ALL ANSWERS · INSECTS · DAILY No. 48 · OCTOBER 21, 2026
Size It Up Insects answer: October 21
The five Insects silhouettes for October 21, 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 48 ran from a redbanded thrips (1.2 mm) to a puriri moth (15 cm). The widest gap was round 5, Redbanded Thrips against Tree Bumblebee, at 11×; the closest call was round 2, Southern Wood Ant against Noble Chafer, only 3.3× 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.
-
ROUND 1
Common Fruit Fly (adult) vs Click Beetle (adult)
Click Beetle · reference · 8.9 mm Common Fruit Fly · true length · 2.5 mm 3.6× shorter than the click beetle
Common Fruit Fly: 2.5 mm body length for the selected adult. Published body length 2.5 mm. Head to abdomen tip; folded wing tips, legs and antennae excluded.
-
ROUND 2
Southern Wood Ant (worker) vs Noble Chafer (adult)
Noble Chafer · reference · 2 cm Southern Wood Ant · true length · 6 mm 3.3× shorter than the noble chafer
Southern Wood Ant: 6 mm body length for the selected worker. Selected 6 mm within typical worker range 4–6 mm; not the 10 mm major worker. Head to abdomen tip; raised legs and antennae excluded.
-
ROUND 3
Large Milkweed Bug (adult) vs Elephant Hawk-moth (adult)
Elephant Hawk-moth · reference · 5.25 cm Large Milkweed Bug · true length · 1.5 cm 3.5× shorter than the elephant hawk-moth
Large Milkweed Bug: 15 mm body length for the selected adult. Selected 15 mm within the source’s stated 10–18 mm adult length range. Head to abdomen tip; antennae and legs excluded.
-
ROUND 4
Puriri Moth (adult female · open wings) vs Common Blue Butterfly (adult)
Common Blue Butterfly · reference · 3.25 cm Puriri Moth · true wingspan · 15 cm 4.6× wider than the common blue butterfly
Puriri Moth: 150 mm wingspan for the selected adult female. Published average female wingspan 150 mm; males average 100 mm. Furthest left to furthest right wingtip with wings spread.
-
ROUND 5
Redbanded Thrips (adult female) vs Tree Bumblebee (adult)
Tree Bumblebee · reference · 1.3 cm Redbanded Thrips · true length · 1.2 mm 11× shorter than the tree bumblebee
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.