Bombardier Beetles Shoot Boiling Chemicals

Most people typically dislike bugs, and a key reason for that is that many of them bite or sting. However, a bug that shoots you with searing chemicals instead of more conventional means of attack is a distinct type of terrifying.

The fact that Bombardier beetles are barely a little over an inch long may be their one saving grace. A chemical reaction takes place in their abdomen when they feel threatened. Hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide combine. The beetle has a tiny nozzle on its back that it can shoot at a predator with incredible accuracy. Furthermore, you don't want to be the target of that blast.

The combined effects of the two substances can irritate the respiratory system and eyes. Additionally irritating, the process produces heat, making it truly boiling hot at 100 degrees Celsius. There are enough chemicals in the insect to fire this 20 times.