10 Bad Bugs that Bug Us Most

Bugs surround us.

(Image credit: Jennifer E. Dacey, University of Rhode Island)

Bugs surround us. Of the 1 million or so that entomologists have identified so far, many are our friends, such as the bees that fertilize apple, cherry, avocado and many other crops, enabling them to bear fruit. Butterflies add color to our backyards, and fireflies twinkle in the summer dusk.

But a lot of bugs aren’t so nice. Many cause a great deal of damage -- whether in human and animal health or in economic losses to farmers, foresters, homeowners and others. We've identified 10 particularly bad actors that are wreaking havoc as we speak, maybe even on your neck. Quick!

Which bugs do you hate the most? Tell us about them, and why, in the comment section below.

Ed Maixner
Editor, The Kiplinger Agriculture Letter
Maixner was a student of news writing, agriculture and public policy before starting as editor of The Kiplinger Agriculture Letter in 2003. Raised on a ranch in western North Dakota, he kept a foot in the family farm and the farm news beat through 20 years with North Dakota newspapers – interrupted to study economics and finance while finishing an MA degree in journalism as a Kiplinger fellow at Ohio State University. Ed worked on legislation in agriculture, natural resources and international trade as an aide in the U.S. House and Senate, then ran a Washington, D.C., agricultural news bureau before joining Kiplinger. He was president of the North American Agricultural Journalists in 2011-12.