ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 42 · OCTOBER 15, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: October 15
The five Insects silhouettes for October 15, 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 42 ran from a head louse (2.2 mm) to a red admiral (7.1 cm). The widest gap was round 1, House Cricket against Head Louse, at 9.1×; the closest call was round 4, Marmalade Hoverfly against Honeybee, only 1.2× apart — the kind of round that separates a 90 from a 60.
SPOILER · TODAY’S FIVE
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ROUND 1
House Cricket (adult) vs Head Louse (adult)
Head Louse · reference · 2.2 mm House Cricket · true length · 2 cm 9.1× longer than the head louse
House Cricket: 20 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 20 mm within published house cricket length 19–22 mm. Head to abdomen tip; antennae, rear appendages and legs excluded.
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ROUND 2
Red Admiral (adult · open wings) vs Wasp Beetle (adult)
Wasp Beetle · reference · 1.6 cm Red Admiral · true wingspan · 7.1 cm 4.4× wider than the wasp beetle
Red Admiral: 71 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 71 mm within published wingspan 64–78 mm. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
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ROUND 3
Common Red Soldier Beetle (adult) vs Peacock Butterfly (adult · open wings)
Peacock Butterfly · reference · 6.9 cm Common Red Soldier Beetle · true length · 1 cm 6.9× shorter than the peacock butterfly
Common Red Soldier Beetle: 10 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 10 mm from the published 10 mm length. 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
Marmalade Hoverfly (adult) vs Honeybee (adult)
Honeybee · reference · 1.2 cm Marmalade Hoverfly · true length · 9.8 mm 1.2× shorter than the honeybee
Marmalade Hoverfly: 9.8 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 9.8 mm within the published adult range 9-12 mm. Head to abdomen tip; wings, antennae and legs excluded.
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ROUND 5
Firebrat (adult) vs Large Milkweed Bug (adult)
Large Milkweed Bug · reference · 1.5 cm Firebrat · true length · 1.15 cm 1.3× shorter than the large milkweed bug
Firebrat: 11.5 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 11.5 mm within the published adult range 10-15 mm. Head to abdomen tip; antennae, tail filaments 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.