What Bug Is This?
Something just crawled across the kitchen floor, landed on your arm, or turned up in your kid’s bug jar — and you need to know what it is. Ideally right now.
With over a million described insect species (10,000+ of the ones you’re actually likely to meet covered by Picture Bug), visual guessing is hopeless. Photo identification is how you get a real answer in seconds.
Why bugs are so hard to identify by eye
Insects are the most diverse animal group on Earth. Many harmless species have evolved to look dangerous — hoverflies mimic wasps, and some moths mimic hornets. Meanwhile, genuinely problematic bugs like bed bugs have several innocent lookalikes.
Size, color and “number of legs” aren’t enough. Correct identification needs the combination of body segments, wing structure, antennae shape and markings — exactly what image recognition is good at.
Getting a photo the AI can nail
A second of care with the photo dramatically improves accuracy:
- Get close enough that the bug fills a good part of the frame (use macro mode if your phone has it)
- Shoot from above for beetles and crawlers; side-on for grasshoppers and mantids
- Good light matters more than a steady hand — move near a window or outside
- For fast movers, take several shots — one will be sharp
Identify any bug with Picture Bug
- Open Picture BugThe camera is ready as soon as the app opens.
- Snap or uploadPhotograph the bug, or pick an existing photo from your gallery.
- Get the ID in secondsSee the species name, a photo comparison, and the Safe / Caution / Warning safety rating.
- Explore the profileHabitat, behavior, lifecycle, diet — and it’s saved to your collection automatically.
Never let “what bug is this?” go unanswered again. Get Picture Bug and identify any insect in seconds.
Get Picture Bug: Identifier Insect
Identify any insect, spider or bug from a photo. Download now on the App Store.
