North American Insects Listing
The term 'bug' is often misused to represent
all insects. One must remember that bug refers to an insect that
can use its mouthparts to only bite or suck. With over 80,000
species categorically identified throughout the world, the
term bug can no longer apply to just a general categorization of
insects as a whole. With that in mind, insects, like other things in life, can be both
harmful and helpful to people. In being helpful, insects can
polinate plants or make honey, or even hunt down other pests.
In being harmful, insects can infect individuals, destroy
crops or assail animals. All in all, the circle of life is a fierce and complicated one, and one can say that there
is a lot more going on under the hood than meets the eye. Regardless, insects represent a vital part of our ecosystem and all species should be highly repested for they can do.
Our database features no fewer than 69 insects covering those commonly found in North America, though more precisely throughout the continental United States (we purposely left out insects native to Hawaii and Alaska as those states in themselves are vastly different ecosystems from that found in mainland United States).
For an easier way to find what you're looking for, consider using our beta Insect Identification search engine that will search the database entries based on identifying features you provide (such as primary colors and state found in).
The listing below shows insects by their alphabetical "common name".
 |
American Bumble Bee
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
The American Bumble Bee is a common springtime and summertime sight. Highly identifiable by its yell... READ MORE
|
 |
 |
American Cockroach
Category: Cockroach
Cockroaches are a common pest throughout the United States. This particular species lives in the sou... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Bald-Faced Hornet
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Bald-Faced Hornets appear very similar to the rest of their hornet cousins, though Bald-Faced Hornet... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Bed Bug
Category: True Bug
Bed Bugs are a pest that are common throughout the world. Bed Bugs were originally brought to North ... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Black Blister Beetle
Category: Beetle
Black Blister Beetles are a common site in the Eastern United States, ranging across the plains and ... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Black Carpenter Ant
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Like bees, ants work in a colony of tiers represented by functional role-playing units consisting of... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Black Widow
Category: Spider
The Black Widow spider is the other of the two feared and poisonous spiders in the United States of ... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Blue-Eyed Darner
Category: Dragonfly or Damselfly
Blue-Eyed Darners follow along the same lines as other Darners - they are highly noticeable thanks t... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Boll Weevil
Category: Beetle
The Boll Weevil is the curse of the southern United States cotton industry, tending to feed at leisu... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Boxelder Bug
Category: True Bug
Boxelder Bugs might at first appear to be cousins of what are generally termed "Lightning Bugs" but ... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Brown Mantidfly
Category: Net-Veined Winged Bug
The Brown Mantidfly may at first appear to be very much like a wasp though careful observance will q... READ MORE
|
|
|
Buffalo Treehopper
Category: Cicada and Similar
One of the more well known of the treehoppers in North America, the Buffalo Treehoppers have a uniqu... READ MORE
|
|
|
California Timena
Category: Walkingstick or Timena
California Timena very much resemble leaves in appearance, complete with taking on a green or red-to... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Carolina Locust
Category: Grasshopper or Cricket
The Carolina Locust is another in the line of Short-horned Grasshoppers and can be identified by the... READ MORE
|
|
|
Coffinfly
Category: Mayfly
Coffinflies look very much like their Mayfly counterparts but are tipped with three tail filaments. ... READ MORE
|
|
|
Common Green Darner
Category: Dragonfly or Damselfly
Common Green Darners are beautiful dragonflies with translucent wings. They are large specimens that... READ MORE
|
|
|
Common Sanddragon
Category: Dragonfly or Damselfly
Common Sanddragons appear very much like other dragon flies. They are highly noticeable by their siz... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Cottonwood Borer
Category: Beetle
The Cottonwood Borer is part of the larger Long-Horned Beetle family that makes its way throughout t... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Desert Tarantula
Category: Spider
Desert Tarantulas are common in the Southwestern states that include Arizona, New Mexico and Souther... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Dobsonfly
Category: Alderfly or Dobsonfly
Dobsonflies appear to be quite fearsome, having what appear to be tentacle-like appendages for mouth... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Emerald Ash Borer
Category: Beetle
The Emerald Ash Borer is a recent addition to the line of tree-boring beetles in North America. As r... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Field Cricket
Category: Grasshopper or Cricket
Field Crickets are responsible for the summer night songs one may hear throughout North America (as ... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Fishfly
Category: Alderfly or Dobsonfly
Fishflies are part of the Alderfly and Dobsonfly group of winged insects. Generally noticeable for t... READ MORE
|
|
|
Giant Darner
Category: Dragonfly or Damselfly
The Giant Darner is hailed as the largest example of dragonfly to be found in the United States of A... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Giant Ichneumon
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Giant Ichneumons seemingly appear to be some type of insectoid creature from some sci-fi movie. The ... READ MORE
|
|
|
Giant Mayfly
Category: Mayfly
Giant Mayflies are common in the Eastern United States and can appear in large quantity in the summe... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Giant Stonefly
Category: Stonefly
Giant Stoneflies are a uniquely-shaped insect that are highly identifiable by their veined wings. Th... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Giant Walkingstick
Category: Walkingstick or Timena
The Giant Walkingstick is the largest Walkingstick species in North America, measuring in at anywher... READ MORE
|
|
|
Grapevine Hoplia
Category: Beetle
The Grapevine Hoplia is a small rounded pesky beetle that has a hunger for vegetation - it will feed... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Grass Spider
Category: Spider
Grass Spiders are common sights throughout North American summers and belong to a family of Funnel W... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Green Lynx Spider
Category: Spider
As its name might suggest, the Green Lynx Spider is a highly identifiable green spider of the Lynx s... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Honey Bee
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Honey Bees are a easily identifiable species in, not only North America, but worldwide as well. Thei... READ MORE
|
|
 |
House Centipede
Category: Centipede
The House Centipede is a very common sight throughout North America, particularly found in indoor lo... READ MORE
|
|
 |
House Cricket
Category: Grasshopper or Cricket
Crickets can appear very similarly to their related cousins - the Grasshopper - but can be discerned... READ MORE
|
|
|
Japanese Beetle
Category: Beetle
The Japanese Beetle is a pest not native to the United States, let alone North America. It is believ... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Monarch Butterfly
Category: Butterfly or Moth
Monarch Butterflies are a common sight throughout North America, with the exception of the extreme n... READ MORE
|
|
|
Northern Mole Cricket
Category: Grasshopper or Cricket
Mole Crickets are a breed of cricket commonly found east of the Rocky Mountains with a broad range r... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Northern Walkingstick
Category: Walkingstick or Timena
Northern Walkingsticks are a child’s favorite type of bug, if they chose to be brave enough to handl... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Orb Weaver
Category: Spider
Orb Weavers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Common traits among some include the rounded abdo... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Periodical Cicada
Category: Cicada and Similar
The Periodical Cicada is generally more well known in the Midwest as the Seventeen Year Cicada due t... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Praying Mantis
Category: Mantid
The Praying Mantis is one of the most recognizable insects in North America and gets its name from t... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Ring-Legged Earwig
Category: Earwig
The Earwig is a common site throughout North America and gets it creepy name from the false idea tha... READ MORE
|
|
|
Rose Chafer
Category: Beetle
These small and slender members of the beetle family are a common pest usually associated with roses... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Silverfish
Category: Bristletail
These little pests can be found in the dark warm places of the home. They have a very unique tapered... READ MORE
|
|
|
Small Minnow Mayfly
Category: Mayfly
Small Minnow Mayflies are a favorite among trout that await their surfacing only to gobble the Mayfl... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Snow Mosquito
Category: Fly
The Snow Mosquito is a special breed of mosquito commonly limited to northern portions of the United... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Spotted Camel Cricket
Category: Grasshopper or Cricket
Active at night, the Spotted Camel Cricket is commonly found in forrested areas. They enjoy habitati... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Spur-throated Grasshopper
Category: Grasshopper or Cricket
Spur-throated Grasshoppers (part of the Short-horned Grasshopper family) are the most common species... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Stag Beetle
Category: Beetle
This particular Lucanus capreolus is one of many of the "common" Stag Beetle brand. The Lucanus capr... READ MORE
|
|
|
Turret Spider
Category: Spider
Native to Northern California, the Turret Spider is part of the larger family of "Folding Trapdoor S... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Western Flying Adder
Category: Dragonfly or Damselfly
The Western Flying Adder is part of the very common summer flying insect generically grouped as "dra... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Wheel Bug
Category: True Bug
The Wheel bug is type of Assassin bug. Assassin bugs earn their name by surprising their prey and vi... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Yellow Garden Spider
Category: Spider
Yellow Garden Spiders are from the Argiope genus and a local throughout the United States of America... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Yellow Jacket
Category: Bee, Ant, Wasp and Similar
Yellow Jackets are easily distinguishable by their yellow and black coloring. Measuring in length fr... READ MORE
|
|
 |
Zebra Butterfly
Category: Butterfly or Moth
This beautiful butterfly is a common site throughout most of the Gulf States, only rarely appearing ... READ MORE
|
|
|
