ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 18 · SEPTEMBER 21, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: September 21
The five Insects silhouettes for September 21, with the true sizes. If you have not played yet, this page is a spoiler — play these five first, then come back to argue with the numbers.
Day 18 ran from a redbanded thrips (1.2 mm) to a devil's flower mantis (13 cm). The widest gap was round 1, Flower Longhorn Beetle against Stag Beetle, at 8.9×; the closest call was round 2, Devil's Flower Mantis against Mourning Cloak, only 1.6× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.
SPOILER · TODAY’S FIVE
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ROUND 1
Flower Longhorn Beetle (adult) vs Stag Beetle (male · jaws included)
Stag Beetle · reference · 6.5 cm Flower Longhorn Beetle · true length · 7.3 mm 8.9× shorter than the stag beetle
Flower Longhorn Beetle: 7.3 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 7.3 mm within the published adult range 7-13 mm. Head to elytra tip; the long antennae and the legs are excluded. Outline rotated to align the body.
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ROUND 2
Devil's Flower Mantis (adult female) vs Mourning Cloak (adult · open wings)
Mourning Cloak · reference · 8 cm Devil's Flower Mantis · true length · 13 cm 1.6× longer than the mourning cloak
Devil's Flower Mantis: 130 mm body length for the selected adult female. Published adult female length about 130 mm; males reach about 100 mm. Head to wing tip along the body axis; antennae and the raptorial forelegs are excluded.
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ROUND 3
Honeybee (adult) vs Minotaur Beetle (male · horns included)
Minotaur Beetle · reference · 2.4 cm Honeybee · true length · 1.2 cm 2.0× shorter than the minotaur beetle
Honeybee: 12 mm body length for the selected adult. Published length 12 mm. Head to abdomen tip; antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 4
Small White Butterfly (adult · open wings) vs House Cricket (adult)
House Cricket · reference · 2 cm Small White Butterfly · true wingspan · 4.8 cm 2.4× wider than the house cricket
Small White Butterfly: 48 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 48 mm within published wingspan 38–57 mm. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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ROUND 5
Click Beetle (adult) vs Redbanded Thrips (adult female)
Redbanded Thrips · reference · 1.2 mm Click Beetle · true length · 8.9 mm 7.4× longer than the redbanded thrips
Click Beetle: 8.9 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 8.9 mm within the published adult range 7.5-11 mm. Head to elytra tip; antennae and legs excluded.
Beat these tomorrow
Every round is worth up to 100 points: within 6% of the true size scores 100, half or double scores 45, five times off scores zero. The daily puzzle is the same five for everyone and refreshes at midnight in your time zone; if you want more than five, Size It Up Unlimited draws fresh pairs from the whole library for as long as you like.