ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 43 · OCTOBER 16, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: October 16
The five Insects silhouettes for October 16, 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 43 ran from a bed bug (4.6 mm) to an emperor dragonfly (7.8 cm). The widest gap was round 3, Gatekeeper Butterfly against Bed Bug, at 9.2×; the closest call was round 5, Common Earwig against Early Bumblebee, 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
Holly Blue (adult) vs Green-veined White (adult)
Green-veined White · reference · 4.6 cm Holly Blue · true wingspan · 3 cm 1.5× shorter than the green-veined white
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.
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ROUND 2
Emperor Dragonfly (adult · body length) vs Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle (male · horn included)
Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle · reference · 5.5 cm Emperor Dragonfly · true length · 7.8 cm 1.4× longer than the Japanese rhinoceros beetle
Emperor Dragonfly: 78 mm body length for the selected adult. Published adult body length 78 mm. Head to abdomen tip; wings and legs excluded.
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ROUND 3
Gatekeeper Butterfly (adult) vs Bed Bug (adult)
Bed Bug · reference · 4.6 mm Gatekeeper Butterfly · true wingspan · 4.25 cm 9.2× wider than the bed bug
Gatekeeper Butterfly: 42.5 mm wingspan for the selected adult. Selected 42.5 mm from the published 37–48 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 4
Common House Mosquito (adult) vs White-tailed Bumblebee (large adult)
White-tailed Bumblebee · reference · 2 cm Common House Mosquito · true length · 5 mm 4.0× shorter than the white-tailed bumblebee
Common House Mosquito: 5 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 5 mm within the published adult range 3-7 mm. Head to abdomen tip; proboscis, wings, antennae and legs excluded. Side outline rotated to align the body.
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ROUND 5
Common Earwig (adult · pincers excluded) vs Early Bumblebee (adult)
Early Bumblebee · reference · 1.7 cm Common Earwig · true length · 1.3 cm 1.3× shorter than the early bumblebee
Common Earwig: 13 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 13 mm within the published head/body range 10–15 mm. Head to abdomen tip; pincers, 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.