Insects TV: The Most Brutal Insect Fights on the Internet

Growing up in the 1970s, in an era when even analog wasn't truly mainstream, in a small town in the middle of the countryside far from big cities, I had to entertain myself with whatever I could find at hand. Chubby and antisocial, I detested soccer and hanging out with friends, so I spent my time in the backyard, inventing all sorts of wild fantasies.

Most of the time, I imagined being a mad scientist, experimenting with forbidden substances, seeking the perfect potion that would allow me to create an army of mutant bugs to conquer the world. And I was quite committed to the endeavor. Once, in fact, I almost poisoned myself mixing bleach with detergent; I'll never forget it.

The game consisted of two stages. In the first, I'd mix all kinds of components and liquids in a jar, anything within reach, pretending I knew science. When I was more or less satisfied with the results, and here's the part that concerns us, came the second stage: the experimentation. For that, I'd look for an insect and submerge it in the liquid. In my child's mind, I believed that with detergent and cat pee, somehow I'd activate some dormant mutation in the insect, giving it superpowers. If the mixture worked as it should, then the "chosen one," as I called the poor bug, had to pass a series of complex and dangerous tests without dying in the attempt.

In reality, those tests were just a creative childish justification for delighting in the most bloody tortures. I loved burning insects, drowning them, mutilating them, pitting them against each other, feeding them to the hungry spiders in the tool shed. I spent hours out back doing that, "de-buttocking ants," as my parents had named the activity, always worried about my unsociability.

And I tell you all this because it's relevant. Insects TV is a YouTube channel not suitable for sensitive people. For me, in my own madness, it brings back childhood memories. For others, it can disturb and offend significantly. Not for nothing is the warning on each video: "This video is made for entertainment and information, for people who are interested in insects and their battles. This video contains scenes that some viewers may find disturbing, it shows predators fighting for survival. If you don't like the content of this video, stop watching it."

Cruel Nature, With a Little Human Help

Because that's what Insects TV is about: nature being cruel and gory, with a little human help. The channel's premise is simple: the creator brings together several insects that hate each other in one place and films them while they tear each other apart for our enjoyment. Gladiators with exoskeletons, claws and venoms, with mouths made for crushing and mashing, facing off in an all-or-nothing battle.

With good camera work, which allows you to see details and follow the action without missing anything, Insects TV's videos are not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of suffering on screen, a lot of death with no purpose other than to entertain us for a few minutes. So, video after video, all kinds of rivals face off: scorpions against ants, Japanese hornets against European hornets, ants against spiders, black widows against garden spiders, and mantises against spiders, among other terrible combinations.

Personally, this massacre of invertebrates fascinates me. It connects me to the little psychopath I was, in much simpler times. Also, beyond the morbid curiosity, it reminds me of the privileged place humans occupy in the scale of things. I wouldn't want to be smaller than a mantis, that's for sure. Those bugs are truly terrifying!