10 Most Dangerous Insects Alive Today

it's been said that for every human there are 200 million insects with that in mind insects heavily outweigh the human population but those vast numbers there's bound to be some insects that can cause a problem to us either through their bites or stings in today's video we're gonna take a look at some of the most dangerous insects in the world as well as the insects that deliver the most painful bites and stings so let's get cracking tarantula hawk tarantula Hawks are neither Hawks nor tarantulas but these five centimeter wasps do have a strong relationship with tarantulas they hunt down the creepy crawly then proceed to sting it this paralyzes the tarantula the hawk then drags the vulnerable spider into its burrow it lays an egg on top of the spider when the egg becomes a larva it then consumes the still alive tarantula it's pretty horrifying tarantula Hawks can be found all over the world but around 250 various tarantula Hawks species are found in South America they tend to avoid humans and are often docile but if it's cornered it will strike its sting is considered one of the most painful out of all the insects it's rated highly on dr. Justin Schmidt's sting pain index it's been said that the sting stops you from doing anything besides scream the pain will continue for around four minutes then it thankfully subsides but it can be sore for a while afterwards there's only one other species that Schmidt describes as more painful but more on that later if you spot a tarantula hawk in the wild best to stay well away Maricopa harvester ant Maricopa harvester ants or its Latin name bogan oh my Rex Maricopa is an ant that can be found regularly in the United States particularly in the southern states such as Arizona they're also found within Central America like a lot of ants they are fearlessly protective of their colony if they find someone near their nest they will attack however the Maricopa harvester ant is a lot more aggressive on top of that not only do they have a ferocious bite but they also have a stinger they bite down on the victim with their mandibles then use the Stinger when they're in a good position a stinger that is believed to contain the most toxic insect in the world it's a bit of a double threat a single sting is said to be 20 times more potent than a honeybee the venom also contains a pheromone that causes other ants in the area to attack while Maricopa harvester ants aren't usually a threat to humans in certain situations they could be such as a human having an allergic reaction to the ants sting but mostly they just cause a lot of pain however the pain could last up to a week execution or wasp it might look like a wasp that's cause playing in Wolverines brown suit but it's not something to be taken lightly Schmidt's kale doesn't include the frightening Lee named executioner wasp we can only imagine the reason is because Schmidt hasn't experienced the sting also known as the police discarnate X this species of paper wasp can be found in Central and South America it's one of the largest paper wasp species in the area with a body of up to three centimetres in length on the plus side it has a very small nest with between 4 to 13 adults with one queen to rule the hive in 2018 coyote Peterson from the YouTube channel brave wilderness decided to find out how bad the pain really is as soon as the venom was injected into his arm Peterson was writhing about the floor in agony his arm muscles began to seize as the pain turned into a burning sensation he described the sting as the worst he's ever experienced the area of his arm where he was stung is said to have left a scar with a response like that it's probably a good idea that Schmidt didn't try this out for himself killer bees Africanized bees or killer bees first came into existence in 1956 Brazilian scientists imported African honeybees in an attempt to breed a more productive strain of bees in South America however the imported bees escaped to the lab soon jailbreak bees bred with European honey bees in the area and created the hybrid killer bees the name suggests a remorseful species which is accurate they're said to be more aggressive than the European honey bees killer bees have been known to hunt a perceived threat for up to a quarter of a mile when they believe their nest is in danger killer bees react a lot more quickly and in more numbers than normal bees on the plus side the killer bees are smaller than most bees though and as a result they don't contain as much venom individually but their vast numbers soon make up for that stung humans can get dizziness pain headaches rashes and nausea from the venom in more serious cases it can lead respiratory distress and renal issues this species soon spread out from South America The Killer Bee is now made appearances in North America especially around the southern states mosquitoes these little critters can be found all over the world however they can be most commonly found in tropical regions mosquitoes don't possess a painful sting per se but the sting can cause a lot of issues for people mosquitoes are considered one of the most dangerous insects on the planet after all they have been harbingers of disease as they go from person to person to bite they can also infect said person with a serious illness from someone before malaria West Nile virus Zika virus and dengue fever are just a handful of serious diseases mosquitoes can spread hundreds of millions of people all over the world contract a mosquito-borne disease every single year but on the bright side not every species of mosquito is a carrier of a nasty disease sometimes they're just a regular nuisance the normal bite from a mosquito can leave the area inflamed and itchy a pharmacy purchased cream could help alleviate those annoying symptoms but if you feel unwell after a nibble from a mosquito go and seek medical advice just to be on the safe side driver ant the driver ants main claim to fame came in the form of Indiana Jones in the Crystal Skull well the events of that scene are exaggerated it still gives us a decent idea of what these beasts are actually capable of driver ants also known as doorless are mostly found in Central and East Africa in certain parts of Asia driver ants also have the biggest colony in the world often there will be 22 million of the ants in their nest that's not concerning enough the species are known to consume anything edible in their path if an unsuspecting insect or small animal enters their path well soon they'll find themselves swarmed by the ants driver ants do have stingers like most ants however it's their bites that are used more often the bites will be so strong that some tribes in Africa will use driver ants to help suture wounds they force the ants to bite down on either side of the wound and then pull the ant away leaving only the head embedded the driver ants are able to plan and coordinate their attacks almost as though they're part of some I've mind if you see a swarm of large ants probably best to run the other way ASP caterpillar an caterpillar resembles a sentient toupee but appearances can be deceptive in this case very much so also known as Megillah Pied Piper culeros the ASP caterpillar can be found in Central America and the southern states of the US such as Florida and Virginia underneath their magnificent hair are many venomous spines the spines will stick into a person's skin for the next 12 hours that person is gonna be an incredible pain the pain has been likened to the feeling of a broken bone the pain can also feel like a burning sensation in more severe cases people have experienced chest pains numbness and difficulty breathing for one teenager in 2018 it could have been a lot worse by accident Ryan Parish made contact with this fuzzy bug in Georgia the ASP caterpillar only held on to his arm for mere moments but 30 seconds later Parrish reacted badly he ended up going to the hospital after falling unconscious luckily he managed to pull through and recover but you can see the clear mark that the ASP left on his arm if you see that hairy blob in the wild definitely don't go pet it bullet ant we're now at one of the most painful insect stings the Schmidt pain index has the bullet ant at number one with a rating of four plus also known as paraponera clavata this species of ant can be found in Central and South American rainforests when a person is stung by a bullet ant not only is it utterly painful but it lasts for around 24 hours on top of that it's not unusual for people to experience swelling around the stung area as well as in the lymph nodes in the neck one tribe in Brazil uses these scary beasts as part of an initiation when a boy in the group wants to get the status of a man they're given a pair of handmade gloves woven inside the gloves are many bullet ants the answer sedated as the gloves are created but once they're awake the ritual begins the boy then has to wear the ant ridden gloves for five extremely painful minutes he only has a layer of charcoal on his hands to protect him the boy that has to go through this again 20 times all together of the course of several months yeah I think I'd rather stay a boy for life in that case Asian giant Hornet Asian giant Hornets are as the name States rather big average their body is almost 5 centimeters in length just take a look at this picture it's a bug that's dreamed up in nightmares even their stinger is intimidating at 6 millimeters in length on top of that the venom itself can damage tissue even leading to severe swelling around the area it's incredibly painful to be stung by this Hornet it's been described by teenagers as having a hot nail driven through the skin Asian giant Hornets are also the enemy of the honeybee they've been shown to wipe out entire bee colonies in minutes for perspective the colonies can contain up to 8 thousand bees due to their size the Hornets easily dominate their smaller counterparts however the bees have developed an interesting defense they use their vast numbers and engulf the Hornet becoming up all of bees they then flap their wings and heat up the Hornet inside the bee ball to around 46 degrees Celsius the honeybees also increase the carbon dioxide around the Hornet after a brief time the Hornet perishes from a lethal combination kissing bug finally we have the cutely named kissing bug also known as the triatoma nae or vampire bug these critters are found in warm climates especially in Central America and the southern states of the u.s. they get their adorable nickname because of where they bite people as they're attracted to carbon dioxide the kissing bug will bite humans around the mouth as they sleep they can be as large as two and a half centimeters kissing bugs can be found in cracks around the house and outside the bite itself isn't too dangerous the bitten area can be itchy and swelling might happen if people are allergic the reaction can be much more severe though but it's what some of the kissing bugs carry that's the main concern like mosquitoes they often infect people with disease in particular the parasitic infection Chagas disease it's estimated that 8 million people in Central and South America have contracted Chagas the symptoms begin in the similar fashion to a mild flu it can then lead to a chronic condition if it's not treated quickly however it is rare for the kissing bug to pass on this disease luckily there are many factors that need to line up in order for the infection to work on humans meaning it's probably not gonna happen but it could and that's it we feel a little itchy after making this video do you know any other insects that have dangerous bites or stings that we didn't list if so pop them in the comments down below and we'll check it out if you enjoy this video please give us a like and a share really makes us feel good and if you haven't already subscribe to us and click that little bell that way you get notified every single time we release a new video thanks for watching see you next time

Channel: TheRichest

Views: 3,146,747

Rating: 4.7770114 out of 5

Keywords: The Richest, TheRichest, Dangerous Insects, Venom, Painful Sting Bite, Killer Bees, Tarantula Hawk, Mosquito, Bullet Driver Ant, Asian Japanese Giant Hornet, Warrior Executioner Wasp, Kissing Bug, Chagas Disease, Honeybees, Maricopa Harvester, Triatominae, Puss Asp Caterpillar, Coyote Peterson, worst bite, jungle, woods, rain forest, earth

Id: apcbgxPFfWc

Length: 11min 4sec (664 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 30 2020