ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 36 · OCTOBER 9, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: October 9
The five Insects silhouettes for October 9, 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 36 ran from a redbanded thrips (1.2 mm) to a Queen Alexandra's birdwing (26 cm). The widest gap was round 5, Redbanded Thrips against Oriental Beetle, at 6.8×; the closest call was round 4, Bullet Ant against White-tailed Bumblebee, only 1.4× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.
SPOILER · TODAY’S FIVE
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ROUND 1
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing (adult female · open wings) vs Migrant Hawker (adult)
Migrant Hawker · reference · 6.3 cm Queen Alexandra's Birdwing · true wingspan · 26 cm 4.1× wider than the migrant hawker
Queen Alexandra's Birdwing: 260 mm wingspan for the selected adult female. Selected 260 mm within the published female wingspan 250-280 mm; males reach about 200 mm. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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ROUND 2
Western Flower Thrips (adult female) vs Common Fruit Fly (adult)
Common Fruit Fly · reference · 2.5 mm Western Flower Thrips · true length · 1.4 mm 1.8× shorter than the common fruit fly
Western Flower Thrips: 1.4 mm body length for the selected adult female. Published adult female length about 1.4 mm; the male is about 1 mm. Head to abdomen tip; antennae, fringed wings and legs excluded.
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ROUND 3
Common Eastern Firefly (adult) vs Black Garden Ant (worker)
Black Garden Ant · reference · 3 mm Common Eastern Firefly · true length · 1.07 cm 3.6× longer than the black garden ant
Common Eastern Firefly: 10.7 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 10.7 mm within the published adult range 9-19 mm. Front edge of the pronotum, which covers the head, to the abdomen tip; open wings, antennae and legs excluded. Outline rotated to align the body.
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ROUND 4
Bullet Ant (adult worker) vs White-tailed Bumblebee (large adult)
White-tailed Bumblebee · reference · 2 cm Bullet Ant · true length · 2.8 cm 1.4× longer than the white-tailed bumblebee
Bullet Ant: 28 mm body length for the selected adult worker. Selected 28 mm within the published worker range 18-30 mm. Head to gaster tip; mandibles, antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 5
Redbanded Thrips (adult female) vs Oriental Beetle (adult)
Oriental Beetle · reference · 8.1 mm Redbanded Thrips · true length · 1.2 mm 6.8× shorter than the oriental beetle
Redbanded Thrips: 1.2 mm body length for the selected adult female. Published adult female length about 1.2 mm; the male is smaller. Head to abdomen tip; antennae, terminal setae, fringed wings 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.