For such small creatures, insects have some really incredible abilities. There are insects that are especially nimble, intelligent, fast, and strong. While the feats that they can perform are impressive, they are part of the reason that an infestation of insects can become a nuisance to the point that Waterloo pest control becomes necessary.

As it relates to insects, strength can be a broad term. For our purposes, we are looking primarily at physical strength. However, we are also considering endurance and self-defence capabilities.

1. Rhinoceros Beetle

The rhinoceros beetle is a relatively large insect that gets its name from the large projection that males have on their faces that resembles the horn of a rhinoceros. Rhinoceros beetles are among the strongest in the world, able to lift 850 times their body weight. Their facial projections are used to fight with one another or to dig in the dirt but pose no threat to humans. The rhinoceros beetle is a gentle giant that does not sting or bite.

2. Leafcutter Ants

Individual leafcutter ants are pretty strong on their own. If a human being were as strong as a leafcutter ant, that person would be able to carry a pickup truck around with his or her teeth. When a large number of leafcutter ants combine their strength, their feats become even more impressive. Groups of leafcutter ants have been known to carry off baby birds or lizards.

3. Ironclad Beetle

The ironclad beetle lives in desert environments. This is not an insect that you could kill by smashing it with your shoe; you would need power tools to get past its armour. The ironclad beetle is not aggressive because it doesn’t have to be. When threatened, it simply plays dead, and its outer shell protects it from predators. Its durable exoskeleton is also handy for storing water and staying hydrated in its arid habitat.

4. Dung Beetle

Relative to its size, the dung beetle is not only the strongest insect in the world but the strongest animal. It can pull over 1,000 times its own body weight. If a human being were that strong, he or she would be able to pull six fully loaded double-decker buses all at the same time. Dung beetles also provide a benefit to the ecosystem by clearing away (and eating) the waste of other animals.

5. Honey Bees

Over the course of its life, a worker honey bee transports hundreds of pounds of nectar. Each worker bee is able to carry over half its weight in nectar when it heads back to the hive and still stay aflight. Not only that, but the worker bees are also responsible for constructing the hive and defending it against predators as needed.

6. Cockroaches

Cockroaches are strong less because of their lifting or carrying abilities, although they’re not exactly slouches in these departments, but because of their endurance. It has been said that a cockroach could live through a nuclear blast, and while that’s not exactly true, they can withstand a much higher dose of radiation than humans can. Decapitating a roach will eventually kill it, but the insect can survive up to a week after that event. Even then, it’s not the lack of a head that kills it but dehydration due to the inability to drink water.

Waterloo Pest Control Evens the Score

While insects’ strengths are impressive, they also make it more difficult to deal with an infestation. When insects have invaded your home, you’re outmatched in many respects. A leader in the field of pest control since 1938, Truly Nolen has the knowledge and experience to level the playing field against insect pests, as well as spiders, rodents, and more. Find out more about our Four Season approach to pest control in Waterloo, Ontario.