Six of The World’s Deadliest Insects Live in New York State

Nobody loves insects. Well, I should say most of us are not fond of insects. They are everywhere, especially during the warm winter months.

My biggest dislike are gnats, ticks and ants. Gnats are the most annoying things on the planet in my opinion.

On the subject of insects, recently the Field & Stream website published an article on the '12 Deadliest Insects In the World.' Well, actually 10, because two on the list are actually insects - spiders and scorpions, but Field & Stream threw then in there anyway because as they say in the article... "basically, if it’s creepy and crawly and can kill, it’s on the list."

At least six of these deadliest pests (insects or not) can be found in the Empire State. In no particular order, the first is the Mosquito, which is the deadliest insect in the world. As Field & Stream points out, some of the diseases from Mosquitoes include Malaria, Dengue, West Nile, Yellow Fever, Zika, Chikungunya, and Lymphatic Filariasis.

Also on the list of insects that can be found in New York State includes Bees. For those allergic to bees, a sting or several stings can be fatal. Even someone like me who isn't really allergic to bee stings, can be sent to the hospital with multiple stings as happened on my birthday a few years ago. Happy Birthday to me that day!

Ants. Annoying and they get in my house and camper. Even when I'm outside relaxing, while reading the latest edition of Trailer Magazine, almost always one is crawling up my leg. Field & Stream notes that some people are or can become allergic to the venom of Fire Ants, possibly causing anaphylactic shock, which can be fatal due to a bite. The article also delves into the nasty Driver Ants and Bullet Ants.

Fleas don't seem like they could be an issue (and they thrive in New York State) , but according to Field  Stream, did you know that around 25 million people died during the Black Plague in Europe in the 14th Century? cases of plague still exist around the world, although low, and almost non-existent in the United States.

Let's not forget the lovely Tick. Can you say Lyme disease? Field & Stream says there are 16 diseases related to the Tick The deadliest is Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever with a fatality rate of 30 percent in certain untreated patients.

Even though it's not really an insect, Field & Stream put this creature on the list, so we will go with it. Then there's the Black Widow Spider, or most likely to be found here, is the Northern Black Widow Spider. According to the Michigan State University, this spider is  found throughout the eastern US, including New York State.

The venom of a widow spider is 15 times more toxic than that of rattlesnakes. However, due to the small amount of the venom injected into the bite, widow bites are far less serious. There is less than 1% mortality (mostly children) of persons bitten by black widows. - Michigan State University

The other four on the Field & Steam's list of 12 Deadliest Insects in the World include the Kissing Bug, Tsetse Fly, Indian Red Scorpion and Deathstalker Scorpion. Brazilian Wandering Spider and the Brown Recluse Spider.