Lookup
What Kind of Bug Is This? Common Bug Groups
Pick the group that looks closest. Each page gives the marks that separate it from the groups it is mixed up with, plus bites, stings and where it lives. If you found a bite but not the bug, start with the biting and parasitic group.
These pages help you narrow a bug down to its group from what you can see. They are not medical advice. Seek medical care promptly for severe symptoms or any sign of an allergic reaction.
How to narrow it down
- Count the legs: six means insect; eight means spider, tick or mite; more than eight means centipede, millipede or pill bug.
- Look at the wings: hard wing covers point to beetles, a triangle on the back to true bugs, scales to moths and butterflies, one pair only to flies.
- Check the antennae: elbowed on ants, clubbed on butterflies, feathery on many moths.
- Where you found it matters: bedding, pets, pantry, drains and wood each have their own usual suspects.
Flying insects
- Is It a Moth? How to Tell Moths From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Butterfly? How to Tell Butterflies From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Dragonfly or Damselfly? How to Tell Dragonflies and Damselflies From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Mayfly? How to Tell Mayflies From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Bee? How to Tell Bees From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Wasp, Hornet or Yellowjacket? How to Tell Wasps, Hornets, Yellowjackets From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Fly? How to Tell Flies From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Mosquito? How to Tell Mosquitoes From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Lacewing? How to Tell Lacewings From Look-Alikes
Crawling insects
- Is It a Beetle? How to Tell Beetles From Look-Alikes
- Is It a True Bug? How to Tell True bugs From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Ant? How to Tell Ants From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Termite? How to Tell Termites From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Aphid? How to Tell Aphids From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Grasshopper, Cricket or Katydid? How to Tell Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Cockroach? How to Tell Cockroaches From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Earwig? How to Tell Earwigs From Look-Alikes
- Is It a Silverfish? How to Tell Silverfish From Look-Alikes
Larvae and worms
Biting and parasitic
Not insects
FAQ
Is it a bed bug?
Bed bugs are flat, oval, reddish-brown, about the size of an apple seed, wingless, and found in mattress seams and bed frames. Open the Bed Bugs page for the marks that separate them from carpet beetles and bat bugs.
Is it a bee or a wasp?
Bees are hairy with a stout body; wasps are smooth with a narrow waist and often bright yellow and black. Only females of either can sting.
Can the app identify a bug from a photo?
It names the likely group or species from a close, sharp photo taken from above. Use these pages to confirm; for anything medical, see a clinician.