What insect did you find?

Insects Explained is an illustrated reference to the insects found in and around American homes: how to identify them, how they live, and what to do about the few that cause real trouble. Start with where you saw yours.

Where was it?	Kitchen Bathroom Bed or bedroom Pantry Basement Windows Outdoors On plants On a pet
What was it doing?	Flying Crawling Biting or stinging Jumping
What did it look like?	A beetle An ant, wasp or bee A cockroach A termite Tiny and black Tiny and brown A caterpillar
Still not sure?	Open the identification finder

Featured guide

Termite vs flying ant. Tell termite swarmers from winged ants by antennae, waist and wings, and learn what a swarm indoors means and what to do next. Swarms of either one turn up indoors in spring, and only one of them points to damage in the walls.

Read the guide »

Common questions

Household pests

TermitesBlattodea, several families
CockroachesBlattodea
AntsFormicidae
Bed bugsCimex lectularius
MosquitoesCulicidae
FleasCtenocephalides felis
Carpet beetlesDermestidae
Pantry pestsBeetles, weevils and moths
Indoor fliesDiptera
Wasps and hornetsVespidae and relatives
SilverfishZygentoma
Powderpost beetlesBostrichidae and Ptinidae

All household pests, grouped by the damage they do »

The orders of insects

Scientists group insects into about thirty orders. These ten cover nearly everything you will meet at home or in the yard.

Order	Examples
Coleoptera	Beetles, weevils, lady beetles
Hemiptera	True bugs, bed bugs, aphids, cicadas
Hymenoptera	Ants, bees, wasps, sawflies
Diptera	Flies, mosquitoes, gnats
Lepidoptera	Moths, butterflies, caterpillars
Blattodea	Cockroaches and termites
Orthoptera	Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids
Odonata	Dragonflies, damselflies
Siphonaptera	Fleas
Zygentoma	Silverfish, firebrats

The orders of insects, in full »

Commonly confused

Problems by place

In the kitchen: Ant trails on counters, German cockroaches under the sink, fruit flies around the fruit bowl.
In the bathroom: Drain flies on the wall, silverfish in the tub, springtails and the odd roach from a drain.
In bed: Bed bugs, carpet beetle larvae and fleas are the usual suspects. Bites alone cannot tell them apart.
In stored food: Pantry moths, weevils and small beetles in flour, cereal, spices, dried fruit and pet food.
In wood: Termites, carpenter ants and powderpost beetles each leave different droppings, tunnels and holes.
Flying indoors: Gnats, fruit flies, drain flies and swarmers. Where they gather is the best clue.
Biting and stinging: Mosquitoes, fleas, bed bugs and stinging wasps, narrowed down by where it happened.
On plants: Aphids, caterpillars, beetles and scale on vegetables, lawns, shrubs and houseplants.

Reference and downloads

Caterpillar Identification Guide (PDF). Anatomy, prolegs, major families, common North American species and the ones that sting, with a field checklist and glossary.

20 pages, free to print for home and classroom use. Web version

The orders of insects: every major order, with old names explained
External anatomy of insects: head, thorax, abdomen and appendages, labeled
Simple metamorphosis: egg, nymph, adult: cockroaches, termites, bed bugs
Complete metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, adult
Coleoptera (beetles): beetle anatomy and major families
Hemiptera (true bugs): true bugs, from stink bugs to aphids
Insect mouthparts: chewing, piercing, siphoning, sponging
Pest control basics: prevention, inspection and treatment methods