Insects can be interesting for sure. The enormous eyes of a fly and how an ant can carry so much more than its own body weight. But insects can also be really gross.
Very Well Mind defines the fear of insects in the following way.
Entomophobia, sometimes known as insectophobia, is the fear of insects. The fear is relatively common in the US, particularly in urban areas where coming into contact with bugs is relatively infrequent because of the lack of interaction with nature.”
Most insects are tiny, yet they strike fear in the hearts of homeowners daily. And if you do not think insects are icky, keep reading to see if we can change your mind with some interestingly gross insect facts.
Generally Gross Insect Facts
Still reading? Do you think you might be able to handle these gross insect facts? Well, you are one of the few who like hearing all about insects and the gross insect facts all around us. And, there are quite a few, as there are approximately 10 quintillion insects on Earth. (Give or take a few) What’s worse is they are multiplying as we speak.
So, if you are not one with Entomophobia, insectophobia, or the general fear of bugs, here are some of the bug facts we find most interestingly gross.
Before we get started, did you enjoy your breakfast this morning? There is nothing like a good bowl of cereal in the morning. Not only is it quick for the weekdays, but it will fill you up until you have a chance to eat again in the day. And so many cereals these days are fortified with vitamins and proteins for a healthy start. However, this protein is not found in the insects in your cereal. Know this, if you had cereal, you had insects for breakfast. The FDA states that anything below 60 insect parts per 100 grams is the standard deemed okay for humans. That means if you had one half a cup of cereal, were eating 15 insect parts.
But you can say you had protein for breakfast!
Ready for more?
Gross Insect Facts by the Species
Not many people, even bug lovers, like cockroaches. They are disgusting, and you may not even know the extent. Let’s explain.
- Cockroaches carry harmful diseases and spread them around.
- Cockroaches are challenging to kill. Ever thought you smooshed one, and they get up and run?
- They can live for weeks without food or water and can hold their breath for 40 minutes.
- Cockroaches can survive for days in your refrigerator. YUCK!
- They can live for weeks with NO HEAD! They do not need their brains to move around or breathe.
- And they can even survive a nuclear explosion.
Maybe the worst fact about the cockroach is that they will munch on your toenails, eyelashes, hair, and eyebrows while you sleep. -Gulp.
Oh, and cockroach milk contains healthy fats! Pour some of that on your cereal.
The ants go marching; you just don’t want them marching in your house.
When a fire ant stings you, you immediately scratch, right? Well, don’t! Scratching releases the pheromone, which tells the other ants to sting. And, these ants bite to hang on while they sting!
Army ants are used in some parts of the world to close wounds. You see, they do not let go of the bite. So, when these ants bite both sides of a cut, it will hold until the injury is healed. But beware of trying this method on your own. Their powerful mandibles will make strong people scream out in pain.
Central American Bullet Ants:
The most painful ant sting is from this bullet ant. In fact, some say it feels like being shot with a bullet, giving the ant its name. What’s worse, the pain will continue for 12 hours, leaving the person shaking relentlessly.
Folks don’t usually think of caterpillars as one of the more gross insects. But did you know one of their defense tactics s to look like bird poop? Like some swallowtails, the viceroy, and the white admiral, certain caterpillars are the same colors as bird poop. That way, the birds will not see them as a yummy morsels.
You guessed this one. Female praying mantises eat their mates head first. Some males will get away if they are speedy and she is not too hungry.
Okay, now this one is sick. If you cannot imagine anything worse than a mantis eating her mate, what about a parasite eating its mother? That is right; twisted-wing parasite larvae eat their own mothers. The female parasites never leave their host. So, when they are ready to give birth, the babies eat their way out of their mothers.
There is a lot of information on flies. And perhaps that is because there are 119 quadrillion flies on the planet. In fact, for every human, there are 17 million flies.
House flies poop all day long. You see, they eat a lot but cannot keep it all in, or they would be too heavy to fly.
- If a housefly gets any solids, they vomit on the food to soften it, then suck it up. And that happens a lot too.
- These flies have sticky feet to help them walk up walls and such. So, when they land on the poop they love so much, some of it sticks to their feet.
- Finally, a housefly can carry up to 30 million bacteria, 6 million on its legs alone.
We really hate to inform you, but these insects live in human flesh. In Central and South America, female botflies lay their eggs inside a hungry mosquito. The eggs will then slide out of the mosquito and into a human host. Dinner time! Then the botfly will hatch and eat away. When humans get injected with these miserable pests, they can feel them moving around. The human often needs surgery to get them out since the botflies have spikes. YIKES!
The larvae of the leaf beetle use their poop to make a shield. This shield is a physical and chemical barrier to repel other insects. They carry it around with them, sometimes over their heads, and the shield can weigh half its weight. That’s a lot of poop.
The assassin bug will pierce other insects with toxic saliva and inject the stuff. That saliva will turn the insects’ insides into liquid so the bug can suck it out. Now that is a gross insect fact.
These bugs carry a deadly disease called Chaga’s disease in Central and South America. Also, the assassin bug’s bite is excruciating.
Hornets, Wasps, and Bees
The name alone is a bit daunting. But you may not have known these insects lay eggs inside caterpillars. But what is stranger is the caterpillar will just be laying still with all the eggs inside. Then when a predator comes to eat the caterpillar, it will thrash around, protecting the eggs inside. Weird, right?
Have you ever gazed lovingly into the eyes of a honeybee? Honeybees have incredible eyesight with five eyes, and two that are compound. And, so they can tell the direction of the wind and pick up more pollen, they have hairs on their eyeballs!
Japanese Giant Hornets:
These Giant hornets are just that. They are 2 inches long and have a stinger about a quarter inch in length. And if this hornet stings you, that sting dissolves your flesh!
The mosquito is the most dangerous creature on Earth. They kill more humans than all other creatures combined. You see, these buggers carry malaria, dengue fever, encephalitis, and yellow fever, killing 725,000 people each year.
These blood-suckers drink 1.6 million gallons of human blood per year. So they bite quite often, which is where the humans are infected.
Dust mites eat dead skin cells and dander. SO you can thank them for keeping your bed clean – all six million of them.
Now that you are horrified and terrified to step outside, please do yourself a favor…
Call Proactive Pest Control for Gross Insect Facts and Extermination too.
To keep you and your family safe in your Georgia home, call on Proactive Pest Control. Our goal is to get rid of the infestation and leave you with an insect-free home.
Our exterminators will come in for your free consultation and layout a plan. Then we get to work.
Proactive eradicates the problem, cleans up messes left behind, and makes sure to inspect your property for any vulnerabilities. Then we set you up with an individual maintenance schedule to make sure the gross insects and pests don’t come back.
Our service area includes Athens, Barrow County, Gwinnett County, Hall County, Jackson County, and Walton County. Suppose you’re facing a problem with pests in any of those areas. In that case, we will be happy to provide your service with integrity and excellence.
Contact us today to schedule your free consultation and start living in a gross insect facts-free home.