The World's Deadliest Invertebrates

by Malaya Lawson, age 10

We all know about invertebrates like insects and spiders. Did you know some can be deadly? Today we are going to talk about mosquitoes, kissing bugs, tsetse flies, bees and the Indian red scorpion.

Mosquitoes are the deadliest insect and kill over 700,000 people yearly. Malaria is the deadliest disease caused by mosquitoes. Along with malaria, mosquitoes are host to yellow fever, Zika, and other diseases. The maxillary palp is a special body part of the mosquito that helps it detect humans. Specifically, this organ detects the release of carbon dioxide, and people who drink beer or have a larger body mass are more attractive to mosquitoes due to this detection. In addition, people with O type blood are preferred by mosquitoes but no one knows why. Some people believe that it is because they smell better to mosquitoes.

The kissing bug, also known as the vampire bug, is another deadly inset. Its name comes from the fact that it bites people around soft tissue of the mouth. This bug is found in 28 U.S. states and is thought to come from Central America. The main disease caused by the kissing bug is the Chagas disease, which kills around 12,000 people per year worldwide. Although the disease is rare in the U.S., people who are bitten by the kissing bug could be asymptomatic for up to two months, and chronic cases often show few effects. In some cases, however, people can develop heart disease or failure 30 years after initial contact with the bug.

The tsetse fly originated in Africa and is known to spread a parasitic infection. This infection is called African Sleeping Sickness and is very hard to treat. If it is not treated it is 100% fatal. After being bitten, people experience confusion, bad coordination, numbness and difficulty sleeping. Drugs for this disease need to be given carefully. The disease often resists medication and is so severe that over the years many efforts have been made to control the bug, which has greatly reduced the number of infections.

To some people with allergies, bees, wasps and hornets can be deadly. The largest bee in the world is known as the Asian or Japanese giant hornet. Their stingers are ¼ inches long and their bodies can be as big as 1 ⅝ inches in length. They are commonly referred to as “murder hornets” and their stingers can cause allergic reactions. Another type of bee is commonly known as the “killer bee.” These are African or Africanized honey bees. While their sting is comparable to other honey bees, they are more aggressive and sting more often. They can even chase after people or animals for a quarter mile.

The Indian red scorpion is the deadliest scorpion out of 1,500 species of scorpion. This scorpion mainly affects regions of India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. The scorpion has a very strong venom that can cause pain, vomiting, sweating and loss of breath. It can even affect blood pressure and heart rate because the venom attacks the lung and heart. Even with some of these risks, people keep them as pets because they glow under black light.

Although many insects like the honey bee are useful to humans, some bugs can be dangerous, and it is important to respect them and learn to avoid them.

[Sources: National Geographic ; worldwidescience.org; USA Today ]