Brown marmorated stink bug facing the camera on a speckled stone

Insects and spiders, identified from a photo

What bug is this?

WhatBug.id is a photo identifier for the insects and spiders you find in the house, the garden, and on you. Snap it, see the closest matches, learn whether it bites and what to do next.

Join the waitlist
No. 001Bites or harmless? One photo.
Plate 01Method

How it will work

  1. 01

    Snap a photo

    Take a clear photo of the bug, or upload one you already have.

  2. 02

    Get the closest matches

    See the likeliest species side by side, with the features that separate them.

  3. 03

    Learn what to do next

    Find out whether it bites, whether it means a pest problem, and what to do about it.

Plate 02Specimens

Twelve common finds

Each one has a tell: the feature that separates it from the bugs it gets mistaken for.

Swipe for all 12 →

  • Adult bed bug, reddish brown and oval, feeding on human skin
    Bites
    No.01

    Bed Bug

    Cimex lectularius

    Flat, oval, apple-seed brown, hides in mattress seams, leaves bites in lines.

  • Female black-legged tick with a dark shield and red-brown body on a green leaf
    Bites, disease risk
    No.02

    Black-legged Tick

    Ixodes scapularis

    Eight legs, no antennae, dark shield behind the head, swells after feeding.

  • Large black carpenter ant walking across weathered wood
    Household pest
    No.03

    Carpenter Ant

    Camponotus

    Large black ant, smoothly rounded back, sawdust piles near wood.

  • Brown marmorated stink bug seen from above on a black background, showing its mottled shield shape
    Harmless, nuisance
    No.04

    Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

    Halyomorpha halys

    Shield shape, mottled brown, white bands on antennae, smells when crushed.

  • Silverfish with a tapered silvery body and three long tail bristles on a white wall
    Household pest
    No.05

    Silverfish

    Lepisma saccharinum

    Teardrop body, silvery scales, three tail bristles, wriggles like a fish.

  • House centipede with long banded legs on a pale stone surface
    Harmless, can bite
    No.06

    House Centipede

    Scutigera coleoptrata

    Fifteen pairs of long striped legs, very fast, eats other bugs.

  • Hairy grey-brown wolf spider standing on a sunlit wooden plank
    Harmless, can bite
    No.07

    Wolf Spider

    Lycosidae

    Hairy, brown, hunts on the ground, carries its egg sac and then its young.

  • Brown recluse spider with long thin legs on a plain white surface
    Venomous
    No.08

    Brown Recluse

    Loxosceles reclusa

    Violin mark behind the head, six eyes in three pairs, uniform tan.

  • Black and red boxelder bug climbing a dry grass stem
    Harmless, nuisance
    No.09

    Boxelder Bug

    Boisea trivittata

    Black with three red lines behind the head, swarms on sunny walls in fall.

  • European earwig with curved pincers at the tip of its abdomen on a white wall
    Harmless
    No.10

    European Earwig

    Forficula auricularia

    Dark brown, pincers at the rear, hides in damp spots.

  • German cockroach, light brown with two dark stripes behind the head, on a pink stone
    Household pest
    No.11

    German Cockroach

    Blattella germanica

    Small, tan, two dark stripes behind the head, kitchens and bathrooms.

  • Tiny varied carpet beetle with mottled yellow, white and brown scales on the page of an open book
    Household pest
    No.12

    Varied Carpet Beetle

    Anthrenus verbasci

    Tiny round beetle, mottled white, brown and yellow scales, larvae eat wool.

Plate 03Field note

Bite or no bite, here is what to do next.

Most of what you find indoors is harmless. A few species bite, one or two matter medically, and some mean you have a bigger problem in the walls. WhatBug.id will show you the features that separate lookalikes and what the match means for you. For a bite that swells, spreads, or comes with fever, see a doctor.

Plate 04FAQ

Questions

Q1

Is this a bed bug?

Adult bed bugs are flat, oval and reddish brown, about the size of an apple seed, with no wings. They hide in mattress seams, bed frames and headboards, and their bites often show up in a line or a small cluster. Carpet beetles, spider beetles and young cockroaches are the usual lookalikes. If you find one, seal it in a bag or jar so a pest professional can confirm it.

Q2

What spider is this, and is it dangerous?

Most spiders found in North American homes are harmless to people. The ones that matter medically are the brown recluse and the widow spiders. A brown recluse is plain tan with a dark violin shape behind the head and six eyes in three pairs. Wolf spiders and house spiders are often mistaken for it, and while they can bite, they are not considered dangerous.

Q3

How do I identify a bug from a photo?

Get the bug in focus and fill the frame, from above if you can. Note where you found it, its size and how many legs it has, since those narrow the options quickly. Then compare body shape, markings and antennae against the likely lookalikes. WhatBug.id will run that comparison for you when it opens.

Q4

What is the best bug identifier app?

iNaturalist is good for community-confirmed IDs, and Google Lens gives a fast first guess. WhatBug.id is built for the bugs people find at home and on themselves, and it shows the features that separate one match from the next. It runs in the browser, so there is nothing to install.

Q5

When does WhatBug.id launch?

We are building it now and have not set a date. Join the waitlist and we will email you once when it opens.

Plate 05Waitlist

Get it first

Leave your email and we will send one message when WhatBug.id opens.