5 Of Earth’s Deadliest Insects Are In Idaho Right Now

The Goliath Beetle. The Giant Weta. The Northern Giant Hornet, aka Murder Hornet. If you hate bugs, pictures of these are nightmare fuel.

They’re some of the largest insects in the world and at first glance are absolutely terrifying. But does their size make them the most deadly insects on the planet? 

Not really. Goliath Beetles look scary because of their horns, but they don’t have teeth. They can pinch you with their mandibles and that might draw blood. It’s rare that they get aggressive with humans, but should you cross one, it won’t kill you. 

The Giant Weta looks like a cricket or grasshopper but it’s the size of a hamster. Their mandibles are strong. If you Google this insect, which is native to New Zealand, you’ll find videos of it crunching through carrots which is unnerving, but Wetas are more likely to hide from you than get aggressive. Also, that thing that looks like a giant stinger? It’s not. Pukaja National Wildlife Centre explains that it’s a body part that female Wetas use to lay their eggs.  

And the Northern Giant Hornet? Well, those got a little too close to home when they were discovered in Washington State in 2019. That news didn’t really hit the media until May 2020 while people were already on edge because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s when they were nicknamed “murder hornets.” Because of their size, they are quite scary to see BUT they got their name because of their reputation for wiping out entire bee colonies, not humans. 

All good news. Even better news? None of these are native to the United States, so chances are you won’t come face to face with them. 

READ MORE: What You Need To Know About These "Killer" Wasps in Idaho

If these creepy crawlies don’t top the list, which ones do? Field and Stream, an outdoor publication that’s been around for 125 years, put together a “taxonomically laid-back” list of the “12 Deadliest Insects in the World.” They acknowledged that technically spiders aren’t insects (they’re arachnids,) but explained that if it was “creepy and crawly and can kill, it’s on the list.” 

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If you don’t like bugs, this list may make your skin crawl. Five of the deadly dozen can be found in Idaho. One of the insects on this list was likely the cause of two deaths in Idaho last year because of a disease it's been known to transmit.

Keep reading to find out which creepy crawlies from our region made the list and what makes them so deadly.