Bugs of Europe
Mediterranean tarantulas, alpine moths, the bee that pollinates a continent.
132 on file
Bombardier Beetle
Sprays boiling caustic chemicals from a rotating turret. 500 pulses per second.
Buff-Tailed Bumblebee
Flies in cold honey bees can't. Vibrates flowers at 400 Hz to shake out pollen. Pollinates your tomatoes.
Death's-Head Hawkmoth
Skull on the thorax. Squeaks. Robs beehives by smelling like a bee.
Diving Bell Spider
Only spider that lives entirely underwater. Builds its own scuba tank out of silk.
African Dung Beetle
Navigates by the Milky Way. Rolls perfect straight lines. Pound-for-pound, the strongest insect ever measured.
Hummingbird Hawkmoth
Looks like a hummingbird. Flies like a hummingbird. Is, in fact, a moth.
Fire-Chaser Jewel Beetle
Detects forest fires from 80 km away. Flies INTO them. Lays eggs in still-smoking wood.
Seven-Spotted Ladybug
Eats 5,000 aphids a lifetime. Bleeds yellow. Universally considered good luck.
European Praying Mantis
Rotates her head 180°. Sees you in 3D. Sometimes decapitates her partner.
European Stag Beetle
Europe's largest beetle. Antlers like a deer. Wrestles other males over rotting logs.
Common Yellowjacket
Stings you. Stings you again. Stings you a third time. Doesn't die.
Jewel Cuckoo Wasp
Living jewel — iridescent blue, green, gold. Sneaks into other wasps' nests. Curls into a ball when caught.
Marmalade Hover Fly
Looks like a wasp. Can't sting. Pollinates your garden. Larvae eat aphids by the thousand.
European Mole Cricket
Builds an underground trumpet. Sings through it. Calls audible 600 meters away.
Argentine Ant
One global super-colony. Ants from Italy and Portugal recognize each other as family.
Carpenter Ant
Doesn't eat wood — excavates it. Galleries through your beams. Largest ant in eastern North America.
Goldenrod Crab Spider
Changes color from white to yellow over weeks. Ambushes bees on flowers. No web.
European Hornet
Europe's largest social wasp. Hunts at night by lamplight. Less aggressive than her tiny cousins.
European Paper Wasp
Invented paper before humans. Recognizes nestmates by face. Tense dominance hierarchies under your eaves.
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Invasive Asian shield-bug. Devastates apples, peaches, soybeans. Stinks like burnt cilantro on contact.
Common Asparagus Beetle
Major asparagus pest. Brilliant METALLIC BLUE-BLACK with red-bordered cream square spots. Larvae use FECAL SHIELDS.
Carrot Rust Fly
Major NA/European carrot pest. Diagnostic rust-colored tunnels through carrot taproots. Detoxifies Apiaceae furanocoumarins.
European Mantispid
European mantis-mimic LACEWING. Larvae burrow into SPIDER EGG SACS and eat the developing spiderlings.
Asian Hornet (Yellow-Legged Hornet)
Major invasive European pest. Hovers at beehives intercepting HONEY BEES — thousands of bees killed daily.
Cabbage Maggot Fly
Major NA/European cruciferous crop pest. Maggots burrow into cabbage roots. Detoxifies plant glucosinolates.
Citrus Leafminer
Larvae develop INSIDE citrus leaves. Diagnostic SERPENTINE silver mine trails visible in leaves.
Onion Maggot Fly
Major NA/European onion pest. Larvae detoxify the SULFUR COMPOUNDS that make onions burn human eyes.
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.
Indian Stick Insect
WORLD'S MOST COMMON PET STICK INSECT. Obligate PARTHENOGENESIS — captive populations are essentially all female.
Klamath Weed Beetle
Foundational NA weed-biocontrol success. Reduced invasive Klamath weed by 99% in western US in 10 years.
Sheep Tick (Castor Bean Tick)
Primary European LYME DISEASE vector. Also vectors tick-borne ENCEPHALITIS VIRUS. 65K+ Lyme cases/year in Europe.
Long-Horned Bee
Solitary bee with ANTENNAE LONGER THAN HER OWN BODY. Major legume crop pollinator. Honey bee alternative.
Black Garden Ant
Most familiar ant in European gardens. Synchronized 'FLYING ANT DAY' mating swarms every summer.
Caterpillar Hunter Beetle (European Ground Beetle)
Brilliant metallic GREEN-AND-GOLD ground beetle. INTRODUCED to NA in 1905 to control invasive spongy moth.
Violet Ground Beetle
Brilliant METALLIC VIOLET-PURPLE European ground beetle. 35 mm. Nocturnal predator of slugs, snails, earthworms.
Yellow Meadow Ant
Lives ENTIRELY UNDERGROUND. Workers are BLIND. Farms ROOT APHIDS inside underground galleries.
Water Boatman
LOUDEST animal on Earth scaled to body size. 99 dB underwater calls. Calls made by rubbing PENIS against abdomen.
California Red Scale
Most damaging scale insect pest of CITRUS worldwide. Foundational AUGMENTATIVE biocontrol case study.
Death-Watch Beetle
Tapping wood beetle. Folk DEATH OMEN. Major pest of HISTORIC OAK TIMBER in European architecture.
Migratory Locust
Catastrophic crop pest of Africa/Asia/Europe. Foundational PHASE POLYPHENISM case — solitary becomes gregarious.
Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter
Vector of PIERCE'S DISEASE in California vineyards. Threatens $58B CA wine industry. Killed Italian olive trees.
Greenhouse Whitefly
Most damaging pest of GREENHOUSE production worldwide. First-ever commercially mass-reared biocontrol target.
Brown-Tail Moth
Caterpillar covered in URTICATING HAIRS that cause severe rash and respiratory irritation in humans.
European Pine Sawfly
Major European pine forest pest. Larvae perform synchronous 'whip' defensive displays with toxic resin droplets.
Pink Bollworm
Major historical cotton pest. Successfully ERADICATED from US in 2018 — flagship Bt+SIT eradication program.
Scarlet Lily Beetle
Brilliant SCARLET-RED beetle. Larvae cover themselves in their own FECAL EXCREMENT for defense.
European Corn Borer
Major NA corn pest. Primary target of Bt corn alongside corn earworm. Bt deployment dramatically reduced populations.
Citrus Longhorned Beetle
Sister to Asian longhorned beetle. Attacks 100+ tree species. Major global invasive forest pest.
European Elm Bark Beetle
Primary vector of DUTCH ELM DISEASE. Killed tens of millions of American elms across NA since 1930s.
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.
Goldenrod Crab Spider
Color-changing CHAMELEON spider. Switches between WHITE and YELLOW to match flower color. Walks sideways like a crab.
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.
Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee
Second-most important managed pollinator on Earth. Essential for ALFALFA SEED PRODUCTION worldwide.
European Red Wood Ant
Massive THATCH-COVERED MOUNDS up to 2m tall. PROTECTED SPECIES across Europe. Major forest pest control.
Mining Bee
Solitary mining bee. Obligate WILLOW pollen specialist. Forms massive 50,000-burrow nesting aggregations.
Pavement Ant
Common urban ant. Famous for spectacular ANNUAL PAVEMENT WARS — thousands of ants in mass spring combat.
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.
Marbled Orbweaver
The 'pumpkin spider' — bright orange-and-brown marbled abdomen looks like a tiny jack-o-lantern.
Black Soldier Fly
Larvae are the foundation of MULTI-BILLION-DOLLAR global insect-protein industry. Bioconverts waste into feed.
Buffalo Treehopper
Bright green treehopper with a dramatic TRIANGULAR HORN that makes it look like a miniature bison.
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.
Western Conifer Seed Bug
The flying-leaf bug that invades your house in autumn. Foul defensive odor. LEAF-LIKE expansions on hind legs.
Azure Bluet Damselfly
Brilliant azure-blue damselfly. Famous 'mating wheel' posture during copulation.
Brown Hawker
European hawker dragonfly with HEAVILY-TINTED AMBER WINGS visible in flight. 8 cm body, hours of patrol.
Marmalade Hoverfly
4 BILLION migrate across Britain annually. Largest insect migration on Earth. Pollen mass ~80M tons.
Pill Millipede
Rolls into an armored ball — same trick as pillbugs, but completely independently evolved.
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.
Face Fly
Cattle face-feeder. Vector of cattle pinkeye. Overwinters in rural attics by the thousands.
Large Bee Fly
Fly that mimics a bumblebee. FLICKS her eggs into bee burrows from above. Long hovering proboscis.
Cuckoo Bumblebee
Bumblebee that abandoned workers. Invades host bumblebee nests, kills the queen, takes over the colony.
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.
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.
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.
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).
Birch Sawfly
Most ancient Hymenoptera lineage. 'Saw' ovipositor cuts plant slits for eggs. Larva shoots wax.
Zebra Jumping Spider
Black-and-white striped jumping spider on your sunny windowsill. Watches you with puppy-dog eyes.
Common Backswimmer
Only insect that swims UPSIDE DOWN. Bite hurts like a bee sting. Eats mosquito larvae and tadpoles.
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.
Great Diving Beetle
Hunts tadpoles and small fish underwater. Carries an air bubble under her wings. Larva is a 'water tiger.'
White Plume Moth
Wings divided into feathered plumes. Forms a 'T' silhouette at rest. Family of 1,500 species.
Snake Fly
Insect with a 'snake' neck. Tiny ancient order — 270 million years old. Only in the Northern Hemisphere.
Water Scorpion
True bug that mimics a scorpion. Long tail is a snorkel. Hunts tadpoles with raptorial front legs.
Acorn Weevil
Female's snout is half her body length — drills through acorn shells. Cause of acorn 'wormholes.'
Silver Y Moth
Migrates billions between North Africa and northern Europe. Ground speed exceeds 100 km/h on tailwinds.
Western Corn Rootworm
The 'billion-dollar bug.' Resistant to every insecticide AND to Bt corn traits. Invading Europe.
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.
European Fire Ant
Invasive in Metro Vancouver since 2010s. Sharp burning sting. Excludes native ants from infested soil.
Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle
USDA introduced her as biocontrol — she displaced native ladybeetles, invades homes by the thousands, bites.
Fall Webworm
Drapes branch tips in silken webs in late summer. Native invasive across Europe and Asia since 1940s.
Pine Processionary Caterpillar
Marches in head-to-tail processions of hundreds. Bristles cause anaphylaxis. Kills dogs.
Small Emperor Moth
Only saturniid moth native to Britain. Day-flying orange males. Adults cannot eat.
Spongy Moth (formerly Gypsy Moth)
Renamed from 'gypsy moth' in 2022. Released in Massachusetts in 1869. Has defoliated tens of millions of acres.
Colorado Potato Beetle
Most pesticide-resistant insect on Earth. Resistant to 56+ different insecticides. Devastates potato crops globally.
Spanish Fly (Blister Beetle)
Source of the cantharidin 'aphrodisiac.' Hypermetamorphic life cycle. Hitchhikes on bees to their nests.
Scarlet Malachite Beetle
Britain's most beautiful beetle. Emerald-green with scarlet wing tips. Critically declining.
Apollo Butterfly
Translucent white alpine butterfly with red eye-spots. CITES protected. Climate-pressured upslope.
Crane Fly
Third major 'daddy long legs.' Actually a fly. Larva is a turf pest. Adult cannot eat.
Mourning Cloak
Lives 10-12 months. Flies across snow in winter. Drinks tree sap, not nectar. Solar-warmed wings.
Red Admiral
Long-distance migrant. Territorial males dive-bomb anything that moves through their patch.
Giant Peacock Moth
Largest moth in Europe. 20 cm wingspan. The species that proved insect pheromones exist in 1879.
Giant Ichneumon Wasp
Drills 12 cm into wood with her abdomen to lay an egg on a wasp larva. Larva eats it alive. Darwin's parable.
Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee
Cuts perfectly round leaf discs and rolls them into cigar-cells. Backbone of US alfalfa seed industry.
Eastern Subterranean Termite
$5 BILLION in US damage per year. Built from cockroaches. Mud tubes from soil to your studs.
European Earwig
Practices maternal care. Did NOT inspire her name — the ear-burrowing myth is false.
Six-Spotted Fishing Spider
Walks on water. Catches fish. Dives underwater with an air-bubble respirator.