Not everyone likes bugs, and that’s completely normal. After all, cockroaches, lizards, and wasps don’t exactly have the same appeal as an adorable dog or a furry cat. However, there are certain bugs that can take this regular dislike of insects to a whole new level, leaving you terrified and in disbelief. Here, we have compiled a list of the scariest bugs in the world, especially if you start Googling what they look like!
10 Scariest Bugs in the World
With over 900,000 types of bugs in the world, some of these creepy crawlies are bound to be more off-putting than others. Take a look at some of the scariest bugs in the world that’ll have you jumping out of your seats.
1. Venomous Puss Caterpillar
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Most of us wouldn’t think of the regular green caterpillar as scary. Imagine Heimlich from A Bug’s Life — adorable, right? But that’s not the case with the venomous puss caterpillar, a true epitome of the saying that looks can be deceiving.
With its furry, cuddly-looking exterior, this caterpillar may seem friendly, but it’s highly hazardous. It has large bristles that look like fur, but these spines can cause excruciating pain. The pain one may experience after touching the venomous puss caterpillar is likened to breaking a bone and can even cause breathing problems.
2. Assassin Bugs
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The name itself can cause you to avoid this bug, and you really should because these bugs are known to deliver painful and uncomfortable bites. And while its bite is not fatal to humans, it is to other animals.
Assassin bugs stab other creatures using their sharp, curved beaks and then insert their venom into their victims. And if that’s not enough to make you cringe, these bugs also love to crawl over sleeping humans and favor the lips and eyes area, leaving behind trypanosomes-rich feces on any open wound they can find.
3. Praying Mantis
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You may argue that praying mantis are not scary, and they can even be described as beautiful and graceful. But these insects are included on this list because they are terrifying when they breed or mate.
During their mating ritual, the male’s head is decapitated or eaten by its mate. Additionally, thanks to the praying mantis’ superb hunting skills, they can turn their heads but keep their bodies completely still. Impressive but scary, as it is reminiscent of a Halloween clown out to kill you.
4. Giant Silkworm Assassin Caterpillar (Lonomia Obliqua)
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A native of Southern America, this is another assassin in the insect world, with its potent venom causing numerous deaths annually. This is one caterpillar you don’t want to be bitten by because one bite from the Lonomia Obliqua can cause you to experience gangrene-like symptoms, where blood leaks to the brain and causes death.
And because the venom of this caterpillar has anti-clotting properties, you can expect a slow and painful death through non-stop bleeding.
5. Flesh Flies
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If you are disgusted by house flies, you’d be absolutely revolted by flesh flies. As the name suggests, these flies love to breed and eat anything rotting and make feces their home.
When it is time for female flesh flies to give birth, they’ll look for open wounds to settle their maggots. You may want to start disinfecting and bandaging your cuts because of this. However, flesh flies also help in murder investigations, and CSI agents love them because they can help identify the approximate time of a person’s death.
6. Australian Funnel Web Spider
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This is one powerful spider that you don’t want to mess with. The Australian Funnel Web Spider is aggressive by nature and has a toxin that can kill a human being in 15 minutes. It is an enormous spider whose fangs can effortlessly pierce through your human fingernails.
These arachnids caused 13 deaths before an anti-venom was developed in 1981. They remain one of the most feared insects in the world.
7. Tarantula Hawk
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A type of spider wasp, tarantula hawks’ primary victims are tarantulas. And while tarantulas are frightening, they are no match when the tarantula hawk stings and paralyzes them.
After paralyzing the tarantula, the female tarantula hawk will then carry them back to their nest and use the spider’s body as a nest, where she will lay a single egg inside the poor eight-legged captive. Once the larva hatches, it will feed on the still-alive spider. Talk about scary!
8. Bullet Ant
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The insect kingdom is home to some of the world’s extreme creatures, and the bullet ant is a perfect example. Despite being one of the smallest among its peers, bullet ants are known to have the most painful bite.
According to Justin O. Schmidt, the creator of the Schmidt Sting Pain Index, one bite of the bullet ant is “like walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch nail embedded in your heel.” A single bite can make you writhe in agony for eight excruciating hours.
9. Carnivorous Amazonian Centipede
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This centipede is known as the world’s largest carnivorous arthropod at 14 inches long and will devour anything it can kill. Its carnivorous diet is a mix of worms, tarantulas, frogs, snakes, and mice, among others.
The venom of the Carnivorous Amazonian Centipede is fatal to animals but not humans. However, it still lands a painful punch as it can lead to fever, chills, swelling, and pain.
10. The Asian/Japanese Giant Hornet
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Another species that is the largest of its kind, the Japanese Giant Hornet, is also called the Yak Killer. These insects attack in colonies and are aggressive, so one move that upsets or startles them can cause them to go on a biting frenzy.
Their stingers are about a quarter inch long, and the venom has a painful effect on your body because it can liquefy your tissues. If that’s not scary enough, its venom also has pheromones that can attract more hornets to the victim.
