How many is that? The estimate that is most respected suggests that there are 10 quintillion alive at any particular time. That’s 10 followed by 19 zeroes. And, at times, it may feel like most of them are in your backyard, biting, flying, buzzing and generally making their presence known and felt.
In the United States, there are an estimated 91,000 species of insects, most falling into one of four orders: beetles, ants/beets/wasps, moths/butterflies and flies.
While annoying at times if you’re trying to have a picnic or watch a ballgame on a summer evening, most insects aren’t going to cause much trouble. But there are some that are definite health hazards. In fact, the mosquito is considered the most dangerous animal on the planet. The World Health Organization claims that the malaria-causing mosquito may be responsible for more than 1 million deaths worldwide each year.
Particularly during the warmer summer months, when people are outdoors and wearing less clothing because of the heat, bug bites can cause serious issues. The majority of bug bites in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from wasps, hornets, bees and yellow jackets, with red and black fire ants also making a strong showing. Of course, because few of us bother to report mosquito bites by calling a government agency, there are likely some injuries that are not getting reported.