Most Destructive Small Creatures in the world

1. Its difficult to grasp how such a small creature can be so destructive, but rest assured, the mosquito is by far the most destructive creature on this list. Even though the mosquito is incapable of causing any significant structural damage, it more than makes up for this by infecting over 300 million people a year with Malaria and Dengue, two life threatening diseases. Furthermore, in the United States, mosquitoes are responsible for infecting ov .....

Tsetse Flies

2. Though not destructive in the structural sense, Tsetse flies are estimated to be responsible for the endangerment of anywhere between 250,000 to 300,000 people annually. Tsetse flies are large biting flies that inhabit large regions of Africa between the Sahara and Kalahari Deserts. They live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals and are the primary African biological vectors of trypanosomes, which causes human sleeping sickness and anima .....

Lionfish

3. Beautiful and deadly the lionfish is also highly destructive. Native to the IndoPacific, the lionfish has established itself as a significant invasive species of the East Coast of the United States and has been described as one of the most aggressively invasive species on the planet. It aggressively preys on small fish and invertebrates and are territorial towards other reef fish. This poses a major threat to reef ecological systems which consequ .....

Brazilian Wandering Spider

4. Brazilian wandering spiders, also called armed spiders or banana spiders, belong to the genus Phoneutria, which means murderess in Greek. And its no wonder why since this spider is one of the most venomous on Earth. Its bite can be deadly to humans, especially children, although antivenom makes death unlikely. For the record, the Guinness Book of World Records has named the Brazilian wandering spider the worlds most venomous multiple times. .....

Fat

5. With this critter, its no so much a destructive impact on an large scale but rather a destructive impact on a personal scale. Fat .....

Beavers

6. Beavers have the potential to do great good or great damage to their environment. Their dam building habits have been linked to the beneficial creation of new habitats which benefit a variety of animals. On the other hand, this same behavior has led to some flooding and millions of dollars worth of damage annually. This figure includes their destructive impact on timber and agricultural crops. .....

Rats

7. A common house pet, rats are one of the most destructive vertebrates. For starters, when introduced into locations where rats previously did not exist they can cause a huge amount of environmental degradation. In fact, the black rat is considered to be one of the worlds most invasive species and has contributed to the extinction of many wildlife species including birds, reptiles, small invertebrates and even mammals. Aside from its invasive natur .....

Deer Tick

8. The loathsome deer tick, now known as the blacklegged tick, is defined more by the disease it spreads than by its own characteristics. These bloodsucking members of the arachnid family were brought to the publics attention in the mid1970s when it was discovered that they are the primary (and possibly only) transmitters of Lyme disease. According to the CDC, Its estimated that about 300,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with Lyme disea .....

Fleas

9. Fleas might be considered relatively harmless albeit annoying, but theyre among the deadliest bugs in history. Thats because their disease carrying nature is responsibly for the death of almost twothirds of Europe during the Black Plague. Fleas are considered vectors, meaning they transport bacteria and disease from one host to another (e.g. the bubonic plague from rodents to humans). .....

Giant African Snails

10. The giant African land snail is considered to be one of the most damaging snails in the world because they will eat almost any vegetation they can find and have proven to be quite destructive to plaster and stucco structures. Giant African land snails are also known to carry parasites that can lead to meningitis in humans. As if thats not enough, they also reproduce quickly, producing around 1,200 eggs in a single year. .....

Locusts

11. Locusts are the swarming phase of certain species of shorthorned grasshoppers. Normally these grasshoppers are innocuous, their numbers are low and they cause little economic threat to agriculture. However, under suitable conditions of drought followed by rapid vegetation growth, serotonin in their brains triggers a dramatic set of changes: they start to breed abundantly, becoming gregarious and nomadic when their populations become dense enough. .....

Cane toads

12. Though the full extent of the cane toads impact on the environment is unknown, its believed that the cane toad is responsible for the depletion of native species that die by eating the toads. Moreover, cane toads have been linked to the poisoning of humans and pets, and depletion of native fauna. .....

Termites

13. Their wood eating habits place termites among the most destructive creatures on Earth. Many homeowners have had the unfortunate experience of dealing with the aftermath of a termite infestation. In Southwestern United States alone termites cause approximately $1.5 billion in damages annually. Though they may bite, these wounds are not toxic. Furthermore, termites are not known to carry diseases harmful to humans. However, people living in homes i .....

Carpenter ants

14. Carpenter ants are among the largest ants in the United States, ranging from 3.4 to 13 mm long. Similar to carpenter bees, carpenter ants are capable of causing damage to wooden structures. They cut spaces into the wood grain to form nests and provide passageways for movement from one section to the other. They do no eat wood so theyre not as destructive as termites, but their presence can still be a great nuisance for home owners. .....

Carpenter Bees

15. Carpenter bees are large, colorful woodboring bees that resemble bumble bees. They are known for building nests within wooden structures such as siding, fascia boards, and log homes. The tunnels created by the female bee eventually weakens the wood by allowing water to get into the holes which then causes wood rot. .....

hapra beetles

16. The Khapra beetle is one of the worlds most destructive pests when it comes to stored grain products and seeds. The damage it causes often spoils about thirty percent of stored grain product with extreme cases of up seventy percent. .....

The common mynah

17. An otherwise beautiful bird, the common myna is considered a pest in many areas due to their destructive impact on fruits such as berries, bananas, papayas, guavas, apples and pineapples. The bird is known for probing fruits with their beaks and then eating only a small quantity of the tissue. This greatly reduces the fruits potential value in the marketplace. .....

Spider Mite

18. Spider mites are small (less than 1 millimeter) arachnids that generally live on the undersides of plant leaves. This is problematic since they feed on several hundred species of plants and will usually kill its host. Researchers estimate that spider mites are responsible for as much as 5% of total agricultural productivity loss worldwide. .....

Gypsy moth

19. This sneaky creature is one of North Americas most devastating forest pests. The gypsy moth is known to feed on the foliage of hundreds of species of plants but its most common hosts are oaks and aspen. Heavy defoliation in the larval stage causes stress on infested plants which may ultimately result in the death of the infected host. .....

Cotton Bollworm

20. The cotton bollworm is a moth, the larvae of which feed on a wide variety of plants. However, it is specifically problematic for cotton crops. This pest is widespread in central and southern Europe, temperate Asia, Africa, Australia, Oceania, and has been confirmed to have invaded Brazil as well. .....

Army Ants

21. Restless and ravenous, army ant colonies are natures Mongol hordes. They kill and eat anything in their way, digesting it even as they tear it apart. Scientists describe army ants as having two characteristics: a migrant or nomadic lifestyle and group predation. There are actually several different ant species that behave this way but only army ants will kill everything and anything that crosses their path. .....

Bedbugs

22. Bedbugs are small, oval, brownish insects that live on the blood of other animals and humans. Though they are not known to transmit any diseases, bed bugs are known to be the cause of allergic reactions, skin rashes, and even psychological effects with the later being the most destructive. Victims of bedbug infestations have been known to suffer from anxiety disorders, depression, stress, and sleep deprivation. Some victims have even resorted to .....

Silverfish

23. Silverfish are small, wingless insects which can be found in peoples homes. Though harmless to humans, they are considered pests due to their diet of starches and dextrin. This translates into a diet of book bindings, clothing, coffee, glue, hair, paper, photos, plaster, and sugar. .....

Cockroaches

24. Cockroaches. Their mere sight is enough to fill any sane person with disgust and for good reason: Cockroaches carry bacteria. They also reproduce exceedingly fast with females producing about 300 offspring at one time. Cockroaches have been linked to asthma and allergies and if found in a home and left unchecked; can easily infest it. .....

Lice

25. Lets start our list with the least destructive (but ever so annoying) creature: The louse. Lice are wingless parasitic insects that reside on peoples heads and feed on human blood. Though they are not know to carry diseases, they are known to impart unto the unfortunate host a most uncomfortable case of scalp itch. They usually spread via headtohead contact with an already infested person and can also spread via the sharing of clothing and other .....