Bugs of Africa
From the driver ants of the Congo Basin to the goliath beetles of West Africa.
100 on file
Death's-Head Hawkmoth
Skull on the thorax. Squeaks. Robs beehives by smelling like a bee.
Deathstalker Scorpion
Deadliest scorpion on Earth. Venom: $39M per gallon. Used to light up brain tumors.
Desert Locust
Solitary green bug, until crowded. Then it turns yellow, swarms, and darkens the sky.
Globe Skimmer Dragonfly
Longest insect migration on Earth (18,000 km). 95% kill rate. 360-degree vision.
African Driver Ant
22 million workers per colony. Raid in columns kilometers long. Clean a house in hours.
African Dung Beetle
Navigates by the Milky Way. Rolls perfect straight lines. Pound-for-pound, the strongest insect ever measured.
Emperor Scorpion
Largest scorpion on Earth. Looks terrifying. Sting is roughly a bee's. Carries her babies.
Goliath Beetle
Heaviest insect in the world. Lifts 850× its own body weight. Lives in trees.
Hummingbird Hawkmoth
Looks like a hummingbird. Flies like a hummingbird. Is, in fact, a moth.
Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
Hisses by exhaling — not by rubbing. One of the only insects with a real voice.
European Praying Mantis
Rotates her head 180°. Sees you in 3D. Sometimes decapitates her partner.
African Mound-Building Termite
Builds 9-meter air-conditioned towers. Farms fungus inside. Queen lays 30,000 eggs a day for 50 years.
Giant African Millipede
Largest millipede on Earth — 38 cm. 256 legs. Releases cyanide when annoyed.
Tsetse Fly
Reshaped the map of Africa. Gives birth to single larvae. Carries sleeping sickness.
American Cockroach
Runs 530 km/h scaled to human size. Survives a week without its head. NASA studies it.
Giraffe Weevil
Male: neck 3× body length. Female: rolls leaves into precision origami tubes for her eggs.
Madagascan Sunset Moth
Often called the most beautiful insect on Earth. Iridescent green, blue, orange, gold, red.
Ogre-Faced Spider
Casts a silken net at prey like a fisherman. Sees in starlight. Hears with her legs.
European Paper Wasp
Invented paper before humans. Recognizes nestmates by face. Tense dominance hierarchies under your eaves.
Citrus Leafminer
Larvae develop INSIDE citrus leaves. Diagnostic SERPENTINE silver mine trails visible in leaves.
Oriental Fruit Moth
Most damaging stone fruit pest worldwide — sister to codling moth, controlled by pheromone mating disruption.
Asian Blue Cattle Tick
Most damaging tick species globally. $20-30B annual cattle losses. Successfully eradicated from US in 1943.
West Indian Drywood Termite
Most damaging drywood termite worldwide. Reason for the dramatic WHOLE-HOUSE FUMIGATION TENT.
California Red Scale
Most damaging scale insect pest of CITRUS worldwide. Foundational AUGMENTATIVE biocontrol case study.
Migratory Locust
Catastrophic crop pest of Africa/Asia/Europe. Foundational PHASE POLYPHENISM case — solitary becomes gregarious.
Pink Hibiscus Mealybug
Major invasive Caribbean pest. Attacks 200+ plant species. Foundational classical biocontrol case study.
Saint Helena Giant Earwig
LARGEST EARWIG ever known. 8 cm. Endemic to Saint Helena. Now believed EXTINCT (last seen 1967).
Pink Bollworm
Major historical cotton pest. Successfully ERADICATED from US in 2018 — flagship Bt+SIT eradication program.
Coffee Berry Borer
Single most damaging pest of COFFEE worldwide. $500M-$1B annual losses. Detoxifies CAFFEINE with gut microbes.
Fall Armyworm
Major NA agricultural pest. INVADED Africa in 2016, Asia in 2018, Australia in 2020. Threat to global food security.
Sirex Woodwasp
Injects FUNGAL SPORES into pine trees with eggs. Fungus digests wood for the larva. Major invasive pine pest globally.
Spotted-Wing Drosophila
Major invasive soft-fruit pest. Lays eggs INSIDE firm ripe intact fruits using SERRATED ovipositor.
Yellow Crazy Ant
World's 100 worst invasive species. Killed 10-15 MILLION red crabs on Christmas Island. Catastrophic.
Six-Eyed Sand Spider
MOST POTENT spider venom on Earth (drop-for-drop). Buries herself in sand. Almost never bites humans.
Cinnabar Moth
Brilliant CRIMSON-RED-AND-BLACK day-flying moth. Most successful weed-biocontrol species ever introduced to NA.
Mediterranean Fruit Fly
Most economically destructive global fruit pest. Attacks 250+ plant species. Hundreds of millions in CA control costs.
European Beewolf
Solitary wasp that EXCLUSIVELY hunts HONEY BEES. Cultivates antibiotic-producing bacteria in antennal glands.
Olive Fruit Fly
Single most important pest of olive production worldwide. Major Mediterranean economic threat.
Coconut Crab
LARGEST land-living arthropod on Earth. 4 kg, 1 m leg span. Climbs trees and opens coconuts.
Black Soldier Fly
Larvae are the foundation of MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR global insect-protein industry. Bioconverts waste into feed.
Hessian Fly
Major wheat pest. Brought to NA in 1776 by Hessian mercenaries. Foundational gene-for-gene coevolution model.
White-Lined Sphinx
Most widespread hawk moth in NA. Hovers at flowers like a hummingbird at dawn and dusk.
Azure Bluet Damselfly
Brilliant azure-blue damselfly. Famous 'mating wheel' posture during copulation.
Marmalade Hoverfly
4 BILLION migrate across Britain annually. Largest insect migration on Earth. Pollen mass ~80M tons.
Giant Tachinid Fly
8,200+ species, all parasitoids of other arthropods. Free natural pest control.
Blue-Tailed Damselfly
Females come in THREE distinct color morphs. Some imitate males to avoid male harassment.
Cattle Warble Fly (Heel Fly)
Larvae burrow into cattle legs, migrate ALONG THE SPINAL CORD, and exit from 'warbles' on the back.
Large Bee Fly
Fly that mimics a bumblebee. FLICKS her eggs into bee burrows from above. Long hovering proboscis.
Mediterranean Recluse
Most invasive recluse spider on Earth. Sphingomyelinase D venom causes necrotic skin lesions.
Six-Spot Burnet Moth
Day-flying moth that contains REAL cyanide. Bird predators learn quickly. Bright red-and-black warning.
Madagascan Comet Moth
Longest moth wing tails on Earth — 15 cm. Bat sonar deflector. Lives 4-5 days. Endemic to Madagascar.
European Field Cricket
The original 'grasshopper' of Aesop's fable. Glossy black. Sings from burrow entrance.
Queen of Spain Fritillary
Largest silver underside patches of any European butterfly. Migrates north from Iberia and North Africa.
Seven-Spot Ladybird
The original 'ladybird.' Named for Mary's Seven Sorrows. Eats 5,000 aphids per lifetime.
Banded Demoiselle
Damselfly with iridescent dark blue wing band. Water-quality indicator. Elaborate courtship dance.
Brimstone Butterfly
Sulfur-yellow male probably gave English the word 'butterfly.' Lives up to 12 months. Leaf-shaped wings.
Comma Butterfly
White comma mark on hindwing underside. Ragged wing edges mimic a dead leaf. UK comeback species.
German Yellowjacket
Most cosmopolitan invasive yellowjacket. NZ has 10x more biomass than native pollinators. 5,000-worker colonies.
Orange Tip
Spring butterfly with bright orange wing tips (males only). Caterpillars are cannibalistic.
Small Tortoiseshell
Bright orange-and-black with blue marginal spots. First butterfly of European spring. UK population in steep decline.
Chigoe Flea (Jigger)
Female burrows INTO your foot. Stays embedded 4-6 weeks. Affects 20M+ people worldwide.
Hornet Moth
Moth that mimics a European hornet so well even entomologists are fooled. Wings are transparent.
Clouded Yellow
Bright orange-yellow migrant. Multi-generational annual migration. 'Clouded yellow years' bring billions north.
Garden Tiger Moth
Chocolate-brown wings with cream stripes. Orange hindwings flash. Toxic and warning-colored.
Peacock Butterfly
Four enormous peacock-eye spots. HISSES when threatened by rubbing wing veins together.
Silver-Washed Fritillary
Largest European fritillary. Lays eggs on tree bark, not the host plant. Caterpillar overwinters without feeding.
Snouted Termite (Nasute Termite)
Termite soldier with a snout that SPRAYS sticky resin. Mandibles abandoned entirely. 1 cm range.
Common Blue Butterfly
Brilliant sky-blue. 75% of her family lives in mutualism with ants. Caterpillar feeds ants honeydew.
Manna Cicada
The cicada of Mediterranean antiquity. Plato wrote about her chorus. Sap source of historical 'manna.'
Firebug
Bright red-and-black aggregating bug. Discovery of juvenile hormone traces to her in 1966.
Owl Fly
Dragonfly look-alike that's actually a lacewing relative. Giant owl-eyes. Butterfly-club antennae.
Red-Blue Checkered Beetle
Iridescent red-and-blue. Adult pollinator. Larva hitchhikes on bees and eats their brood.
European Garden Spider (Cross Spider)
European garden orb-weaver. White cross on her back. First spider to build a web in space (1973).
Devil's Coach-Horse Beetle
Raises her tail like a scorpion when threatened. Medieval Europe believed she carried curses.
European Mantis
The original 'praying mantis' — Linnaeus named her for the prayer-like raptorial pose in 1758.
Snake Fly
Insect with a 'snake' neck. Tiny ancient order — 270 million years old. Only in the Northern Hemisphere.
Cochineal Insect
Source of carmine red dye for 2,000+ years. Aztec second-most-valuable trade after gold. In your lipstick.
Silver Y Moth
Migrates billions between North Africa and northern Europe. Ground speed exceeds 100 km/h on tailwinds.
Velvet Worm
Squirts adhesive slime to trap prey. 540 million years old. Closest living relative of arthropods.
Cottony Cushion Scale
Almost destroyed California citrus in 1888. Saved by 130 imported Australian ladybeetles. Founded biocontrol.
Emperor Dragonfly
Largest dragonfly in Europe. 95% hunting success. Eats prey in flight. Brilliant sky-blue abdomen.
Africanized Honey Bee (Killer Bee)
The 'killer bee.' Hybrid escaped Brazil in 1957. 1,000+ human deaths. Pursues victims hundreds of meters.
Emerald Cockroach Wasp (Jewel Wasp)
Stings the cockroach's BRAIN. Cockroach becomes zombie. Wasp leads her by the antenna into the grave.
Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle
USDA introduced her as biocontrol — she displaced native ladybeetles, invades homes by the thousands, bites.
Pine Processionary Caterpillar
Marches in head-to-tail processions of hundreds. Bristles cause anaphylaxis. Kills dogs.
Darwin's Bark Spider
Strongest natural material on Earth. Silk 10× tougher than kevlar. Webs span 25 meters across rivers.
Khapra Beetle
Most-feared stored grain pest. Larvae survive YEARS without food. One specimen triggers container fumigation.
Spanish Fly (Blister Beetle)
Source of the cantharidin 'aphrodisiac.' Hypermetamorphic life cycle. Hitchhikes on bees to their nests.
Fat-Tailed Scorpion
Latin name means 'man-killer.' Hundreds of deaths per year across North Africa and the Middle East.
Sand Fly
Tiny enough to slip through mosquito netting. Vector of leishmaniasis. Affects 12 million people.
Red Admiral
Long-distance migrant. Territorial males dive-bomb anything that moves through their patch.
Brown Widow
Black widow's invasive displacing sister. Spikier egg sac. Bite is milder despite stronger venom drop-for-drop.
Giant Peacock Moth
Largest moth in Europe. 20 cm wingspan. The species that proved insect pheromones exist in 1879.
Portia Spider
Smartest invertebrate on Earth. Hunts spiders using deception, detours, and multi-step planning.
Stingless Bee
Has no sting. Maya kept her in hollow logs for 1,000 years. Honey is medicine in three civilizations.
Camel Spider
Third major arachnid order. Largest jaws-to-body ratio in arachnids. The fastest arachnid runner.
Devil's Flower Mantis
Africa's largest mantis. Most spectacular threat display in the insect world. Crimson and electric blue.
Formosan Subterranean Termite
Super-termite. 10 million workers per colony. Carton nests the size of an oven.
Ghost Mantis
Mimics a dried leaf so well she disappears in plain sight. Green, brown, gray, ivory phases.
Tailless Whip Scorpion
Looks terrifying. Completely harmless. 60 cm of antenna-leg sensors. Featured in Harry Potter.