most destructive small creatures in the world

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. They form bands of wingless nymphs which later become swarms of winged adults. Both the bands and the swarms then move around and rapidly strip fields and cause damage to crops. The adults are powerful fliers and can travel great distances, consuming most of the green vegetation wherever the swarm settles. Their sudden destruction of crops has led to famine and starvation.

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.

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 infested by termites may suffer from allergic reactions.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.