Orange Bugs: 10 Common Types to Know
Found an orange bug? This guide lists 10 common bugs that are orange in color, ordered from most to least risky, with the one feature that identifies each.
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 10 bugs
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Spotted Orbweaver
Spotted OrbweaverNeoscona cruciferaA round, hairy orb weaver that builds a new web each evening on porches, eaves and shrubs. By day it hides in a curled leaf or a nearby corner.
Tell-tale sign: Large, round, hairy abdomen, often reddish or orange. Risk: Spotted orbweavers are harmless and help control flying insects.
Which ones should you worry about?
3 of the 10 bugs in this guide can bite or sting. The ones to take seriously are kissing bug. The rest are harmless or simply a nuisance.
Comparison at a glance
| Kissing Bug | Blister Beetle | Chigger | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group | True Bugs | Beetles | Ticks, Mites & Other Arachnids |
| Scientific name | Triatoma sanguisuga | Epicauta spp. | Trombiculidae family |
| Size | 15–25 mm | 8–25 mm | 0.2–0.4 mm |
| Colors | Black, Red and Orange | Black, Gray and Orange | Red and Orange |
| Legs | 6 legs | 6 legs | 6 legs |
| Wings | Yes | Yes | No |
| Bites or stings | Bites | No | Bites |
| Risk | Health risk | Can bite or sting | Can bite or sting |
| Key feature | Elongated, cone-shaped head | Long, soft, cylindrical body with flexible wing covers | Microscopic red or orange specks, barely visible |
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common one?
Among the bugs in this guide, the kissing bug and blister beetle are the ones people ask about most.
Which of these are dangerous?
Kissing Bug 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.