It's Not Too Easy to Kill An Insect! Quiz

Answer: Bullet ant

The bullet ant is found in the rainforests of Central and South America. It is a large bug, typically ranging between 0.7 and 1.2 inches long. The bullet ant lives in colonies of several hundred individuals, typically found at the base of trees. The ant gets its name because its sting is very painful, similar to the pain experienced when one is actually shot.

Answer: It lays eggs on the skin of humans and other mammals for incubation.

Bot flies lay their eggs on the skin of mammals. The larvae then hatch and burrow under the skin where they develop into adulthood. There are many types of bot flies that are attracted to different types of mammals. One bot fly, named the 'human bot fly', is found mainly in Central and South America, and is attracted to humans to act as its egg-laying host. Once infected, the larvae dig into the skin and develop under there to emerge as adult flies approximately 60 days later. Bot fly victims have reported the feeling of the larvae crawling around under the skin. Yuck! Another good reason to keep a flyswatter handy to get them before they get you!

Answer: Fleas

At first glance, fleas may not seem too dangerous. However, these tiny pests pack a big punch. Despite being so small, fleas can cause extreme itching in animals and in humans if an infestation happens. Their bites often become infected in humans. A call to an exterminator is worth it if fleas become a problem in homes because fleas reproduce quickly.

They lay so many eggs that in as little as six weeks, one flea can turn into a million fleas!

Answer: Fire ant

Fire ants live in colonies in various places around the world, including the southern US states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and California.

The ant bite is not typically painful. These ants actually bite using mouth parts on their heads to get a grasp of their victim, then inject a venomous sting from their abdomens. The actual fire ant stings are very painful, and can cause severe allergic reactions in victims.

Answer: From their habit of biting the lips of their sleeping victims.

Kissing bugs draw blood from victims, preferring to bite lips of humans and other animals. They live in North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia. In the southern US and through the northern part of South America, kissing bugs are known for transmitting Chagas disease, a parasitic infection that causes fevers and other symptoms that is chronic in humans, although most do not show symptoms after the first three months.

Answer: Asian giant hornet

The Asian giant hornet, also known as the giant Japanese hornet, is the largest hornet in the world. Stings are very painful, and tend to produce anaphylactic reactions in those who are sensitive. This big bug, that lives in Japan and China, can grow to almost two inches long, with a wing span of about two and a half inches. Yet another reason to pack a fly swatter when travelling!

Answer: Tsetse flies

The tsetse fly is a large biting fly that is common in most areas of subtropical Africa. Their bites transmit the parasite that is responsible for sleeping sickness, an often fatal disease in both humans and animals. Despite only being found in Africa today, a 34 million year old fossilized tsetse was found in the Florissant Fossil Beds in Colorado.

Answer: Driver ant

Driver ants are members of the genus where army ants are classified (Dorylus). Colonies are mainly found in Africa, but have also been found in Asia. Each colony can contain as many as 20 million individuals! In the movie "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", driver ants are shown attacking, killing and consuming a full-grown man even though driver ants are not found in the Amazon River valley where the scene was supposed to be taking place.

In actuality, there have been cases of driver ants attacking and killing children and adults with mobility challenges in Africa and Asia where they live, but there has never been a record of driver ants killing a healthy, mobile adult.

Answer: Africanized honey bees

Africanized honey bees, or killer bees, were introduced to Brazil in the 1950s in an attempt to increase honey production. A number of swarms escaped quarantine in 1957 and this type of bee has since been heading north. This species of honey bee got the nickname "killer bee" because they are extremely aggressive and defend their hives with often deadly results.

They have been known to chase people long distances when their hives are disturbed. Over the first 60 years after they escaped, over 1,000 people and multiple animals such as horses, cows, and dogs have died as a result of stings from killer bees when hives have been accidentally disturbed. Definitely a dangerous insect to be avoided!

Answer: Mosquitoes

The mosquito bite can be an itch annoyance, but it is their habit of sharing the blood of its victims that is the dangerous thing. Mosquitoes have been responsible for passing some of the most harmful infections in the world between victims. Diseases spread by mosquitoes include malaria, yellow fever, Chikungunya, West Nile virus, dengue fever, filariasis, and the Zika virus. Rather than a fly swatter, it might pay you to use an insect repellent with DEET to help avoid this dangerous bug.