ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 21 · SEPTEMBER 24, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: September 24
The five Insects silhouettes for September 24, 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 21 ran from a harlequin ladybird (8 mm) to a blue morpho (14 cm). The widest gap was round 5, Holly Blue against Blue Morpho, at 4.7×; the closest call was round 3, Annam Stick Insect against Mourning Cloak, only 1.3× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.
SPOILER · TODAY’S FIVE
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ROUND 1
Minotaur Beetle (male · horns included) vs Early Bumblebee (adult)
Early Bumblebee · reference · 1.7 cm Minotaur Beetle · true length · 2.4 cm 1.4× longer than the early bumblebee
Minotaur Beetle: 24 mm length including horns for the selected male. Selected 24 mm at the top of the published adult range 15-24 mm. Horn tips to elytra tip; the male's three forward horns are included, antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 2
Harlequin Ladybird (adult) vs Common Wasp (large adult)
Common Wasp · reference · 2 cm Harlequin Ladybird · true length · 8 mm 2.5× shorter than the common wasp
Harlequin Ladybird: 8 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 8 mm from the published 8 mm length. Head to elytra tip in side view; antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 3
Annam Stick Insect (adult) vs Mourning Cloak (adult · open wings)
Mourning Cloak · reference · 8 cm Annam Stick Insect · true length · 10.3 cm 1.3× longer than the mourning cloak
Annam Stick Insect: 103 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 103 mm within the published adult range 100-120 mm. Head to abdomen tip; antennae and the forward-stretched legs are excluded.
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ROUND 4
Noble Chafer (adult) vs Elephant Hawk-moth (adult)
Elephant Hawk-moth · reference · 5.25 cm Noble Chafer · true length · 2 cm 2.6× shorter than the elephant hawk-moth
Noble Chafer: 20 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected adult length of 20 mm, as published. Head to elytra tip; antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 5
Holly Blue (adult) vs Blue Morpho (adult · open wings)
Blue Morpho · reference · 14 cm Holly Blue · true wingspan · 3 cm 4.7× shorter than the blue morpho
Holly Blue: 30 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 30 mm from the published 26–34 mm wingspan. This is the range midpoint, not a species-wide average. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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.