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Every year, 40m sun-seeking Brits stock-up their Factor 5s and set off on their jollies. But in recent times, it's become increasingly common for us to ‘get all cultured' and spread our wings further afield; ditching the Spains and Greeces of this world for the Singapores and Grenadas, bringing us touristic refinement and a sense of worldliness. But this culture club can also bring some unwelcome visitors and like most steps into the unknown, it's best preparing yourself, and taking out cover, for what lies, flies or crawls ahead.

1)      The Poison Dart Frog

Keep your eyes peeled in: South America

This little bright, bog-eyed bouncer can kill a human with a mere touch! Their vibrant colours are basically a ‘keep clear' signal for people and potential predators as a meagre 1/100,000^th of its violently potent toxin can cause paralysis, internal bleeding, organ failure and even death. Kinda like flirting when you're taken - they may be cute but best keeping your distance.

Its name derives from the trait of old Indigenous Americans using the frog's slime on their arrows to fire against rival tribes.

2)      The Japanese Giant Hornet

Keep your eyes peeled in: Erm... Japan

This voracious predator lurks in the mountains of Japan, carrying a quarter-inch sting that sprays out a dose of venom with an enzyme so potent, it can disintegrate human flesh.

The pretty little thing wipes out 40 humans a year, mainly as a result of an allergic reaction to the venom. Oh - did we mention that it shoots the venom into your eyes? Or that the poison possesses a pheromone cocktail in it which essentially calls other hornets in the hive to come over and sting you as well? Until you're dead?

Fear not, we aren't the hornet's usual prey - but those who have encountered its sting are left in excruciating pain such as Masato Ono, an entomologist at a Tokyo University, who described his meeting with a Japanese Hornet as "like a hot nail through my leg."

3)      The Bullet Ant

Keep your eyes peeled in: South America

The agony caused by this insect's sting is ranked as the most painful according to the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. We have no idea what that is, nor do we have any desire to find out. Let's just say it hurts like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3-inch rusty nail in your heel - and the pain takes 24 hours to recede. The clue is in the name.

If you're unfortunate enough to disturb said ant, it will shriek at you. Yes, this ant can shriek. It's likely to either jump on you if it's grounded, or fall on you if it's lurking in a tree. Either way, it will hunt you if you've annoyed it. And we're told it's actually quite a passive little critter...

4)      The Army Ant

Keep your eyes peeled in: The Amazon, Asia, and Africa...

 These little bad boys are totally blind which, for some reason, makes them even more frightening. They're notorious for dismantling any living thing in their path, regardless of size, with their massive machete-like jaws which are half the length of their own bodies.

They use their gnashers and claws to inject a venom which works as an acid and to dissolve all types of flesh, yet more often than not their attacks are more primordial - the kind that simply flows over you by the hundreds of thousands and rips you apart with massive, unbelievably powerful jaws, utterly and literally blind to size and species, considering everything in their path to be a threat to the continuation of their colony.

They're not like our pesky sugar-seeking ants; these soldiers are two inches long...

5)      Black Widow Spider

Keep your eyes peeled in: North and South America, and variant species in Africa

The world's deadliest spider - and like with many things in life, it's the females you have to watch for!

Black Widow blokes are harmless...or just plain lazy. We'll go with harmless.

They're totally nocturnal, which only adds to their sinister edge. And when they're not eating fellow members of their species, they'll lurk in shoes, plant pots and small cupboards just waiting for a chance to bite in ‘self defence'.

Their venom is 15 times more potent than a rattlesnake's and attacks the nervous system; symptoms include muscle cramps, convulsions, and/or stopped breathing. The few reported deaths in the U.S. have resulted from respiratory failure

6)      Human Bot Fly

Keep your eyes peeled in: Mexico

They each have a different and elaborate reproductive cycle, all of which end with a fat, half-inch maggot embedded in living flesh... feeding.

The Human Bot Fly lays its eggs on a horsefly or a mosquito, something that will attempt to land on a human. This carrier finds a human the eggs rub off onto him or her, whose body heat hatches the eggs. The larvae drop onto the skin and burrow inside...where they live....under your skin...eating.

The larvae can grow anywhere in your body, it just depends on where the eggs end up - meaning you could have a fat wormy thing tucking into your brain.

7) The TseTse Fly

Keep your eyes peeled in: Africa

A bite from one of these lethal little blighters will lead to ‘100% certain death' if left untreated, making this insect one of the world's deadliest.

Its personal powers of deadliness are actually zilch, yet it's the parasite it carries that's so toxic. Some 250,000 to 300,000 men, women and children are left to suffer and die because their illness is going undiagnosed and untreated. It's known as the Sleeping Sickness.

As the parasite spreads throughout your bloodstream, it takes its toll on your organs. You become a danger to yourself and others through bouts of aggression. In some villages, the people tie Sleeping Sickness victims to huts or poles to keep them from harming others until they eventually slip into a deep coma and die.

8)      Fire Ants

Keep your eyes peeled in: Australia, Far East Asia, and the US

A single fire ant bite can leave a red welt on your skin for days, which causes pure agony in the process. Trouble is, if you've disturbed one, it's almost certain that more are on the way.

They get their name thanks to their sting, which apparently invokes a feeling akin to being burned alive. The ant latches on with its jaws and injects an alkaloid venom that causes pain and, in sufficient quantities, death. They're known to kill small animals on a regular basis.

9)      Africanised Bees

Keep your eyes peeled in: Africa and the US

These bees are similar to our European type - only the African species are much lazier and far more aggressive. They make less wax, less honey, attack in larger groups and swarm more often. Oh, and they bear grudges, staying angry for days.

If one bee stings, it emits a toxin that smells like bananas. This pheromone causes the other bees to become agitated and sting too - nice. But of course, if a shed load of Africanised Bees sting you, they'll die too so at least you're going down fighting.

escaped and bred with local species. The insects' offspring have gradually moved northward and killed an estimated 1,000 people.

10)      The Mosquito

Keep your eyes peeled in: Pretty much any hot climate

It lands on your skin and uses its strong, needlelike sucking tube, to puncture flesh and probe for a blood vessel. That's not as easy as it sounds. Less than 5 percent of the dermis, skin's middle layer, contains blood vessels, so the mosquito prods around until it pinpoints a blood vessel to pierce.

That alone will leave you scratching, but the real issue occurs when the mosquito acts as a vector agent for some of the world's most deadly diseases, such as Malaria, and transmits it to you. Left untreated, it can clog blood vessels and damage vital organs. It kills more people every year than any other bug or animal in the world.

If you're travelling abroad to any Malaria-infested region, be sure to check with your doctor to protect yourself fully against potential disease & check your travel insurance policy covers you.