Have you ever seen a large beetle or perhaps a very long caterpillar? If so, you were probably amazed by their size, but this amazement will be short-lived, because I'm going to show you the ten largest insects from around the world, some of which are the size of movie monsters and things straight out of nightmares. There's no pest control service in the world that can get rid of these ten giants of the insect world…
The world's largest stick insect
I've seen many stick insects before, but none that reached 64 centimeters (25 inches) in length. That's almost the length of my entire arm! I have to wonder how many leaves this giant eats, as it seems it needs a lot of body weight to feed itself. Unfortunately, their average lifespan is less than a year, so I can only imagine there are plenty of giant dead branches in the mountains of China.
The largest grasshopper in the world
This is the giant long-legged grasshopper, also known as the giant bush cricket. This species of grasshopper can grow up to 13 centimeters (5.1 inches), but it can't jump as far as its smaller cousins. In fact, it can barely jump, and it's one of the easiest species to remove from crops and other food sources. Interestingly, many of them can mimic and camouflage themselves, typically with a shape and color similar to leaves.
The world's largest woodlouse
Some people call them tumbleweeds or maybe pill bugs, but they're called woodlice, but these aren't ordinary woodlice, they're giant isopods, and while they live in the cold, deep waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, they're still a close relative of the same little insect, and I wouldn't want a family of them in my own garden shed.
The largest butterfly in the world
Have you ever had a moth crawl into your bedroom and disrupt your life? Well, you might want to thank your lucky stars it wasn't a Hercules moth (Coscinocera hercules), as its wingspan is 36 centimeters (14.1 inches). We've already seen some of the world's most amazing moths on this blog, and this was one of them. They live for only 2-8 days, so imagine the mess of dead moths on the windowsills of people living in Kuranda, Australia.
The largest beetle in the world
I've seen several large beetles in my time, but none compare in size to the titan beetle (Titanus giganteus). It can grow to almost 18 centimeters (7 inches) in length, but its larvae can reach 30 centimeters (12 inches). Some people believe that stepping on a beetle will cause rain, so if you accidentally step on one, it will cause a hurricane!
The largest wasp in the world
Wasps have a nasty habit of ruining a picnic or two, but it's the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), also known as the "murder hornet." They can often grow to more than 5 centimeters (2 inches) in length. They look like common wasps, with their classic orange and black markings and long stingers. These giant wasps are well known for killing people, but not as often as the common European wasp, as it is the most common species that causes allergic reactions in people.
The largest fly in the world
Don't you hate it when that big fly shows up in your house just wanting to bang its head against the window? Well, consider yourself lucky it's not a Mydas fly, as that would probably break the window. They can grow up to 5 centimeters (2 inches) long, and the good news is that they prefer flowers, not the kind that would search for something in your kitchen trash can.
The largest cockroach in the world
Megaloblatta longipennis is the largest living cockroach species in the world, said to grow up to 9.7 cm (3.8 in) long and have a wingspan of up to 20 cm (7.9 in). That's not something you want to see scurrying across your kitchen floor when you first turn on the light. Many cockroach species live under the refrigerator; this one probably lifts it!
The world's largest ant
They're called "bullet ants," and while their average size is only 3.01 centimeters (1.2 inches), they often live in colonies numbering in the millions, with female bullet ants (Dorylus wilverthi) laying over 4 million eggs per month! So, as you can imagine, this species quickly becomes a major problem.
The largest centipede in the world
This is the Peruvian giant yellow-legged centipede (Scolopendra gigantea), which can reach lengths of up to 30 centimeters (12 inches). It naturally occurs in the subtropical rainforests of northern South America, and its bite is said to be powerful enough to kill small children and cause severe pain to most adults.