ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 40 · OCTOBER 13, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: October 13
The five Insects silhouettes for October 13, 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 40 ran from a red flour beetle (3.45 mm) to a painted lady (6.6 cm). The widest gap was round 5, Noble Chafer against Seven-spot Ladybird, at 3.0×; the closest call was round 2, Red Flour Beetle against Common House Mosquito, only 1.4× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.
SPOILER · TODAY’S FIVE
You have not finished today’s puzzle on this device. The answers below are blurred so you can still play first.
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ROUND 1
European Hornet (large adult) vs Elephant Hawk-moth (adult)
Elephant Hawk-moth · reference · 5.25 cm European Hornet · true length · 3.5 cm 1.5× shorter than the elephant hawk-moth
European Hornet: 35 mm body length for the selected large adult. Published upper length 35 mm; a large adult, not a typical worker. Head to abdomen tip; wings, legs and antennae excluded.
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ROUND 2
Red Flour Beetle (adult) vs Common House Mosquito (adult)
Common House Mosquito · reference · 5 mm Red Flour Beetle · true length · 3.45 mm 1.4× shorter than the common house mosquito
Red Flour Beetle: 3.45 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 3.45 mm within the published adult range 3-4 mm. Head to elytra tip; antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 3
Red-tailed Bumblebee (adult) vs Banded Demoiselle (adult)
Banded Demoiselle · reference · 4.5 cm Red-tailed Bumblebee · true length · 2.2 cm 2.0× shorter than the banded demoiselle
Red-tailed Bumblebee: 22 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 22 mm from the published 22 mm length. Head to abdomen tip; wings, legs and antennae excluded.
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ROUND 4
Painted Lady (adult) vs Small Blue Butterfly (adult)
Small Blue Butterfly · reference · 2.25 cm Painted Lady · true wingspan · 6.6 cm 2.9× wider than the small blue butterfly
Painted Lady: 66 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 66 mm from the published 58–74 mm wingspan. This is the range midpoint, not a species-wide average. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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ROUND 5
Noble Chafer (adult) vs Seven-spot Ladybird (adult)
Seven-spot Ladybird · reference · 6.6 mm Noble Chafer · true length · 2 cm 3.0× longer than the seven-spot ladybird
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.
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.