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Less aggressive than some common species of wasps, with the exception of the Africanized honey bee, bees are an essential part of our ecosystem. With their ability to pollinate flowers, fruit trees and other food-producing crops, not to mention the ones that make honey, bees are an important insect for farmers and our environment.

However, for people who are allergic to bee stings and those who are not, the threat of being stung can be scary. And, since different bees tend to be more threatening than others, it's important to properly identify what type of bee you're seeing before you take any action.

In case you were wondering: An animal is poisonous when its toxins are passively deployed. In contrast, a venomous animal directly injects you with a toxin. Determining just how venomous a critter is isn't an exact science, but there is a type of standard: the LD50, or how much venom is needed to kill 50 percent of a test population of lab mice. We've weighed a number of factors for this countdown, including that LD50;

The open ocean is one of the most terrifying and unforgiving habitats on the planet. It is a brutal home, one that has shaped many of its inhabitants into formidable creatures. With so many dangerous animals lurking beneath the waves, a sort of biological arms race is in effect between predators and prey. After millions of years of evolution, there are now dozens of species of poisonous fish, sea snakes, and other ocean life that could seriously ruin a scuba diving vacation. 

Despite the fear they put in many people, snakes are actually under threat in their own natural environment. Between the pressures caused by invasive species and the gradual destruction of their habitats, it’s no wonder that there are a number of snakes that are threatened with extinction.

Meet the rarest snakes in the world. These animals are not only mysterious and dangerous, some species are also very strange.

Quit complaining about gnats and mosquitoes. David Rivers, Ph.D., professor of biology at Loyola University Maryland, is here to remind us that no matter how much you may hate getting stung by a bee, your interaction with an insect could always be worse.

While plants and flowers are a great way to decorate, not every plant is safe for your home. We know poison oak shouldn’t be touched, and to keep poinsettias away from our pets, but did you know some of your favorite blooms may have toxic properties as well?

It’s important to err on the side of caution and educate yourself on the harmful effects a poisonous plant or flower can have. Common flowers like heathers, foxgloves and even some of the blooms on our site can have toxic properties. But with ProFlowers, you won’t go without knowing if a plant is poisonous or not. Our packaging includes information on plants and flowers that may be potentially unsafe if ingested.

Be careful what you touch, and what you eat. Some vegetation can snuff out your life as surely as a venomous snake. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of poisonous plants in the world, and some of them are deadly.

In 2014, a gardener on a country estate in the UK mysteriously died of multiple organ failure. The cause of his death remains unclear, but an inquest heard evidence suggesting he had been killed by a popular flowering plant, a member of the buttercup family.

The plant in question, called Aconitum, has blooms said to resemble monk’s hoods. But the plant is also known by other more sinister names; wolf’s bane, Devil’s helmet and the Queen of Poisons.