There are more insects on the planet than any other type of species – more than humans, more than fish, more than primates. There are about 900,000 known types of insects, which represent about 80 percent of all known species.

Nobody can reasonably know how many insects in total those 900,000 types actually represent. The estimate is about 10 quintillions -- a figure with 19 zeroes in the equation. In the United States, it is estimated that there are 91,000 species of insects -- mostly ants/bees, beetles, butterflies, moths and flies.

Most insects will never come in contact with a human. And unless you spend a great deal of time in the outdoors, you’ll likely never see more than ants, wasps, flies and the occasional butterfly in your existence.

But make no mistake about it – insects can present problems, particularly when they are active during the summer months. The World Health Organization claims the mosquito is the most dangerous animal in the world, responsible for more than 1 million worldwide deaths each year, thanks to malaria.

The Risk of a Bite

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claim that the majority of insect-related injuries come from bites, particularly from mosquitos, wasps, bees and hornets and yellow jackets. In the South, red and black fire ants also have their fair share of victims. The CDC attributes roughly 40 deaths per year to bug bites.

Bug bites can spread diseases, and they cause redness, pain and swelling in the bitten areas, with some bites causing reactions that spread to other parts of the body.