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Beware: Terrifying bugs ahead We're accustomed to seeing insects as the hunted, often becoming meals for creatures like birds, spiders, and even humans. But lurking among them are predators—some of which are among the most efficient killers in Nature. Here are ten of the most formidable predatory insects... and count yourself lucky that they don't grow to enormous sizes!
10. Robber Fly
We all recognize the house fly, a scavenger that feeds on decaying matter and other unpleasant substances, and generally poses little threat to other insects. However, with over 120,000 fly species worldwide (and many more waiting to be discovered), some are true hunters. Robber flies are one of these predators, boasting exceptional vision and high-speed flight to capture their prey mid-air. With their sharp proboscis, they inject a potent neurotoxic venom and digestive enzymes into their victims, liquefying their insides to feed on the remains.
With their deadly weapon and lightning-fast attack speed, even wasps, bees, and spiders caught in their webs stand no chance against these airborne assassins. While the venom of robber flies is typically harmless to humans, their bite can be incredibly painful if they’re captured.
9. Water Scorpion
Despite their menacing looks and their intimidating name, water scorpions are actually insects, classified under the true bug (Hemiptera) group, and they pose no harm to humans. However, they are a terror for small aquatic creatures, using their powerful forelegs to capture prey. In a sense, water scorpions are the insect equivalent of crocodiles—slow-moving ambush predators that strike at any small animal that ventures too close. Their diet mainly consists of other aquatic insects like mosquito larvae and diving beetles, though they occasionally feast on small fish and frogs.
Though they possess wings, water scorpions rarely take to the air due to their underdeveloped flight muscles. They only fly when their aquatic habitats begin to dry up, prompting them to search for a new home. The long, tail-like appendage at the end of their abdomen is not a stinger, but a breathing tube, which they use to draw oxygen from the surface, allowing them to stay submerged for up to thirty minutes before needing to surface for air.
8. Arachnocampa Luminosa
Arachnocampa is a type of gnat found in New Zealand. As an adult, its only purpose is reproduction, as it does not feed. However, the larvae are skilled predators that use a unique hunting technique, which is how the creature earned its name (Arachnocampa means 'spider worm'). These larvae typically reside in the ceilings of dark, remote caves, shielded from wind and sunlight. They spin a silk nest and suspend several silk threads from the cave ceiling, surrounding their home.
Each of these threads is coated with sticky droplets of mucus, sometimes containing venom. The Arachnocampa larvae can emit a glow like a firefly, drawing flying insects such as moths into the sticky strands, sealing their fate. Once an insect is ensnared, the larva dims its glow, retracts the silk thread, and begins feeding ravenously on its trapped prey, whether alive or dead.
7. Tiger Beetle
Everyone is familiar with the cheetah, the fastest land predator, capable of reaching speeds of 115 km/h (71 mph). In comparison, the Tiger Beetle seems sluggish, running at only 8 km/h (5 mph). However, when we account for its size, the Tiger Beetle is, in fact, the fastest animal on Earth! If a human could run at the same relative speed as a Tiger Beetle, we’d be able to reach nearly 500 km/h (311 mph)! This extraordinary speed forces the Tiger Beetle to constantly halt to locate prey, as its eyes can't process visual information fast enough while running.
Tiger Beetles will hunt and feed on any small creature they can overpower. While they typically hunt on land, they are also adept flyers and have been observed capturing insects in midair. Their sharp mandibles are capable of severing the limbs and body parts of prey, sometimes even those larger than the beetle itself. With many species of Tiger Beetles in existence, they are among the most numerous insect predators and play an important role in pest control. Their larvae, though, are equally fearsome but prefer to ambush their prey, lying in wait underground with their massive jaws ready to snare any passing insect.
6. Antlion
Adult antlions resemble damselflies and, although some species may hunt smaller flying insects, most prefer feeding on nectar and pollen. Antlion larvae, however, are formidable predators. Like Arachnocampa, they employ a remarkable technique to capture their prey. They dig funnel-shaped pits in sandy areas, designed with steep walls that no insect can climb. The antlion buries itself at the bottom of the pit. When an unfortunate insect (usually an ant) steps on the edge, the sand gives way, and the victim falls to the bottom, right into the antlion's jaws.
Sometimes, an ant may escape the larva and try to climb the pit’s walls. In this case, the antlion has another trick; it throws jets of sand at the ant, causing it to slip back into the pit. Once the antlion has captured its prey, it uses the tooth-like projections of its jaws to extract bodily fluids and then throws the lifeless carcass out of the pit.
5. Assassin bug
Assassin bugs are among Nature's most clever predators. Numerous species exist, most of which are harmless to humans (although some bites can be extremely painful). Certain species specialize in specific prey, such as feeding only on spiders or ants. Equipped with needle-like mouthparts, they inject deadly saliva into their victims, liquefying their internal organs (since like many insects, assassin bugs cannot consume solid food). However, most assassin bugs are not quick to fly or run, so they rely on deception in their hunting. Some camouflage themselves with bark, dust, or even dead insects to blend in, allowing them to approach their prey unnoticed.
Spider-hunting assassin bugs often imitate the vibrations made by insects caught in a spider’s web. The spider, thinking it has caught a meal, attacks, only to become the prey itself, falling victim to the assassin bug. One of the most remarkable assassin bugs is a species that preys on ants. It secretes a sugary substance from its abdomen to lure ants, but this syrup is laced with a potent tranquilizer. Soon, the ant collapses, paralyzed, and the assassin bug can feast on its insides without resistance.
4. Dragonfly
The dragonfly stands as the apex aerial predator among insects. Its design is so refined that it has barely changed in the past 300 million years. Capable of reaching speeds close to 90 kilometers per hour (56 miles per hour), it is astonishingly fast for its size and delicate appearance. It can perform dive-bomb attacks, hover like a helicopter, and even fly backward. With massive eyes covering nearly its entire head, it enjoys near-360 degree vision, making it impossible for any insect to escape its gaze.
Dragonflies prey on any flying insects they can capture, and they also hunt spiders by plucking them from their webs. Though they usually snatch and devour prey while flying at high speeds, they can also grab insects and spiders from open surfaces. Dragonfly larvae are also fierce hunters; they live in water and use their extendable, sharp mouthparts to pierce and kill small creatures, including tiny fish, frogs, and other dragonfly larvae.
3. Japanese hornet
In some regions of Asia, they are known as "tiger hornets." These large wasps are fierce hunters, taking down any insect they can catch, including other predators like the praying mantis. Armed with a potent venom, they inject large amounts of it with each sting; like other hornets, they can sting multiple times. The venom is powerful enough to cause severe illness or even death in humans, making them the deadliest wild animals in Japan, claiming about 40 lives annually (more than venomous snakes and bears combined). However, they reserve their stingers for defense; to kill prey, they use their sharp jaws to decapitate and dismember their victims, then carry the pieces back to their nest to feed the larvae. The larvae, in turn, produce a sugary fluid that serves as the adults' main food source.
To illustrate the destructive power of Japanese hornets, it is enough to say that a small group of them can wipe out an entire honey bee colony in just a few hours, decapitating every bee in the hive (as many as 30,000) one by one. Once the bees are dead, the hornets feast on honey, then take the bee larvae and pieces of the adult bees back to their nest to nourish their own larvae. This is the tragic fate of European honeybees (introduced to Japan for honey production) when they encounter the "tiger hornet." However, Japanese honey bees are different. Having evolved alongside the hornet, they have developed an extraordinary defense to eliminate hornet scouts as soon as they find their hive.
As many as 500 bees work together to form a dense cluster around the scout hornet(s), then begin vibrating their wing muscles to increase their body temperature to 47°C. While honey bees can withstand this heat, hornets cannot, and the scouts are essentially cooked alive. Once the scouts are dead, the hornet colony is unable to locate the honey bee hive. Even the most formidable predatory insect eventually meets its match…
2. Praying mantis
Possibly the most famous predatory insect, praying mantises, or mantids, are perfect ambush predators. Numerous species of mantis can be found worldwide, and they all share the same remarkable hunting skills. Equipped with long forelegs, modified with sharp hooks to seize prey, these forelegs are often referred to as "raptorial legs." Mantids typically remain still, camouflaged, waiting for a smaller insect or animal to come close; once near, they strike with lightning speed to capture and begin feeding, whether their prey is alive or dead.
Extremely ravenous, praying mantises will take any kind of prey they can find. They have been observed hunting and consuming spiders (including the dangerous black widow), lizards, small snakes, and even birds. Mantids are also notorious for their cannibalistic tendencies; females often decapitate the male during mating, feeding on his body afterward. Baby mantids are also known to turn on their siblings when food is scarce. While they are skilled flyers, mantids typically fly only at night to evade birds and other larger predators.
1. Siafu ant
Also referred to as the driver, safari, or army ant, this African species is the only insect known to occasionally attack and consume humans, though such incidents are extremely rare. Siafu ants possess large, sharp jaws and venomous stings, which they use to subdue small animals like lizards, worms, and other insects. There have been reports of domesticated animals, such as cows and goats, being tethered to trees or poles, unable to escape, and falling victim to these ants. Wild animals tend to avoid the moving ant swarms, and some naturalists claim even lions and elephants will flee from them.
Reports exist of people being attacked by Siafu ants when they were unable to flee, such as unattended babies, sleeping or injured individuals, and at least one inebriated man. Additionally, a tourist reported missing in Tanzania was later found to have been killed by Siafu ants. It's believed that these larger victims don't die from the venom itself, but from asphyxiation, as the ants invade every body orifice and crawl into the lungs.
