Black Bugs: 48 Common Types to Know
Found a black bug? This guide lists 48 common bugs that are black in color, ordered from most to least risky, with the one feature that identifies each.
Quick list
- Bald-Faced Hornet
- Black Widow Spider
- Blacklegged Tick
- Kissing Bug
- Mosquito
- Yellowjacket
- Blister Beetle
- Bumble Bee
- Cat Flea
- Honey Bee
- Horse Fly
- Paper Wasp
- Velvet Ant
- Wolf Spider
- Aphid
- Asian Lady Beetle
- Boxelder Bug
- Carpenter Ant
- Carpenter Bee
- Cicada Killer
- Colorado Potato Beetle
- Drain Fly
- Eastern Subterranean Termite
- Fungus Gnat
- House Fly
- Larder Beetle
- Little Black Ant
- Longhorn Crazy Ant
- Millipede
- Odorous House Ant
- Oriental Cockroach
- Pavement Ant
- Smokybrown Cockroach
- Southern House Spider
- Spotted Lanternfly
- Varied Carpet Beetle
- Bold Jumping Spider
- Eyed Click Beetle
- Firefly
- Ground Beetle
- Large Milkweed Bug
- Monarch Butterfly
- Mud Dauber
- Periodical Cicada
- Pill Bug
- Seven-Spotted Ladybug
- Springtail
- Yellow Garden Spider
How to narrow it down
Narrow it down with three quick checks. Count the legs: insects have six, spiders and ticks have eight, and centipedes and millipedes have many more. Check for wings, even folded ones. Then compare size against a coin: a US penny is 19 mm across. Our bug identifier tool does this filtering for you.
The 48 bugs
Bald-Faced Hornet
Bald-Faced HornetDolichovespula maculataA black wasp with ivory-white markings on its face and the tip of its abdomen. It builds large, gray, football-shaped paper nests in trees, shrubs and under eaves.
Tell-tale sign: Black body with a white face and white tail markings. Risk: Bald-faced hornets deliver painful stings and attack in numbers when their nest is disturbed.
Black Widow Spider
Black Widow SpiderLatrodectus mactansA shiny black spider with a red hourglass on the underside of its round abdomen. It builds messy, tangled webs in woodpiles, sheds, meter boxes and outdoor furniture.
Tell-tale sign: Glossy black, globe-shaped abdomen. Risk: Females have venom that can cause severe muscle pain and cramps; seek medical care after a bite.
Blacklegged Tick
Blacklegged TickIxodes scapularisAlso called the deer tick, a small tick with a dark shield and, in adult females, a reddish-orange rear body. It waits on grass and brush to latch onto passing people and animals.
Tell-tale sign: Dark black legs and shield. Risk: Blacklegged ticks transmit Lyme disease, anaplasmosis and babesiosis; remove attached ticks promptly.
Kissing Bug
Kissing BugTriatoma sanguisugaA cone-nosed assassin bug with orange-red markings around the edge of its flat abdomen. It feeds on the blood of animals and people, sometimes biting near the face at night.
Tell-tale sign: Elongated, cone-shaped head. Risk: Kissing bugs can carry the parasite that causes Chagas disease; save the bug and contact your health department if you are bitten.
Mosquito
MosquitoCulicidae (e.g. Aedes albopictus)A small, slender fly whose females bite to take blood for egg production. The Asian tiger mosquito is black with white stripes and bites aggressively during the day.
Tell-tale sign: Long, needle-like mouthpart (proboscis). Risk: Mosquito bites itch and, depending on the region, can transmit West Nile, dengue and other viruses.
Yellowjacket
YellowjacketVespula maculifronsA sleek, bright yellow-and-black wasp that nests underground or in wall voids. Late-summer workers scavenge for sweets and meat and are drawn to picnics and trash cans.
Tell-tale sign: Smooth, shiny yellow and black body with little hair. Risk: Yellowjackets sting repeatedly and defend nests aggressively; multiple stings or an allergy can be dangerous.
Blister Beetle
Blister BeetleEpicauta spp.A long, soft-bodied beetle with a narrow neck that feeds on flowers and vegetable foliage. Its body contains cantharidin, a chemical that raises blisters on skin.
Tell-tale sign: Long, soft, cylindrical body with flexible wing covers. Risk: Handling or crushing blister beetles can cause painful skin blisters, and hay contaminated with them can poison horses.
Bumble Bee
Bumble BeeBombus spp.A large, round, very hairy bee with black and yellow bands. It nests in the ground or old rodent burrows and pollinates tomatoes, blueberries and wildflowers.
Tell-tale sign: Plump, fuzzy body covered in dense hair. Risk: Bumble bees are gentle but can sting more than once if their nest is disturbed.
Cat Flea
Cat FleaCtenocephalides felisThe most common flea on both cats and dogs, a tiny, flattened, dark insect that jumps huge distances. Eggs drop off pets into carpets and bedding.
Tell-tale sign: Tiny, reddish-brown to black body flattened side to side. Risk: Flea bites itch, can cause allergic dermatitis in pets, and fleas can pass tapeworms.
Honey Bee
Honey BeeApis melliferaA fuzzy, golden-brown bee with darker bands that pollinates crops and flowers and lives in large colonies. A worker's barbed stinger stays in the skin after it stings.
Tell-tale sign: Golden-brown to amber body with dark abdominal bands. Risk: A honey bee sting is painful and can trigger life-threatening allergic reactions in sensitive people; call a local beekeeper for swarms.
Horse Fly
Horse FlyTabanus spp.A large, stout fly with huge eyes that pursues people, horses and cattle for blood. Females slice skin with blade-like mouthparts, causing a sharp, painful bite.
Tell-tale sign: Large, heavy body with very large, often iridescent eyes. Risk: Horse fly bites are painful and can swell; they rarely transmit disease to people in the US.
Paper Wasp
Paper WaspPolistes spp.A slender wasp with long, dangling legs that builds open, umbrella-shaped paper nests under eaves, railings and grills. It hunts caterpillars to feed its young.
Tell-tale sign: Long, thin body with a narrow waist. Risk: Paper wasps are less aggressive than yellowjackets but will sting to defend their nest.
Velvet Ant
Velvet AntDasymutilla occidentalisNot an ant at all but a wingless female wasp covered in bright red, velvety hair. It runs across sandy ground in summer and lays eggs in the nests of ground-nesting bees.
Tell-tale sign: Dense, bright red or orange fuzz with black bands. Risk: Its sting is famously painful, earning it the name cow killer, but it is not deadly and it isn't aggressive.
Wolf Spider
Wolf SpiderLycosidae familyA large, hairy, fast-running spider that hunts on the ground instead of building webs. Females carry their egg sacs and then their spiderlings on their backs.
Tell-tale sign: Hairy brown or gray body with dark stripes. Risk: Wolf spiders can bite if handled, causing pain and swelling like a bee sting, but they're not dangerous.
Aphid
AphidAphidoidea superfamilyA tiny, soft, pear-shaped insect that clusters on new shoots and leaf undersides to suck sap. Aphids reproduce quickly and leave sticky honeydew that attracts ants.
Tell-tale sign: Pear-shaped, soft body, often green or black. Risk: Aphids don't bite people; heavy colonies curl leaves and spread plant viruses.
Asian Lady Beetle
Asian Lady BeetleHarmonia axyridisAn imported lady beetle that ranges from pale orange to red with anywhere from zero to 19 spots. In fall it gathers in large numbers on sunny walls and slips indoors to spend the winter.
Tell-tale sign: Orange to red dome-shaped body with a variable number of spots. Risk: They can give a mild pinch and release a yellow, smelly fluid that stains, but they carry no disease.
Boxelder Bug
Boxelder BugBoisea trivittataA black bug with red-orange lines on its back that feeds on the seeds of boxelder and maple trees. Large groups sun themselves on warm walls in fall before crawling inside.
Tell-tale sign: Black body with three red lines on the thorax. Risk: Boxelder bugs rarely bite and are harmless, but their droppings can stain curtains.
Carpenter Ant
Carpenter AntCamponotus pennsylvanicusA large black ant that nests in moist or damaged wood, including window frames, decks and wall voids. It doesn't eat wood but excavates smooth galleries and pushes out sawdust-like debris.
Tell-tale sign: Large ant with an evenly rounded, single-arch thorax. Risk: Carpenter ants can deliver a painful bite and weaken wood over time, but they do not carry disease.
Carpenter Bee
Carpenter BeeXylocopa virginicaA large bee that bores perfectly round holes into bare wood on decks, eaves and fences. Males hover aggressively near nests but cannot sting.
Tell-tale sign: Shiny, hairless black abdomen. Risk: Females can sting but rarely do; repeated nesting weakens wood and attracts woodpeckers.
Cicada Killer
Cicada KillerSphecius speciosusOne of the largest wasps in North America, with a black-and-yellow abdomen and amber wings. Females dig burrows in sandy lawns and stock them with paralyzed cicadas.
Tell-tale sign: Very large wasp up to two inches long. Risk: Despite their size, cicada killers are docile; males can't sting and females rarely do.
Colorado Potato Beetle
Colorado Potato BeetleLeptinotarsa decemlineataA rounded, yellow-orange beetle with ten black stripes on its wing covers. Adults and humpbacked red larvae strip the leaves of potatoes, eggplants and tomatoes.
Tell-tale sign: Ten black lengthwise stripes on yellowish wing covers. Risk: Colorado potato beetles are harmless to people but can defoliate a potato crop.
Drain Fly
Drain FlyClogmia albipunctataA small, fuzzy, moth-like fly that rests on bathroom walls near sinks, tubs and floor drains. Its larvae live in the slimy film inside drains.
Tell-tale sign: Fuzzy, gray, leaf-shaped wings held roof-like over the body. Risk: Drain flies don't bite and aren't known to spread disease in homes.
Eastern Subterranean Termite
Eastern Subterranean TermiteReticulitermes flavipesThe most widespread termite in North America, living in underground colonies and reaching wood through mud tubes. Dark, winged swarmers emerge indoors on warm spring days.
Tell-tale sign: Creamy white, soft-bodied workers in soil and wood. Risk: Termites don't bite people but can cause costly structural damage over time.
Fungus Gnat
Fungus GnatBradysia spp.A tiny, dark, mosquito-like fly that hovers around houseplants and windows. Its larvae live in moist potting soil and feed on fungi and roots.
Tell-tale sign: Delicate dark body with long legs and antennae. Risk: Fungus gnats don't bite; larvae can damage seedlings and young roots.
House Fly
House FlyMusca domesticaThe most common fly in homes, a dull gray fly with four dark stripes on its thorax. It breeds in garbage, manure and rotting food and lands on nearly everything.
Tell-tale sign: Four dark lengthwise stripes on a gray thorax. Risk: House flies don't bite, but they can carry bacteria that cause food poisoning.
Larder Beetle
Larder BeetleDermestes lardariusA dark, oblong beetle with a pale yellowish band across the front half of its back. Its hairy larvae feed on dried meats, pet food, cheese and dead insects.
Tell-tale sign: Dark, oblong body with a light tan band across the wing covers. Risk: Larder beetles don't bite, but larvae can bore into wood and they contaminate food.
Little Black Ant
Little Black AntMonomorium minimumA tiny, jet-black, shiny ant that nests in lawns, under rocks and in wall voids. Workers form narrow trails to sweets, grease and meats.
Tell-tale sign: Very small, glossy jet-black body. Risk: Little black ants have a sting too weak to feel; they are a nuisance only.
Longhorn Crazy Ant
Longhorn Crazy AntParatrechina longicornisA dark, slender ant with extremely long legs and antennae that runs in fast, jerky, seemingly random paths. It nests in soil, trash and wall voids, mostly in warm southern states.
Tell-tale sign: Long legs and antennae relative to its body. Risk: Crazy ants rarely bite and don't sting; their sheer numbers make them a nuisance.
Millipede
MillipedeOxidus gracilisA slow-moving, cylindrical arthropod with two pairs of legs on most body segments. Millipedes eat decaying leaves and often migrate indoors after heavy rain.
Tell-tale sign: Rounded, segmented body with many short legs. Risk: Millipedes don't bite; some release a fluid that can stain or irritate skin.
Odorous House Ant
Odorous House AntTapinoma sessileA small, dark brown to black ant that trails along counters and sinks looking for sweets. Crushed workers give off a smell often compared to rotten coconut.
Tell-tale sign: Small, uniformly dark ant with an uneven thorax. Risk: Odorous house ants are a nuisance only; they rarely bite and don't sting.
Oriental Cockroach
Oriental CockroachBlatta orientalisA shiny, dark brown to black cockroach that prefers cool, damp places such as basements, drains and crawl spaces. Females have tiny wing pads, and neither sex can fly.
Tell-tale sign: Glossy black or very dark brown body. Risk: Oriental cockroaches feed on garbage and sewage and can spread bacteria to surfaces.
Pavement Ant
Pavement AntTetramorium immigransA dark brown ant that nests under sidewalks, driveways and slabs, pushing up small piles of sand. Colonies fight noisy battles on pavement in spring.
Tell-tale sign: Parallel grooves on the head and thorax. Risk: Pavement ants have a weak sting that rarely bothers people; they are mainly a nuisance.
Smokybrown Cockroach
Smokybrown CockroachPeriplaneta fuliginosaA large, uniformly dark mahogany cockroach common in the humid Southeast. It lives outdoors in tree holes, mulch and gutters and flies toward lights at night.
Tell-tale sign: Shiny, uniformly dark brown body with no markings. Risk: Smokybrown cockroaches can carry bacteria indoors from mulch and garbage.
Southern House Spider
Southern House SpiderKukulcania hibernalisA velvety, dark gray to brown spider of the southern US whose males look like brown recluses. Females build radiating, lint-like webs around cracks in walls and windows.
Tell-tale sign: Velvety, uniformly dark females with a small head. Risk: Southern house spiders rarely bite and are not medically significant.
Spotted Lanternfly
Spotted LanternflyLycorma delicatulaAn invasive planthopper spreading through the eastern US that feeds on grapevines, maples and tree of heaven. Its folded gray forewings hide bright red hind wings.
Tell-tale sign: Gray forewings with black spots. Risk: Spotted lanternflies don't bite or sting; they damage vineyards and leave sticky honeydew.
Varied Carpet Beetle
Varied Carpet BeetleAnthrenus verbasciA tiny, round beetle mottled with white, brown and yellow scales. The fuzzy, banded larvae chew holes in wool, silk, feathers, leather and stored animal products.
Tell-tale sign: Very small, round beetle with a mottled scale pattern. Risk: Carpet beetles don't bite, but larval hairs can cause itchy skin rashes in some people.
Bold Jumping Spider
Bold Jumping SpiderPhidippus audaxA compact, fuzzy black spider with white spots and iridescent green mouthparts. It stalks prey with excellent eyesight and leaps several times its body length.
Tell-tale sign: Two very large, front-facing eyes. Risk: Jumping spiders are shy and harmless; a rare bite feels like a mild pinch.
Eyed Click Beetle
Eyed Click BeetleAlaus oculatusA long, gray-and-black beetle with two large, eye-like spots on its thorax. When flipped over, it snaps a hinge on its body and launches itself into the air with an audible click.
Tell-tale sign: Two large black false eyespots ringed in white. Risk: Eyed click beetles are harmless; the eyespots are a bluff to scare predators.
Firefly
FireflyPhotinus pyralisA soft-bodied beetle that flashes a yellow-green light from its abdomen on summer evenings. Each species uses its own flash pattern to find mates.
Tell-tale sign: Pink or red shield on the thorax with a black center spot. Risk: Fireflies do not bite or sting, but they contain chemicals that are toxic to lizards and some pets if eaten.
Ground Beetle
Ground BeetleCarabidae familyA fast-running, shiny black beetle that hunts slugs, caterpillars and other insects at night. Ground beetles often wander into basements and garages from nearby mulch and leaf litter.
Tell-tale sign: Shiny black body, often with a metallic sheen. Risk: Ground beetles rarely bite and are beneficial predators; a few release a harmless, bad-smelling spray.
Large Milkweed Bug
Large Milkweed BugOncopeltus fasciatusA bright orange-and-black bug that feeds on milkweed seeds in clusters of adults and nymphs. Its colors warn predators that it tastes bad.
Tell-tale sign: Orange body with a black band across the middle of the back. Risk: Large milkweed bugs are harmless to people and don't damage garden crops.
Monarch Butterfly
Monarch ButterflyDanaus plexippusAn orange butterfly with black veins and white-spotted borders, famous for its multigenerational migration to Mexico. Its caterpillars feed only on milkweed.
Tell-tale sign: Bright orange wings with thick black veins. Risk: Monarchs are harmless to people but toxic to birds that eat them.
Mud Dauber
Mud DauberSceliphron caementariumA solitary wasp with a thread-thin waist that builds tube-shaped mud nests on walls, ceilings and under porches. It stocks each nest with paralyzed spiders.
Tell-tale sign: Extremely long, thread-like waist. Risk: Mud daubers are non-aggressive and very rarely sting, even when handled.
Periodical Cicada
Periodical CicadaMagicicada septendecimA black cicada with red eyes and orange wing veins that emerges by the millions every 13 or 17 years. Males fill forests with a loud, pulsing chorus.
Tell-tale sign: Black body with bright red eyes. Risk: Cicadas don't bite or sting; egg-laying can damage branch tips on young trees.
Pill Bug
Pill BugArmadillidium vulgareA small land crustacean that rolls into a tight ball when disturbed, also called a roly-poly. It eats decaying plant matter in damp soil and mulch.
Tell-tale sign: Gray, armored, segmented body with seven pairs of legs. Risk: Pill bugs are harmless and only occasionally nibble seedlings.
Seven-Spotted Ladybug
Seven-Spotted LadybugCoccinella septempunctataA rounded, dome-shaped beetle with red wing covers and seven black spots. Both adults and larvae eat aphids, making it one of the most welcome insects in any garden.
Tell-tale sign: Bright red, dome-shaped body. Risk: Seven-spotted ladybugs are harmless to people and pets and do not damage plants.
Springtail
SpringtailCollembola classA tiny, wingless hexapod that jumps using a tail-like spring folded under its body. Springtails swarm in damp soil, potted plants and around leaks.
Tell-tale sign: Pinhead-size gray, white or black body. Risk: Springtails don't bite or damage homes; large numbers usually point to a moisture problem.
Yellow Garden Spider
Yellow Garden SpiderArgiope aurantiaA large black-and-yellow orb weaver that spins a big circular web with a thick zigzag band in the center. It sits head-down in the hub of the web in sunny gardens.
Tell-tale sign: Black and bright yellow patterned abdomen. Risk: Yellow garden spiders are not aggressive; a bite is rare and similar to a bee sting.
Which ones should you worry about?
14 of the 48 bugs in this guide can bite or sting. The ones to take seriously are bald-faced hornet, black widow spider, blacklegged tick, kissing bug, mosquito and yellowjacket. The rest are harmless or simply a nuisance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common one?
Among the bugs in this guide, the bald-faced hornet and black widow spider are the ones people ask about most.
Which of these are dangerous?
Bald-Faced Hornet, Black Widow Spider, Blacklegged Tick, Kissing Bug, Mosquito and Yellowjacket can be medically significant.
How can I identify a bug I found?
Use the free bug identifier tool: choose the number of legs, wings, main color, size and where you found it, and it will list the closest matches.