7 Of the Biggest Insects on Earth

Although we think of bugs as something small that crawls around, there are actually a few species that might just freak you out because of their size. Now, with big insects, they’re commonly not poisonous and usually don’t pose any threat to humans, but their size will intimidate you.

Goliath Beetle

Judging on bulk and weight, the goliath beetle is one of the strongest contender for the largest insect in the world title. A native of Africa, male specimen can grow to more than 4 inches with a weight of 3.5 ounces or 100 grams on an average. And this is just on their larval stage.

Titan Beetle

The Amazon is known to be the home of a number of large species of animals. In fact, a number of large beetle species are found in the rainforest, but the biggest one would have to be the titan beetle. This giant insect doesn’t have poison glans, but it does have jaws that are strong enough to snap a twig or a pencil in half.

Giant Stick Insects

Recorded as the world’s longest insect, these bugs have evolved into strange shapes that help them blend into foliage, twigs, and branches to hide from predators. The Southeast Asian giant walking stick is the biggest amongst these species, growing to around 2 feet in length. To protect themselves, they often produce a strong, pungent smell, but they’re generally harmless.

Giant Weta

An endemic creature in New Zealand, the giant weta is a huge bug that’s related to the common cricket. A specimen usually grown to around 4 inches long, not including their antennae and legs, and weigh in at 2.5 ounces or 70 grams, which makes them one of the heaviest bugs on earth. 

Atlas Moth

Common throughout the areas around the Malay archipelago, these moths are the size of birds and are considered as the biggest months on earth. The atlas moth is about as long as a foot, measuring to about 60 square inches. Their cocoons are even used as material for purses some places. 

Giant Burrowing Cockroach

 Although most people hate cockroaches, these one are actually good to have around. Also called rhinoceros cockroach, they don’t have wings so they can’t fly into your face and scare you. They also play a big role in keeping the ecosystem healthy since them help break down dead twigs and leaves. Some people have even turned them into pets.

Tarantula Hawk

These large wasps are so big and fierce that they are capable of hunting down tarantulas. They lay their eggs in the spiders and their larva slowly eats the tarantula from the inside. Thankfully these wasps are pretty much docile, unless they feel threatened or harassed.

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Tarantula Hawks – A Tarantula’s Worst Nightmare

Tarantulas are considered to be one of the most famous exotic pets people take care of. With their large, hairy and sometimes thorny bodies, these spiders aren’t exactly nice looking. What makes them scarier is the fact that they actually eat animals that are bigger than them like mice, lizards and even small birds.

However, what’s even scarier is the creature that hunts for these massive spiders.

Common predators for tarantulas are tarantula hawks. These are a kind of wasps which are great to have around the garden since they give a great deal of help with pollination and they’re typically not aggressive, in fact male tarantula hawks don’t even have stingers. 

The female of the species, is the absolute opposite. Although they’re usually docile, these wasps will sting when they’re being threatened. The sting of a female tarantula hawk is described to be one of the most painful amongst all other insects. After a few minutes, the victim would lose their mental capacity to do anything else other than react to how painful the sting is.

What female tarantula hawks do is they prey on healthy, female tarantulas and stings. This paralyzes them but doesn’t kill them. What she then does is she deposits her fertilized egg into the tarantula’s abdomen and after a few days, it hatches inside the spider. The wasp larva then starts to feed on its host’s juices and continues to feed off the spider form inside for about 20 days. The larva just needs to make sure it doesn’t damage the spider’s vital organs or it’ll kill it before it’s big enough to go on its own. 

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