Irish Pests at the Pest Olympics

With the Summer Olympic Games in Paris upon us, we have put together an assortment of data on common pests found in both Ireland and abroad to see which creatures would come out on top in the Pest Olympics.

To give a realistic idea of the talents and skills of these creatures, we have scaled them up to human size to see how they would compare against their two-legged foe.

So who are the true champions of the Pest world, the strongest, fastest, and the most athletic?  There really is only one fair way to find out…

So without further ado, the inaugural Pest Olympics…

Stadium Announcer and PA System

An Olympic event wouldn’t be complete without a reliable PA system and a stadium announcer keeping the audience informed about the ongoing activities, so this is where we must start. This responsibility could very well be assigned to the African Cicada, known for generating a sound as loud as 106 decibels(1), comparable to the volume of live rock music from a loudspeaker.

100 Metre Sprint

In the bronze medal position, we find the cockroach. Though it is quick, at roughly 3mph(2), it is only quick enough for third place.

Australia finished sixth in the medal table in Tokyo and their prowess is no different in the Pest Olympics. Winning the silver medal is the Australian tiger beetle. This beetle can travel up to 5.6mph, which is 2.5 metres per second(3). Considering the Australian tiger beetle is only 2cm long, that speed is staggering.

But our winner, and therefore claiming the gold, is the common brown or black rat, which can reach a speed of 12mph(4), and even more impressively, they can maintain this speed for half an hour. Safe to say, a deserved winner. 

This would place them in the same league as the current marathon record holder, who completes the race in about two hours, without considering size differences. If a rat were the size of a human, it would surpass the speed of our fastest athletes in the 100m sprint.

Long Jump

With just two entries in this event, we can go straight to the silver medal. No surprise given their name, claiming the silver is the grasshopper, which can be quite a pest to the agricultural industry, particularly in drier countries. Not so much of a problem in Ireland, but studies suggest they can jump up to 80cm(5), which is equivalent to a human jumping the length of a soccer field.

The winner of the long jump and claiming their second gold of the games is the brown rat, often seen in Ireland. They can jump 48 inches(6) to get them where they need to be.

The world record for the long jump was set in 1968 at 8.9 metres. Scaling a rat’s jump to human size, they would likely break the world record and exceed 10 metres.

Weightlifting

Returning to the podium are rats, who claim the bronze medal. A competitive event means they are edged to third place, though they can still impressively lift comfortably more than their body weight.

A pre-games favourite for this event will have to settle for silver as ants come in second place. They can lift up to 50 times their own body weight(7), equivalent to a human lifting a Volkswagen Polo.

The ant is edged out for the gold, however, by another insect. The dung beetle claims first place with its ability to pull objects 1000 times(8) its body weight. To put this into perspective, it would be akin to a human dragging an object that weighs about 115 tonnes, the approximate weight of a blue whale.

Boxing

Many are familiar with Muhammad Ali’s renowned saying, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” but is the bee’s sting truly the most painful, or is there another creature that holds this title?

Bronze Medal – Mosquito. Nickname, “The Assassin”

The mosquito’s bite isn’t the most powerful, as it often goes unnoticed thanks to the anaesthetic they release before feeding on their hosts. Rather than causing a sharp sting like a wasp or nettle, the bite area might develop a swollen bump and become itchy.

Silver Medal – Wasp. Nickname, “The Bully”

Wasps tend to be particularly aggressive, especially in late summer and when there are sugary foods and drinks around. In contrast to bees, wasps can sting repeatedly because they don’t lose their stinger or die after stinging.

Interesting fact: When wasps feel threatened, such as when their nest is under attack, they emit a pheromone that summons all nearby soldier wasps to help defend the nest.

Gold Medal – Hornet. Nickname, “Dynamite”

The hornet delivers the most powerful sting among Ireland’s stinging insects.

While the sensation of a hornet sting is comparable to that of a wasp, it is notably more painful. Fortunately, hornets are generally less aggressive than wasps and usually avoid humans unless their nest is disturbed.

This blog has been put together as a light hearted view on the amazing world of pests, and may not be truly representative. Stats for the numerical feats of insects noted in this blog have been sourced from reputable sources where possible and are detailed below. AI generated images are provided for illustration and decorative purposes only.

(1)entnemdept.uf, (2)pctonline.com, (3)entnemdept.ufl.edu, (4)zoonerdy.com, (5)randallmuseum.org, (6)misfitanimals.com, (7)scienceiq.com, (8)science.org