crowns of trees, from which the larvae will hatch soon. Then “lazy clowns” are born - this is the name of the natives of the most poisonous caterpillars on the planet.
The creature is 7 cm long, painted in brown-green color, which allows it to be ideally masked among plants. Features of the insect - a white spot on the back, resembling the letter U, and thin bristles covering the body. Each of them has cavities through which venom passes, destroying fibrinogen - a protein contained in the plasma of human blood.
The slightest touch on a dangerous creature can become fatal. Sharp spikes instantly pierce the skin, and after 12 hours there are signs of poisoning: chills, malaise and headache. Lack of medical care threatens the affected person with disruption of the central nervous system, kidney damage and internal bleeding. From poisoning with toxins of lonomia annually die from 10 to 30 people.
Hornet Vespa Mandarinia
The range of this wasp relative is Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, India and Thailand. For a 7-centimeter wingspan and impressive size of a brightly colored body, reaching 5 cm in length, a flying arthropod monster is called a sparrow bee. However, unlike the harmless bird, the giant Asian hornet is deadly to humans.
Representatives of the hymenoptera squad live in large colonies, the foundation of which is laid by the uterus.Vespa Mandarinia is not picky in its diet - their menu consists of berries, foliage, fruits and insects. Despite the fact that gigantic wasps are poisonous, they kill their prey with powerful jaws. But if the Asian hornet launches a deadly sting, wait for trouble.
Its poison is a powerful poisonous substance. Getting into the soft tissues of a person, the toxin causes a pain effect, instant swelling, increased heart rate, fever and shock. For people who are allergic to bee stings, meeting with Vespa Mandarinia can be fatal.
Tsetse fly
The next reviewer, who lives in Africa, has no toxic glands. The bite of this reddish-gray insect, the size of which does not exceed 15 mm, entails infection with trypanosomes - microscopic parasitic organisms that cause sleeping sickness. Tsetse does not spare either people or animals - it attacks all warm moving objects. Tsetse fly does not attack only zebras - the fly perceives the black-and-white coloration of the equidae as flickering of stripes.
With small teeth located at the end of the proboscis, the insect bites through the skin and injects viscous saliva into the body of the victim, thinning the blood. After a short time, the bitten feels the first signs of the disease: weakness, drowsiness, and fever. In humans, a dangerous ailment provokes:
- inflammation of the lymph nodes;
- mental disturbance;
- numbness of the limbs;
- the occurrence of tumors;
- coma and death.
According to the International Health Organization, every year 250 thousand die from sleeping sickness.inhabitants of the continent. There is still no universal remedy for the tiny killer and trypanosome vaccine.
The most dangerous insect in the world is the malaria mosquito (Anofeles)
Killer mosquitoes are adapted to exist on all continents. The good news: the climate of Europe, characterized by long winters and regular rains, is not suitable for the development of a dangerous creature. Outwardly, this blood-sucking insect is no different from its counterparts. You can recognize it only by the long hind legs. But unlike a harmless relative, a malaria mosquito carries a mortal threat, annually killing 600 thousand people.
Anofeles is the carrier of malaria and the only distributor of this disease. The danger is only females. The virus enters the body of an insect with the blood of a person stung by it - the carrier of the infection. In place of a mosquito bite - a carrier of plasmodium (parasites that cause malaria) - there is a slight swelling, itching and hardening of the tissues. Then cramps, fever and headache come. Without timely medical assistance, the disease is fraught with irreversible consequences for the cardiovascular system, liver, kidneys and brain.
The above creatures of nature pose a threat to animals and humans. Their bite can cause serious illness and cause severe pain, allergic reactions, anaphylactic shock and death. Only one thing calms you down: participants in the TOP 5 most dangerous insects live far beyond the European part of the continent.
