Bugs in Your Lawn: 21 Types and What to Do
Bugs in Your Lawn are one of the most common identification questions we get. Here are 21 you are likely to see.
Quick list
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 21 bugs
American Dog Tick
American Dog TickDermacentor variabilisA brown tick with ornate white-gray markings on its shield, common along trails, roadsides and grassy fields. It readily feeds on dogs and people.
Tell-tale sign: Brown body with silvery-white mottling on the shield. Risk: American dog ticks can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.
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.
Lone Star Tick
Lone Star TickAmblyomma americanumAn aggressive, reddish-brown tick of the Southeast and East; adult females have a single white spot on the back. All life stages bite people.
Tell-tale sign: Single white dot on the back of adult females. Risk: Lone star tick bites are linked to ehrlichiosis and alpha-gal syndrome, a red meat allergy.
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.
Red Imported Fire Ant
Red Imported Fire AntSolenopsis invictaA small, aggressive reddish-brown ant that builds dome-shaped mounds of loose soil in sunny lawns and fields across the southern US. When disturbed, workers swarm and sting repeatedly.
Tell-tale sign: Mixed sizes of copper-red workers in one colony. Risk: Fire ant stings burn, form white pustules, and can cause severe allergic reactions in sensitive people.
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.
Chigger
ChiggerTrombiculidae familyThe nearly invisible red larva of a harvest mite that attaches to skin in grassy, brushy areas. Chiggers feed on skin cells, not blood, and cause intensely itchy red bumps.
Tell-tale sign: Microscopic red or orange specks, barely visible. Risk: Chigger bites itch for days, but in the US chiggers don't transmit disease.
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.
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.
Clover Mite
Clover MiteBryobia praetiosaA tiny, red-brown mite that crawls by the thousands onto sunny walls and windowsills in spring and fall. Crushed mites leave red stains.
Tell-tale sign: Pinhead-size red to brown dots moving on walls. Risk: Clover mites don't bite people or damage homes; they're a staining nuisance.
Differential Grasshopper
Differential GrasshopperMelanoplus differentialisA large, olive-yellow grasshopper with black chevron marks on its hind legs. It feeds on crops, vegetables and weeds across the central US.
Tell-tale sign: Yellowish-olive body. Risk: Grasshoppers can nip if handled but are harmless; large outbreaks damage crops.
Japanese Beetle
Japanese BeetlePopillia japonicaA metallic green beetle with copper-brown wing covers that skeletonizes the leaves of roses, grapes, linden and hundreds of other plants. Its white grubs feed on grass roots in lawns.
Tell-tale sign: Metallic green head and thorax with coppery wing covers. Risk: Japanese beetles do not bite or sting people; the harm is to plants and turf.
June Bug
June BugPhyllophaga spp.A heavy, reddish-brown beetle that crashes into screens and porch lights on late-spring nights. Its C-shaped white grubs live in soil and chew grass roots.
Tell-tale sign: Chunky, shiny reddish-brown to dark brown body. Risk: June bugs are harmless to people; they do not bite or sting.
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.
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.
Common Green Darner
Common Green DarnerAnax juniusA large dragonfly with a bright green thorax and, in males, a blue abdomen. It patrols ponds and fields catching mosquitoes and other flying insects.
Tell-tale sign: Green thorax with a bull's-eye mark on the face. Risk: Dragonflies can't sting and almost never bite people.
Crane Fly
Crane FlyTipula spp.A huge, fragile, long-legged fly often mistaken for a giant mosquito. Adults barely feed, and the larvae, called leatherjackets, eat grass roots.
Tell-tale sign: Extremely long, thin legs that detach easily. Risk: Crane flies cannot bite or sting and do not eat mosquitoes, despite the nickname mosquito hawk.
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.
Which ones should you worry about?
9 of the 21 bugs in this guide can bite or sting. The ones to take seriously are American dog tick, blacklegged tick, lone star tick, mosquito, red imported fire ant 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 American dog tick and blacklegged tick are the ones people ask about most.
Which of these are dangerous?
American Dog Tick, Blacklegged Tick, Lone Star Tick, Mosquito, Red Imported Fire Ant 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.