BY SAM ELLINGSON
STAFF WRITER
I somewhat consider myself to be not afraid of bugs (save bees, wasps, and hornets). When I was little, I played with fire ants during recess (my family and I lived overseas in Malaysia for some time). When one of my family members needs a particular bug removed from their presence, I can take a paper tissue and complete the job. However, researching these terrifying bugs to write an article for newspaper club, I came across some pretty creepy crawlies that made me shrink in fear. Here are the five best ones I found (You have been warned)!
Titan Beetle
Disturbing enough to be listed on multiple websites for the scariest bugs, the Titan Beetle is one of the largest bugs in the world. Measuring up to 6.5 inches, the giant can easily extend past the tips of your fingers if you were to pick it up. Its humongous mandibles are capable of breaking a pencil! Human flesh would be much easier to break! They live in the dense South American rainforest and hiss when they feel endangered. And, to top it all off, because they are too heavy, they have adapted to jump off of tree branches and fly.
Australian Funnel Web
Although there are 35 different species of funnel web spiders, the Australian version is easily the most dangerous. They often make their way into human settlements, and are aggressive enough to bite humans. The problem is, their venom is so potent that it can kill a human in 15 minutes! Nowadays, there is antivenom developed to counteract it, so people bitten have a much better chance of surviving.
Giant Hornet
The Japanese Giant Hornet is the largest wasp in the world. They hunt in swarms and are extremely aggressive. If having a swarm of massive wasps chasing you wasn’t enough, their worst feature is their venom, which is mixed with pheromones to make more hornets attack. Coming out of a quarter inch long stinger, just a few stings can kill you. The venom is powerful enough to turn human flesh into liquid! These monstrous insects deserve the nickname “Yak Killer”!
Army Ants
What is scarier than an insect hunting you down and biting you on the leg? One million insects hunting you down and decimating your leg. Army ants act as one killing machine with coordinated systems of living, waste disposal, and hunting. Every day, they spread out along a ten meter front on the rainforest floors of Western Africa or Tropical Asia. As they travel blind, if they detect anything that moves, they swarm it in seconds and kill it in minutes with jaws that can rip elephant skin! These ridiculous ants have eaten scorpions, lizards, chickens, and even goats and pigs!
Velvet Ants
Finally, there are Velvet Ants. Interestingly enough, these insects are actually wasps, but the females are flightless, more closely resembling ants. Because of the fact that the female lays its eggs in other insects’ nests, chemicals don’t do much to prevent infestation. Its sting is rated a three out of four on the Schmidt Scale of Pain (in case you didn’t know, an entomologist named Justin Schmidt decided to let himself be stung by a variety of insects, and then rate the pain he received, a three meaning really painful), and the females are capable of stinging over and over again in rapid succession. These wasps have earned themselves the nickname: “Cow Killers”. However, the worst part about the velvet ants is where they live: North American states including Minnesota.
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