Lifestyle

5 Dangerous Insects That Live in S’pore That S’poreans Should Avoid

2020-11-23 , 10:09 am

Singapore is an urbanized metropolis, and you would have thought that we’re perfectly safe from dangerous creatures here, right?

What if I were to tell you that in our island city, the most fearsome creatures might just be those that we have been co-existing with for some time (note: #5)? And that the most dangerous ones aren’t the scariest-looking one?

Here are the 5 most dangerous insects that are in Singapore. After reading this article, you might just want to invest in some SAF insect repellent, regardless of whether it’ll irritate your skin or not!

Hornets

Unlike bees, which can only sting once, hornets can sting you over and over again and their venom can cause victims’ tissues to produce histamines which can cause death. There are currently three species in Singapore, two of which built their nests on trees while the third built their nests indoors.

Do not wear bright colours or heavy perfumes in heavily vegetated areas (nature reserves, parks) as this can attract them to you.

Bees

Image: 0 Lorenzo Bernini 0 / Shutterstock.com

When you’re stung by a bee, the bee dies immediately; but if you do not take immediate action, things might take a worse turn for you as well. The sting has barbs on it and the muscle’s reflexive actions will drive the sting deeper into it, thus more venom is discharged into your body from the venom sack.

Wasp

Image: Pavel Krasensky / Shutterstock.com

The most aggressive out of bees, wasps and hornets and the likeliest to sting with the least provocation, wasp stings can prove to be deadly for people allergic to insect stings. An allergy to insect stings can be developed and you should call for an ambulance immediately if you are having trouble breathing, suffering from nausea, dizziness, fainting spells, headaches or chest pain.

Cockroaches

Image: supasart meekumrai / Shutterstock.com

While not dangerous in the immediate sense, these insects are ranked 18 among the list of 25 most dangerous insects in the world and they’re known as one of the best disease-carrying bugs to humankind. That’s not to mention how good they are at surviving, having allegedly been around for 400 million years. Imagine that!

Mosquitoes

This, we feel, could qualify as the most dangerous insect in Singapore – or even in the world. A mosquito bite typically causes irritation for their victims, but if you’re bitten by an Aedes mosquito, you might just be infected with Dengue fever or even worse, Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever, the more severe form of Dengue fever which has been known to lead to death.

And, here’s a bonus. Because it’s so rare (and it’s not an insect), we couldn’t justify putting it onto the list, but we do know that they exist in Singapore. So here you go:

Cone Snails

Usually, you’d be thinking it’s just a snail, but this carnivorous predator with its harpoon-like appendage and a venomous bite that can paralyze small fishes almost immediately is on a whole other level. The cone snail’s bite is similar to a bee sting, but the larger species has been known to cause at least 15 deaths worldwide.

They used to be sighted in the past along Singapore’s shores, reef flats and reefs, but nowadays, they could have been washed away as sightings have been very rare.