Thailand is covered with beautiful beaches, forest, mountains etc. This tropical paradise hosts different species of animals, birds and insects. Because there are many types of insects (some are deadly) knowing about them before going to Thailand helps you a lot. Of course, some of the insects below falls under general Insects category but due to the unclean environment, they can be more deadly than you think.
1. Caterpillars
An insect as cute as Caterpillars cannot do any harm is the general expression everywhere but Thailand has a unique species called Stinging Nettle Caterpillars which are slightly dangerous. Stinging Nettle Caterpillars usually comes in various colour with hair like needles all over the body. Their spines have a mixture of irritating histamines produced by a poison gland which causes your skin to burn and itch. So next time you see a beautiful colourful Caterpillars, just don’t experiment with it by touching it.
2. Ants
Ants are everywhere in Thailand and it’s common to get at least one bite from them every time however some of them are nasty than the usual ones. Some ants usually smaller ones are poisonous that irritate your skin for days. Beware of big ants too because some of them have powerful jaws and the bite can be very painful.
3. Leeches
Beaches are not clean, therefore, there is a lot of Leeches swimming around for blood. Usually, most of the leeches are bloodthirsty worms but some can cause serious and gruesome complications. Leeches can also carry bacteria that can easily be transferred to your body.
4. Spiders
Everyone fears spiders, although most of the spiders don’t bite us some are really dangerous and those in Thailand are nasty. Spiders mildly painful bite can be infectious to the skin and sometimes can be poisoned too.
5. Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are common throughout the world however Thailand Mosquitoes are more contagious because of its atmospheric conditions. Mosquitoes are high in number, some of them can also carry Dengue or Malaria. There are thousands of new cases of Dengue Fever every year in Thailand and many die due to this so beware.
6. Giant Centipedes
Commonly known as Vietnamese Centipede or Asian Forest Centipede, Thailand’s Giant Centipedes are fearsome predators that can give you incredibly painful and venomous bite. These monster centipede can give you a very bad infection, therefore, be careful.
7. Asian Giant Hornet
Asian Giant Hornet is a distinctive yellow and black striped bee which is very aggressive in nature. Have you seen Tom & Jerry’s bee episodes? Those are the same ones. Hornet stings are extremely painful similar to electric shock and it swells up for days giving you a maximum sentence for pissing it off.
8. Paper Wasps
Looks like a flying ant, Paper Wasps are one of the degeneration insects flying around Thailand. Similar to Asian Giant Hornet, Paper Wasps stings are extremely painful. Even though Paper Wasps cannot harm you from the inside, it can definitely give you an unforgettable pain.
Make sure you carry an insect repellent cream and apply it without forgetting.