Bug Encyclopedia

Search and identify bugs & insects — beetles, butterflies, moths, ants, bees, spiders and more — with size, habitat, danger, behavior, and how to tell them apart.

All Beetles Butterflies Moths Ants Bees Wasps Flies True Bugs Spiders Other Arachnids Grasshoppers & Crickets Dragonflies Mantises & Stick Insects Caterpillars & Larvae Aquatic Insects Centipedes & Millipedes Other

Giant Water Bug

A massive, flattened oval true bug with powerful grasping front legs, the giant water bug is North America's largest aquatic insect and an ambush predator lurking just below the surface of still water.

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Booklice (Psocid)

A tiny, soft-bodied, pale insect barely visible to the naked eye that grazes on mold and mildew in damp books, wallpaper, and stored goods.

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Minute Pirate Bug

A tiny, black-and-white patterned true bug barely visible without close inspection, the minute pirate bug is a voracious predator of thrips, mites, and insect eggs on flowers and foliage.

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Pond Skater

Skimming effortlessly across the surface of still water on long, spindly legs, the pond skater uses ripples to detect struggling insects, which it seizes and pierces with needle-like mouthparts.

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