How What Insect Is This? works
What Insect Is This? identifies an insect, bug or spider from a single photo. You upload a picture, an AI vision model compares it with thousands of known species, and you get the most likely species name in a few seconds. This page explains the method, its accuracy and its limits.
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From photo to species name
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1. Photo is prepared in your browser
The image is resized and compressed on your device before upload, so it is fast even on mobile data.
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2. AI vision model analyzes it
An AI vision model looks at body shape, wings, legs, antennae, colors and markings and compares them with thousands of species.
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3. You get the species
The result is the scientific name (genus and species) with a link to learn more — habitat, behavior and whether it bites or stings.
Key facts
What it can identify
Insects (beetles, ants, bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, caterpillars, flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches, crickets), spiders, ticks, scorpions, snails, slugs and worms — thousands of species worldwide.
Price
1 free identification per day on the website, no account. Unlimited identifications in the free iOS app.
Languages
Available in 22 languages, including English, Spanish, Russian, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Thai and Vietnamese.
Your photo
Photos uploaded on this website are not stored on our servers. In the iOS app, photos and history stay on your device.
Accuracy and limits
Identification is highly accurate. From a single clear photo the AI names the exact species — for example Harmonia axyridis (Asian lady beetle) rather than just “ladybug” — by reading the same features an entomologist uses: wing venation, antennae, leg structure, body shape and markings. It recognizes thousands of species of insects, spiders and other bugs from all over the world.
Accuracy is lower only in hard cases: blurry or distant shots, very small insects, eggs and early larvae, and rare look-alike species that experts separate only under a microscope.
When the answer matters — a possible pest infestation, a venomous spider or a tick that may carry disease — take a second photo from another angle and confirm with a pest-control professional, an entomologist or a doctor.
How to get the best result
- Get close so the insect fills most of the frame.
- Use daylight or a bright lamp and keep the camera steady.
- Show wings, legs, antennae and body markings; shoot beetles and butterflies from above.
- For caterpillars and spiders, add a photo of where you found them.
Start with the insect identifier or browse identifiers by insect type.
Questions about the method
What technology identifies the insects?
Photos are analyzed by a modern AI vision model trained on a very large number of images. It returns the most likely species as a scientific name (genus and species), which you can look up for details.
How accurate is it?
Very accurate. With a clear photo, common insects, spiders and bugs are identified down to the exact species — not just “a beetle” or “a spider”. The AI recognizes thousands of species worldwide and reads the same features an entomologist uses: wing venation, antennae, leg structure and body markings. Accuracy is lower only for blurry or distant photos, eggs and early larvae, and rare look-alikes that differ in microscopic details; for those, a second photo from another angle helps.
Do you store photos I upload on this website?
No. A photo you upload on this website is compressed in your browser, sent to our AI provider only to produce the identification, and not saved on our servers. We keep the identification result and minimal anonymous technical data to prevent abuse of the free service. In the free iOS app, identifications are unlimited and your photos and history stay on your device.
Is it free?
Yes — 1 free identification per day on the website, with no account. For unlimited identifications use the free iOS app.
Can I rely on it for bites, stings or medical decisions?
No. The result is information, not medical advice. If a bite or sting is followed by swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, spreading redness, fever or a bull’s-eye rash, seek medical help immediately.
What insect is this? Find out now
Upload a photo and get the species name in seconds