Red Bugs: 28 Common Types to Know
Found a red bug? This guide lists 28 common bugs that are red in color, ordered from most to least risky, with the one feature that identifies each.
Quick list
- Black Widow Spider
- Blacklegged Tick
- Kissing Bug
- Lone Star Tick
- Red Imported Fire Ant
- Bed Bug
- Chigger
- Paper Wasp
- Velvet Ant
- American Cockroach
- Asian Lady Beetle
- Boxelder Bug
- Carpenter Ant
- Cicada Killer
- Cigarette Beetle
- Clover Mite
- Confused Flour Beetle
- Drugstore Beetle
- Drywood Termite
- Earwig
- Fruit Fly
- Indian Meal Moth
- Rice Weevil
- Spotted Lanternfly
- Firefly
- Periodical Cicada
- Seven-Spotted Ladybug
- Spotted Orbweaver
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 28 bugs
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.
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.
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.
Bed Bug
Bed BugCimex lectulariusA flat, oval, apple-seed-sized insect that hides in mattress seams, bed frames and furniture and feeds on human blood at night. Infestations spread through luggage, used furniture and shared walls.
Tell-tale sign: Flat, oval, reddish-brown body without wings. Risk: Bed bug bites itch and cause stress and sleep loss, but bed bugs are not known to spread disease.
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.
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.
American Cockroach
American CockroachPeriplaneta americanaThe largest common house cockroach, a reddish-brown roach that lives in sewers, basements and steam tunnels. It can fly short distances in warm weather.
Tell-tale sign: Large reddish-brown body up to two inches long. Risk: American cockroaches can spread bacteria to food and trigger allergies and asthma.
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.
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.
Cigarette Beetle
Cigarette BeetleLasioderma serricorneA tiny, humpbacked, reddish-brown beetle that infests tobacco, spices, dried flowers, cereals and pet food. Adults are strong fliers and are often found near windows.
Tell-tale sign: Rounded, humped body with smooth, ungrooved wing covers. Risk: Cigarette beetles do not bite; they contaminate and damage stored products.
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.
Confused Flour Beetle
Confused Flour BeetleTribolium confusumA flat, slender, reddish-brown beetle common in flour, cake mixes, cereals and other milled foods. Heavy infestations leave a grayish tint and a sharp, unpleasant smell.
Tell-tale sign: Flat, elongated reddish-brown body. Risk: They don't bite or sting; infested flour tastes and smells bad.
Drugstore Beetle
Drugstore BeetleStegobium paniceumA small, reddish-brown pantry beetle with rows of fine grooves along its wing covers. It infests dried foods, spices, pet food, and even books and medicines.
Tell-tale sign: Oval, reddish-brown body with lengthwise grooves. Risk: Drugstore beetles don't bite or spread disease, but they ruin stored food.
Drywood Termite
Drywood TermiteIncisitermes minorA termite that lives entirely inside dry wood such as furniture, attics and window frames, with no soil contact. It is most common in coastal California, the Southwest and Florida.
Tell-tale sign: Small piles of hard, six-sided fecal pellets. Risk: Drywood termites don't bite people; long-term colonies weaken furniture and framing.
Earwig
EarwigForficula auriculariaA slender, reddish-brown insect with a pair of pincers on its tail. Earwigs hide under mulch and pots by day and chew seedlings, flowers and soft fruit at night.
Tell-tale sign: Forceps-like pincers at the end of the abdomen. Risk: Earwigs can pinch but are harmless, and they do not crawl into ears.
Fruit Fly
Fruit FlyDrosophila melanogasterA tiny, tan fly with bright red eyes that hovers over ripe fruit, drains, trash and spilled drinks. It can go from egg to adult in about a week.
Tell-tale sign: Very small tan body with bright red eyes. Risk: Fruit flies don't bite; they can carry bacteria from trash onto food.
Indian Meal Moth
Indian Meal MothPlodia interpunctellaThe most common pantry moth, with wings that are pale gray near the body and coppery bronze at the tips. Larvae spin silk webbing in grains, nuts, cereal, birdseed and dried fruit.
Tell-tale sign: Two-toned wings, cream at the base and rusty bronze at the tips. Risk: Pantry moths don't bite and aren't toxic; infested food should be thrown away.
Rice Weevil
Rice WeevilSitophilus oryzaeA small, dark weevil with a long snout and four faint reddish spots on its back. Females chew holes in whole grains such as rice, wheat and corn and lay an egg inside each kernel.
Tell-tale sign: Long, narrow snout extending from the head. Risk: Rice weevils cannot bite people and are not harmful if accidentally eaten, but they spoil grain.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
9 of the 28 bugs in this guide can bite or sting. The ones to take seriously are black widow spider, blacklegged tick, kissing bug, lone star tick and red imported fire ant. The rest are harmless or simply a nuisance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common one?
Among the bugs in this guide, the black widow spider and blacklegged tick are the ones people ask about most.
Which of these are dangerous?
Black Widow Spider, Blacklegged Tick, Kissing Bug, Lone Star Tick and Red Imported Fire Ant 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.