No matter how much we all hate them, bugs are a crucial part of life on Earth. They help keep the planet’s ecosystem healthy, and without them, life on our world would probably look a lot different than it does now.

That’s not all, though: Bugs have had a huge part to play in the shaping of our civilization as well. Throughout our history, bugs (used here to refer to insects, pathogens, and other assorted creepy-crawlies) have turned the tide of wars, influenced politics, and generally played an important role in shaping the modern world.

10 Lice Halted Napoleon’s Invasion Of Russia

Invading Russia and getting destroyed in the process has turned into a running joke by now. Ever since the Russian region was consolidated into one empire, very few forces have had the gall to think of taking it over, given its vast size and bitterly cold winters. Not everyone has been smart enough to figure that out on their own, though. Armies like Hitler’s Germany and Napoleon’s France had to learn their lessons the hard way.

While the Nazis were always kind of doomed to lose due to waging war on more fronts than they could count, France had a real chance of winning. Many people think Napoleon lost due to the same factors as Hitler, though according to some researchers, it wasn’t the cold that defeated him but rather insects.^[1]

A French study concluded that about one third of Napoleon’s army during the invasion was decimated by deadly diseases. The worst of them—trench fever and typhus—are caused by body lice. If it wasn’t for the reduced morale and casualties, the outcome of the invasion might have been very different.

9 The Louisiana Purchase

The United States has been a major world power for so long now that we forget that bringing it all together was quite a tedious task. Even after the country gained independence, a lot of what we now know as US territory was owned by multiple factions. If it wasn’t for certain factors coming together for the US government at the right time, maps of the United States today might look quite different.

One of those factors was the Louisiana Purchase. You see, back in the very early 1800s, a huge chunk of North America, known as the Louisiana territory—was held by France under Napoleon. He had no plans to give it up and actually wanted it to be a thriving French colony on the continent.

What changed his mind was a bout of yellow fever among his soldiers fighting in the Caribbean. The disease was spread through mosquitoes and was especially deadly for the French, who had no natural immunity against it. Yellow fever killed about 100 to 120 men per day.

Napoleon’s failure to assert control in the Caribbean due to the disease made him reconsider his plans for the Louisiana territory, and he sold it to the US government for $15 million in 1803.^[2]

8 Disease Stopped The Japanese Advance On British India

Japan’s role in World War II has been extensively discussed and scrutinized, though mostly in the context of battles in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. One part that’s often left out of the conversations is its advance on British India, and how close Japan was to winning the war if it wasn’t for some crucial battles there.

In 1944, Japan had successfully managed to surround two major cities in northeast India: Kohima and Imphal. They would have taken them and set up bases for further offensives against the British, too, if it wasn’t for the jungle.

Because of mounting casualties due to diseases like malaria and dysentery in the region, Japan decided to withdraw from both of those advantageous positions. They lost a majority of their forces in the retreat through Burma to disease,^[3] and this defeat ended up being the turning point of the war in the Eastern theater. It wasn’t just the Japanese, as the British forces had to deal with the diseases, too. They still held their strategic advantage, though, which eventually helped them to win.

7 When Flowers Took Over The World

If you take a look at all the plants around you, you’d notice that many of them are flowering in nature. They make up a big part of our food, gave us some of our earliest medicines, and provided us with artistic inspiration back when there was nothing to do. Without flowering plants, life on Earth would be very different.

How it happened, though, is one of biology’s biggest mysteries. Before flowering plants took over the world roughly 130 million years ago, the most abundant type of plant was the conifer. But then flowers came out of nowhere and took over, aided by insects like honeybees and butterflies.^[4]

If it wasn’t for pollination, flowering plants would have never been able to spread across the world, which would have dramatically altered the modern natural landscape. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that insects made human civilization possible, or at least human civilization as we know it.

6 The Spanish Flu Helped Britain Maintain Control Of India

World War I was such a monumental event that we forget about other, equally important things happening at that time. One of those was the Spanish flu, which possibly killed more people around the world than both of the World Wars combined in a matter of a few years. The reason it happened so fast was the flu bug responsible for it, which spread much faster than normal viruses.

While it had a crucial impact on many world events, one of the most important was its impact on British-controlled India. Indian calls for independence were growing louder in light of the war and Indian participation in it. Mahatma Gandhi had plans for independence and widespread protest as soon as it was over, when Britain was at its weakest. This was also the time when the Spanish flu hit, and—combined with a widespread drought—it adversely affected a large part of the Indian population, including Gandhi.^[5]

Because of Gandhi being too weak to oppose it, the Brits continued their strict implementation of martial law (first introduced during the war) across the country. That allowed them to quell any threatening revolts and reaffirmed their hold on the country for another three decades.

Without Britain’s bases in India and all the income they generated, the results of World War II might have been drastically different.

5 More Than Half Of The Human Body Is Made Up Of Microbes

Most people assume that the human body only consists of human cells, which is a fair assumption to make. Some are aware of the presence of bacteria in the gut, but as they don’t tend to cause harm, we don’t give them much thought.

If you look into it, though, you’d find that the number of microbes in the body isn’t just more than you thought; they outnumber your cells. Human cells only amount to 43 percent of the body’s total number of cells.^[6] Mounting research on this topic suggests that the microbial diversity in our body is much greater than we ever thought. Everything from bacteria to fungi live in us.

That doesn’t mean that you can start being careless about harmful organisms like stomach bugs. The microbes in the body live in a sort of a symbiotic relationship with us, unlike external bugs that aim to harm. Scientists know that all of our pet microbes help us in some way, though why there are so many of them remains a mystery.

4 Bugs Gave Us Colors

We take the various colors around us for granted now, but for a huge part of our history, there was no way to reproduce them. Synthetic dyes didn’t exist back in the day, and other than the colors easily found in nature, it was difficult for artists and craftsmen to use the whole color palette due to that limitation. The solution? Bugs, of course.

From wasps to parasitic insects, we have a long history of using bugs to make our dyes. Take the color red as an example. For the longest time, the red we had was too dull to even look at, which changed when we came in contact with Native Mesoamerican civilizations. They had been using an insect called the cochineal to produce an almost perfect version of the red we saw in nature for quite some time.^[7]

Another color that was particularly difficult to reproduce was purple. Purple could be acquired from the city of Tyre (in modern-day Lebanon) and was produced from a type of mollusk found in the area. It took more than 9,000 of these mollusks to create just one gram of Tyrian purple. That’s why purple was a color of royalty for the most part, as no one else could afford it.

3 Insects Drive Evolution In Plants

We know that the love-hate relationship between insects and plants plays a huge part in keeping Earth’s ecosystem healthy and also ensures the survival of other forms of life. If that relationship were to be severed in any way, it would be catastrophic for us. The interplay between insects and plants has been extensively studied by science, though we’re nowhere near fully understanding the extent of it.

According to some research, insects may be the main drivers of evolution among plants. In a study published in Science Daily, researchers found that plants which are not treated with insecticide immediately start developing more toxins in their fruits.

In some cases, the evolved traits were visible in just one generation, suggesting that plants don’t just evolve as a response to insect behavior, but they do so rapidly. Evolution usually takes millennia to take shape, but because of insects, plants are capable of evolving in a matter of years. It provides a strong bit of evidence for what scientists have suspected for a long time: Insects are the primary reason behind the overwhelming diversity of plants on Earth.^[8]

2 Malaria Gave Way To The UK As We Know It Today

Scotland may part of the United Kingdom now, but that wasn’t always the case. Back in the 17th century, Scotland was an independent kingdom, with its own plans to colonize the New World. In the 1690s, around 4,000 Scots landed in the Americas, with dreams of their own colonial empire. What they got wrong, however, was the location. They had landed in what would eventually be known as the one of the world’s deadliest jungles: the Darien Gap, part of modern-day Panama.

Essentially a malarial swamp, the Darien Gap is notorious for its harsh terrain. The Scots had the right idea, as it was then believed to the be the gateway between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, though they fell a bit short on reconnaissance before embarking on the mission.

Within two years, half of those settlers were dead due to deadly mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and yellow fever. Scotland went bankrupt trying to sustain the colony, which directly led to its joining the United Kingdom in 1707. If not for that misguided attempt at colonization by the Scots—combined with the wrath of the mosquitoes—things might have been different.^[9]

1 Insects Were The First Creatures To Fly

The ability to fly is one of the most unique adaptations in the natural world. We don’t think about it as much as we should because so many creatures have it, though from an evolutionary perspective, it remains a mystery. We have no idea when some animals managed to grow their own wings for the first time, and many evolutionary biologists are currently hard at work trying to figure it out.

According to some recent research, though, insects were the first creatures to develop the ability to fly. It was a natural response to plants growing taller in size around 400 million years ago.^[10] Land plants came onto the scene around the same time (geologically speaking) as the earliest ancestors of insects. More importantly, insects developed the ability to fly only once, and all subsequent flying insects evolved from that one prototype.

You can check out Himanshu’s stuff at Cracked and Screen Rant, get in touch with him for writing gigs, or just say hello to him on Twitter.

The human body is made up of about 37 trillion cells. After all, that is what the textbooks say, right?

Wrong!

In fact, our bodies contain 30–50 trillion extra cells which belong to the bacteria living in your intestines. However, these bacteria are rather small, weighing a measly 1.4 kilograms (3 lb) altogether, a minor part of human body weight. Small as they are, we should be thankful to have them as they improve our health in numerous and surprising ways.

In fact, the bacteria in our guts, collectively known as microbiota (or microbiome to include the bacterial genes), are so important for our well-being that the National Institutes of Health launched the Human Microbiome Project back in 2008.

The days when bacteria were considered only as little bugs causing disease are behind us. Let’s explore some of the most fascinating facts about the microbiota and see how important your intestinal bacteria are for your health. Also, we will see how to encourage the good bacteria in your system and, if you are a healthy person, whether your stool might be useful for somebody else!

10 A Healthy Microbiome In A Healthy Gut

The first obvious place to look at the effects of gut bacteria on our health is in the gut itself. Recent research has shown that good bacteria interact with the epithelial cells lining the gut and the cells of the immune system that fight the bad bacteria such as Salmonella.

Salmonella evokes a strong inflammatory reaction, which is in itself a good thing as this helps to attack and destroy the microbe. Unfortunately, inflammation can also damage healthy gut tissue.

The good bacteria put the brakes on inflammation by communicating with cells of the immune system. These cells then start to secrete anti-inflammatory molecules to reduce inflammation.

The good bacteria ensure an optimal balance between the inflammatory reactions that attack bad bacteria while leaving healthy gut tissue and food alone. As a result, the intestines are in optimal shape to nourish our body.^[1]

9 Allergies

Food allergies have increased by about 50 percent in children since 1997. Various theories have attempted to explain why, and the one gaining the most traction right now concerns changed eating habits and, hence, altered microbiome composition.

Did you know that today’s American children have had on average three antibiotic treatments, killing off many of their gut bacteria, before they are three years old? Laboratory studies in mice have shown that antibiotics given early in life increase the risk for food allergies dramatically.

When these mice are fed Clostridia, which are naturally occurring bacteria in mice, the food allergies disappear. These bacteria protect the lining of the intestines and thereby prevent the entry of reaction-causing food proteins into the bloodstream.

Other healthy bacteria such as Bacteroides do not have a protective effect. It seems that each bacteria species plays a unique role in immune responses, such as those involved in allergies.^[2]

8 Cancer Immunotherapy

Cancer immunotherapies activate the immune system to attack a tumor. The outcome of the therapy varies from person to person. The bugs living in your gut are a determining factor in how successful the therapy will be. As a rule of thumb, the more variety in your microbiome, the better you will respond to immunotherapy.

The species of bacteria in the gut is also important. The presence of bacteria known as Clostridiales and Akkermansia will likely lead to a favorable outcome with immunotherapy, whereas the presence of Bacteroidales will more often than not reduce therapy success. People taking antibiotics, which kill a substantial part of the microbiota, respond less well to cancer immunotherapy.

Don’t think that the influence of the microbiome on the outcome of cancer therapy is too far-fetched. For liver cancer, the entire biological mechanism connecting the microbiome with the tumor has been described in astonishing detail—complete with cell types and molecules involved. Perhaps clinicians should start looking at how antibiotics are used in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy?^[3]

7 And They Lived Happily Ever After

Fruit flies have an average life span of about 40 days (if not eaten sooner by a hungry bird, of course). When scientists fed the flies with a combination of probiotics and an herbal supplement called Triphala, they were able to prolong the life of the flies by as many as 26 days!

The flies were protected against diseases of aging, such as increased insulin resistance and inflammation. These effects were caused by the completely altered composition of the microbiota by the probiotics (that are live bacteria themselves).

For flies, the secret to a long life therefore lies in the microbiota and the gut. But this may also hold true for humans to some extent because flies and humans share as much as 70 percent of their biochemical pathways.^[4]

6 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes patients know that consuming fiber-rich food can improve their condition. A fiber-rich diet promotes the growth of particular strains of bacteria, which produce short-chain fatty acids. These products of carbohydrates nourish the epithelial cells of our gut, reduce inflammation, and help to control appetite.

After 12 weeks of a high-fiber diet, sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients are much better controlled, weight loss is increased, and lipid levels are improved. The diet can rebalance the gut microbiome, and healthy dieting may thus become an important part of diabetes treatment.^[5]

5 Anxiety And Depression

Imagine a life without bacteria in your guts. How would you feel? Probably anxious and depressed with little desire to see friends and family. At least, this is what studies in germ-free mice have shown.

You really need those bugs in your system because they are important for how you feel. Their presence influences the molecular biology in your brain, especially in an almond-shaped structure known as the amygdala and in a particular region of the cortex.

These brain structures control emotion and mood. Thus, there is a direct link between the bacteria in your intestines and the molecular biology of the brain. Further research is needed to show whether it is possible to alter the microbiome in humans to treat mood disorders—an interesting approach that might put psychiatrists out of business.^[6]

4 Nature Versus Nurture

The composition of the microbiome differs from person to person. For a long time, it has been thought that this variability finds its origin in differences in our genes (nature). However, recent research has revealed that genetic variation contributes only 2 percent to microbiome makeup. Instead, diet and lifestyle are by far the most important determinants of microbiome composition (nurture).

Of course, this is excellent news. It means that we can change the population of bugs living in our guts by changing our diets or by adopting healthy lifestyles. Try changing your genome. You can’t—it is fixed from birth. But we can change our microbiome, which could significantly improve our health.^[7]

3 ‘There’s No Friends Like The Old Friends’—James Joyce

Living in the countryside might be peaceful and quiet. However, the real reason why people living in rural areas enjoy better health than those living in cities is that they can stand stress much better. This is because their immune systems do not suffer from the negative consequences of stress. This is especially true for people growing up in close contact with farm animals.

The animals are covered with and surrounded by a whole set of environmental bacteria that no doubt colonize humans as well. In fact, we have been living in perfect harmony with these bacteria for thousands of years. They are old friends that give us a hand in staying healthy.^[8]

2 Vaccination With Bacteria

Everybody is familiar with the principle of vaccination. A crippled virus is injected into your body, and the immune system prepares itself for the attack of the real virus some time later. Did you know that it is possible to do something similar with bacteria?

For example, mice have been immunized with the soil bacterium Mycobacterium vaccae, which made them more resistant to stress. They were also protected against stress-induced colitis, a typical symptom of inflammatory bowel disease.

As compared to classic vaccination, a particular advantage of immunization with bacteria is that the bacteria have a broad beneficial effect on the immune system and inflammation. Bacteria have other benefits for human health as well. In contrast, vaccination is directed against one germ only.

When we think about all this, it seems absolutely astonishing that your whole immune system works better thanks to a simple injection of bacteria. This may even be a treatment option for autoimmune diseases and allergies.^[9]

1 Fecal Transplant

Considering all the beneficial effects of the proper gut flora on human health, it is not surprising that there is strong interest in fecal transplantation—the transfer of stool from a healthy to a diseased person. Gross as this may seem at first, did you ever think about the stool of patients with colitis? We won’t go into detail here, but it is not a pretty sight.

People are more concerned with the safety issues associated with fecal transplantation. As there are few long-term studies on the effects of fecal transplantation in humans, it is not clear if the positive effects observed in the short term will be sustained over time. Also, the risks of any long-term negative consequences, such as infections, are unclear.

Under Canadian and US regulations, the stool used for fecal transplantation is a biological product and drug. If strict safety measures are observed, it may be used for the treatment of Clostridium difficile infections when other treatments are unsuccessful. Results are quite promising.

However, clinical results with fecal transplantation for the treatment of irritable bowel disease are not as clear yet. This is probably because there are many factors involved in this pathology.^[10]

Nevertheless, studies are under way to explore the role for the gut microbiota in many other conditions, such as liver disease, colorectal and other cancers, and even autism.

Erwin Vandenburg is a scientist and one of the founders of sciencebriefss, an organization aiming to present new scientific knowledge in a concise and clear manner to the general public.

Eighty percent of the world’s animal species are insects, which is to say there are likely more than one million species of bugs, and some experts estimate as many as 10 million. They are under the ground, on the ground, and above the ground. In the bush, in the city, in the desert, in and on the trees, and on and under rocks. In our homes, our businesses, all the places we visit. On our skin, in our hair. In our nightmares. They run, crawl, creep, climb, jump, swim, and fly. If they ever decided to take us on, we would lose, and the earth would be ruled by bugs. Thankfully, they seem content with having invaded and conquered every environment on earth, excluding extreme high-altitude environments, arctic regions, and active volcanoes.

We are unlikely to have face-to-face encounters with many of the insects on this list, and even if we did, they do not represent any real threat to us. They can be viewed and appreciated, or not, from the safety of our living rooms. Although there is an impossible number of candidates for the title of coolest bug on earth, here are ten worthy contenders that, between them, offer some disturbing behaviors, outrageous appearances, wicked party tricks, and a few surprises.

Related: 10 Worldwide Insect Delicacies

10 Dog Flea

These wingless parasites have nothing to their credit apart from their insatiable appetite for blood and their phenomenal jumping ability. Although people often say they have been bitten by a flea, fleas don’t bite. Instead, they saw through the skin using their jagged-edged mandibles, then dribble their saliva, which contains an anti-coagulant, on the wound to keep the blood flowing. The saliva is also what causes the skin irritation from the flea’s feeding session.

Cat fleas are more common than dog, human, or rat fleas, even though feline hosts are fewer in number. However, dog fleas are the most impressive leapers. How far can they jump? Try 200 times their own body length from a standing start. How long are their bodies? Adults typically grow up to anywhere from 2mm to 8mm (between 1/4″ and 1/3″), and they have disproportionately big heads, perhaps because they are so good at jumping. Although their large hind legs enable the mighty leaps, they actually push off from their toes. Who knew fleas had toes?^[1]

9 Madagascan Sunset Moth

To set the record straight at the beginning, moths are not simply nocturnal butterflies; there are distinct differences between the two. The Madagascan Sunset Moth is a day-flying moth and arguably the most beautiful of the lepidopterans (moths and butterflies), making them highly sought after by collectors.

The iridescent parts of its wings do not have any pigment. Although nicely framed in white, the intense and magical red, blue, and green seen in this moth’s wings arise from optical interference. Its wings are covered by ribbon-like scales, which diffuse and interfere with light beams. As a final nod to its coolness, this moth has six tails, and like all moths and butterflies, has taste sensors in its feet. That’s not the only way they taste. Still, it is an unusual one unless you consider the convenience of being able to sample flowers simply by landing on them as you flutter around on your pollination mission. In which case, you must admit that it is very cool.^[2]

8 Black Bulldog Ant

Australia lays claim to a large number of unique and dangerous animals. The Black Bulldog Ant, which is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the deadliest ant in the world, bites and stings simultaneously. It has been known to cause human deaths, although to be fair, the cause of death was anaphylactic shock. In the three recorded fatalities in Australia, death occurred within fifteen minutes of the onset of the attack.

The Bulldog Ant bites rapidly and repeatedly and is not afraid of people or anything else. These large ants are essentially wasps without wings, so they behave differently from other ant species. Bulldog ants, also known as bull ants, are aggressive, don’t lay scent trails or travel in lines, and live in comparatively small colonies. Incidentally, bulldog ants used to be found worldwide but are now extant only in Australia, presumably because Australians treasure such deadliness in their creatures.^[3]

7 Hercules Beetle

Pound for pound, as the saying goes, the Hercules Beetle is not only one of the strongest insects on earth, but it is also one of the strongest creatures on earth. How often have you heard someone strong being compared to an ox? Oxen have nothing on this beetle. Dynastes hercules can lift and carry 850 times its own body weight, equivalent to a human carrying seven elephants.

Males of this large beetle species also have a very distinctive appearance courtesy of massive horns on their heads that look like a set of pliers and are used to fight other males to impress lady Hercules beetles. The battle ends when one of the combatants ends up on his back, unable to flip himself over. Laying to rest a persistent rumor—the truth is the females hook up with the survivor of these fights irrespective of the size of his horns.^[4]

6 Common Green Darner

With independent wing control giving them the ability to fly forward, backward, and sideways and hover and turn ninety degrees in a couple of wingbeats, dragonflies make the most advanced modern aircraft look primitive. They are also very fast. The world speed title goes to a North American dragonfly, the Common Green Darner, which given its name, is unsurprisingly ubiquitous throughout North America.

This insect rocks some cool contrasting blues and greens on its body, as well as a black spot inside a yellow and blue ring on its forehead, which is called a “bulls-eye” mark. In colder weather, they change the color of their body to darker hues in order to absorb more sunlight. This species also is one of the only darner species to oviposit in tandem. With a 76 mm (3 inches) body and an 80 mm wingspan, this dragonfly has been clocked at 85 kilometers an hour (52 mph). However, its ability to mend socks has not been tested yet.^[5]

5 Brazilian Treehopper

The Brazilian Treehopper has a weird crown of balls on its head and is apparently lazy. The purpose of this regal anatomical feature is something of a mystery to scientists who have at least ruled out any sexual function, given that both males and females of the species have the balls. Their best guess is that it is a defensive weapon designed to discourage predators. If not functioning as a decoy head like some other creatures have, then perhaps it’s there because it is similar in appearance to the results from having a parasitic fungus invade your body.

Although such headwear is unusual in the general insect population, it is very fashionable among the Treehoppers. The crown of hairy balls is, in fact, a “pronotum,” an insect body segment located just behind the head. As for their alleged laziness, individual specimens have been observed to sit and feed in one place for twenty-four hours, which I think qualifies them as gluttons as well.^[6]

4 Junk Bug

The junk bug, also known as an aphid lion, is a common voracious predator around the world. The bug is actually the larval stage of the green lacewing, a delicate and lovely flying insect with vibrant and limey green bodies, large eyes, and big, diaphanous wings sporting an intricate filigree of veins that call to mind fairies more than bugs.

But the larval stage, the junk bug stage, is decidedly uglier. Scientists say junk bugs heap their kills on their back as part of an intricate camouflage designed to fool birds and predatory ants alike. Sometimes, the bugs add other bits of debris they find, such as bits of lichen or leaves. Teasing apart the pieces, the insect carcasses are unmistakable. Most are a ghostly white. Heads and legs are easy to discern.

Junk bugs feed by stabbing soft-bodied prey with a pair of sharp, horn-like mouthparts that are hollow. Once stabbed into a victim, the junk bug simply slurps out the soft innards of its prey. Mmm, milkshake, anyone? Then the empty and lifeless husk is added to the gruesome pile, and the junk bug scurries on, looking for his next victim.^[7]

3 Ladybug

Lady beetles, or ladybugs, may look pretty, and they are certainly relatively harmless, but they are disease-infested cannibals that may eat up to 5,000 insects during their lifetime, including their siblings. Harlequin ladybugs, also call Harlequin ladybirds, are the chief offenders, with many other species only resorting to eating their own family members when food supplies are low.

A Rice University article adds the descriptors “invasive” and “sex-crazed,” with the author noting that these bugs also give off an unpleasant smell when you bother them. Oh, and they can bite. Now that your glowing opinion of ladybirds has been shattered, you might be wondering why they are on this list of cool bugs. What’s so cool about them? They make the cut because there is probably no better example in the animal kingdom of a wolf in sheep’s clothing than a ladybug.^[8]

2 Dracula Ant

The agile and possibly psychotic Dracula ant, motoring at 90 meters per second, is the fastest animal in the world. Not only do they move super quickly over the ground, but according to National Geographic, their bite is the fastest animal movement on record. The biting action is similar to the way we snap our fingers, with stored energy producing sound in the case of our fingers and a devastatingly fast bite in the case of these ants.

It is both the speed and the power of the bite which stuns the Dracula ant’s prey. Queens also suck the blood of their own young because Dracula ants, apparently not keen on being in Her Majesty’s Service, don’t share regurgitated food in the colony.^[9]

1 Twisted Wing Parasite

There are many examples of parasitic behavior in the animal and plant kingdoms. It doesn’t bother us at all when we hear examples of plants living off other plants because plants don’t have feelings, but when the talk turns to animals, it starts to become uncomfortable. When humans describe other humans as parasites, it is a high-level insult. We don’t see “bloodsucking” behavior as good even though we accept it among animal species because it is natural. We may not necessarily understand it, but everything in nature serves a purpose. All that is by way of an introduction to the “sickly cool”’ Twisted Wing Parasite.

This extremely unpleasant, almost vomit-inducing insect is the bee’s knees of disgustingly cool bugs. Finding its hosts among grasshoppers, leafhoppers, bees, and wasps, the larval form of this fly waits around for a host then climbs on board, burrowing into the insect. Once settled, it morphs into a second-stage larva, either male or female. If male, he will burst out of the host to go and find a mate. If female, she will find her own host, burrowing in and only poking out her genitals (which is about all she has since she possesses no eyes, antennae, legs, or mouthparts). Once impregnated, she produces her eggs, which grow and consume their mother before hatching, continuing the cycle.

Ladybugs have been previously described as sex-crazed, but twisted wing parasites spend most of their three-hour lifespans looking for a mate. For them, sex is the meaning of life. Talk about twisted.^[10]

When the average person sees a bug, they think of being bitten, stung, the diseases they carry, and the property they can damage—generally bad thoughts. But what if the bugs we loath could save our lives?

From sniffing out a horrible disease to treating skin conditions, various bugs and insects can come to humanity’s aid. So here are ten disease-carrying creepy crawlies that can also cure diseases. Unfortunately, we may have to deal with the bad to get to the good!

Related: 10 Strange Discoveries And Inventions Involving Insects

10 Flies

Maybe not as bad as roaches or mice, but nobody wants flies buzzing around their food. They can carry disease, lay maggots, and are just irritating. But you may want to pay attention if flies keep buzzing in your ear. See, flies, mosquitos, and other buzzing bugs can smell humans, and it turns out, fruit flies may be able to smell cancer.

In a scientific study done in 2014, German scientists used fruit flies’ strong sense of smell to detect cancer in humans. Flies have also been used in cancer treatment as test subjects. Flies are ideal for quickly and humanely testing out experimental treatments for patients because of their short lifespan and similarity to human nervous systems—and PETA hasn’t complained yet.^[1]

9 Beetles

Sometimes mistaken for roaches, beetles are used as a food source for a variety of people across the world. Beetles are the most diverse group of insects, so it makes sense that they have some of the most varied uses in medicine. Different types of beetles have been used in both traditional and modern medicine. Traditionally, beetles have been used in treatments to remove cysts and reduce fever and chills. They’ve been used topically to treat itching and eczema and were believed to improve blood circulation and relieve inflammation and menstrual bleeding.

More recently, researchers have used a blistering agent, cantharidin, found in beetles in medicines. In 1962 cantharidin was up for FDA approval but was denied due to a lack of data. Still, cantharidin, naturally found in certain species of beetles and hard to replicate, has been used by dermatologists to treat warts and other skin afflictions.^[2]

8 Worms

Too small to be considered snakes, but just as off-putting to some, even worms can save your life. For starters, worms have been found to be a valuable source of nutrients. Earthworms contain fats, free aminos, high levels of protein, and essential vitamins like iron and calcium. Yum! Traditionally, earthworms have been used everywhere from Laos to America (by Cherokee Indians) to China for every ailment from alopecia and bladder stones to rheumatic pain and jaundice.

Silkworms, though technically not worms (think moth worms and caterpillars), have also been playing a large role in medicine. Scientists in Japan were able to modify silkworms to produce collagen genetically. The collagen, which silkworms already produce in small amounts inside their cocoons, can be used for artificial skin and bones and cosmetic surgeries.^[3]

7 Termites

Finding out you have termites is always bad news for your home. But it turns out the little critters are good for more than chewing through wood. One of the most commonly consumed insects, second to only grasshoppers, termites have been used medicinally in several countries. In Brazil, the insect is used to cure asthma, influenza, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and whooping cough, to name a few ailments. They’re used in India to treat ulcers, body pain, and anemia. Zambia uses termites to treat child malnutrition, and the list goes on.

In Western medicine, scientists have been able to extract potent antimicrobial substances from termites. Scientists argue that these extracts could fight against viruses and bacteria that may be immune to other antibiotics. And all over the world, people munch on the maybe-not-so-delicious but highly nutritious termites as they are a potent source of protein.^[4]

6 Grasshoppers

Unlike the other bugs mentioned here, grasshoppers and other large hopping bugs of the sort—think crickets, locusts, and katydids—usually aren’t cause for much fanfare. But believe it or not, grasshoppers are a serious superfood! Allegedly with a taste similar to shrimp (will need someone to verify this ’cause eww), grasshoppers are high in protein and fat and have more antioxidants than fresh orange juice.

Grasshoppers can also serve as powerful diuretics, making them ideal for treating ailments like kidney disease and gastrointestinal diseases. Grasshoppers also contain a polysaccharide called chitin which helps fight against dangerous bacteria. And if all that isn’t enough, grasshoppers are easy to digest and can provide more energy than a bowl of Wheaties! Next time you’re looking for a healthy energy-filled breakfast, consider going out to the garden for some grasshoppers.^[5]

5 Ants

An entire article can probably be written about ants as they’re the stuff of legends: smaller, stronger, and much more plentiful than most other insects. When we talk about eating bugs for health benefits, ants are usually one of the first bugs that come to mind. But did you know that the health benefits of ants are so great that they’ve even been used to flavor alcohol to use as a medicine? Ant schnapps, anyone? No? That’s okay. There are so many different types of ants that you can get the medical advantages without eating or drinking them.

For example, red wood ants use formic acid to defend their nest and queen from predators, which can be used topically to heal skin ailments like warts. Leafcutter ants have developed pseudonocardia bacteria to help fight against the harmful fungus surrounding their colony. This evolved bacteria is a powerful antifungal that is used in medicine. Perhaps more practical than any other bug in medicine, ant heads were even used in traditional medicine as an alternative to stitches. Simply have the ant bite a wound closed and then twist off the head, leaving the body in place. Ants are such versatile insects that new medical uses for them are still being discovered today.^[6]

4 Leeches

We’ve already discussed worms, so now it’s time for their muscular parasitic cousin, leeches. You’ve seen them in movies—a character walks into a body of water and emerges with a fat blackish-red thing stuck to their face or dangling from their arm. But outside of cliché movie scares, leeches are so useful that leech therapy is still widely used in modern medicine. Leech saliva contains hirudin, an anticoagulant and antiplatelet agent that works to prevent blood clots and reduce the amount of congested blood in the tissues.

Because of their saliva, leech therapy is used in cosmetic and other microsurgeries to help prevent blood clotting and pooling around the tiny veins and cuts doctors must make. This can help prevent all sorts of medical complications, including amputation. Leech saliva has been used in medicine to treat hypertension, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, skin problems, and arthritis. Leech therapy has even been proven useful in patients with heart disease and cancer.^[7]

3 Spiders

Loved by some, hated by others. If they’re not catching other pests, spiders usually get a bad reputation for being more harmful than helpful. Which makes sense—they’re poisonous after all, right? Well, sure, but in most places—North America, for example—spider venom has evolved, so it’s most effective on the itty bitty bugs they prey on and not so effective on large mammals. In fact, even more than not being very harmful to humans at all, spider venom can have medical benefits. (Excluded in this statement: Australia. They have way too many killer spiders!)

While arachnid venom (think spiders, scorpions, and ticks) has been used in medicine for everything from cancer to heart disease, researchers have found ways that certain spider venoms stand apart from the rest when it comes to medicinal value. Spider venom targets the nervous system, paralyzing its victim. Researchers have found that medicine made from this venom can be used to target a human’s nervous system the same way, making it useful as pain medication. Other spider venom has been found to contain a protein that stops muscle cells from deteriorating, which could be used to treat a number of diseases that affect muscle mass and the ability to walk, move, or swallow.^[8]

2 Maggots

We already talked about their buzzing parents, but maggots get a section all to themselves. At some point, you may have hiked past a rotten animal carcass filled with millions of soon-to-be flies. Rotting flesh is a maggot’s favorite meal! A fly with a life span of 30 days will lay between 500 and 2000 eggs, about 20-70 eggs per day. While some maggots can truly be sinister—lookup bot fly larva for some good nightmares—some have surprising medicinal benefits.

One of the first times maggots were recorded as having a use in medicine was during World War I, when two soldiers with flesh wounds were stranded with no food or water for a week. The soldiers were expected to be found with fatally infected wounds. Instead, doctors found thousands of maggots in the wounds. Upon cleaning the maggots away, doctors found clean, uninfected wounds. After that, maggots were used widely in medicine to treat wounds until the 90s. Today researchers have begun studying the chemicals released from maggots as they remove dead flesh and have found that maggot secretions have useful antibiotic resistance.^[9]

1 Bees

Bees are the bees’ knees when it comes to life-saving insects: the queen bee, if you will. Their benefits are far-reaching, from the unending benefits of honey (seriously, honey does everything!) to the benefits of bee venom to bees literally pollinating plants to keep humans alive. Bees are a necessary, often overlooked, part of human life and a useful part of modern medicine. Let’s start with honey. This superfood made from the nectar of flowers and special enzymes from bees’ “honey” stomachs (yeah, bee vomit) can be used as an anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antibacterial agent. It is commonly used to treat coughs and sore throats and can treat minor cuts and burns.

Even bees themselves can save lives. For one, the trees and plants that they help pollinate provide not only important food sources for humans but also provide us with oxygen. Even more, bee venom delivered through bee stings can be used to treat a variety of ailments. Apitherapy is an alternative medicine practice that uses bee venom to treat and prevent illnesses, pain, and more. Apitherapy capitalizes on the anti-inflammatory and pain-reducing properties found in bee venom and is used for things like rheumatoid arthritis and chronic pain.^[10]