20 insects containing the letter W — each with origin, classification, and notes.
Below are insects that contain the letter W anywhere in the name. Each of the 20 insects below opens to a full profile.
A metallic blue-green fly whose larvae (maggots) are the primary decomposers of carrion — ecologically vital as recyclers of dead matter, useful in forensic entomology, and controversial as both medical tool and livestock pest.
Moths with transparent wings that convincingly mimic wasps and bees — the hornet moth looks exactly like a hornet; other species mimic bumblebees or wasps so precisely that even experienced naturalists hesitate; adults are active by day and fly fast; larvae bore in tree trunks, stems, and roots for 2–3 years.
The soil-dwelling caterpillar larvae of noctuid moths — one of the most destructive garden and agricultural pests, cutting seedlings off at soil level overnight, yet the adult moths are harmless and often beautiful.
An ancient-wood-eating beetle whose larvae bore through structural timber in old buildings for up to 13 years — the ticking sound made by adults knocking their heads against wood to attract mates was historically heard in deathbed vigils and gave the beetle its sinister name; it has damaged medieval roofs across Britain and Europe.
A nocturnal insect with prominent rear pincers and a famous (false) reputation for crawling into human ears, an attentive mother to its eggs and young.
Tiny insects that chemically reprogram oak trees to build elaborate protective structures around their larvae — the oak apple, marble gall, and spangle gall are all created by different gall wasp species; each species produces a uniquely shaped gall from its own chemical signals, essentially directing the tree's own cells to build a home and food supply.
A bioluminescent insect larva (or wingless adult female of certain beetles) that produces a steady greenish glow to attract prey or mates — including the New Zealand cave-dwelling species that creates one of the world's most spectacular natural light displays.
The largest moths in the world — powerful fliers with streamlined wings, capable of hovering in front of flowers like hummingbirds while feeding with enormously long tongues; the deaths-head hawk-moth has a skull-pattern on its thorax and squeaks when disturbed.
The caterpillar of geometer moths, distinguished by its looping "measure-the-cloth" gait — pulling rear feet up to front feet, then arching forward — and famous in nursery songs.
A delicate green or brown insect with large, elaborately veined transparent wings and golden eyes — whose larvae are ferocious aphid hunters earning them the nickname "aphid lion," making lacewings one of the most beneficial insects in gardens and agriculture.
A dragonfly-like insect with massive owl-like compound eyes and clubbed antennae, related to lacewings, that hunts mosquitoes and small flying insects on the wing at dusk.
The most economically damaging forest pest in Europe — the large pine weevil is a dark, mottled brown weevil whose adults feed on the bark of young conifer trees, girdling and killing transplanted seedlings; it is the primary threat to commercial conifer replanting across Scandinavia and northern Europe, where it can destroy entire newly planted coupes; adults feed at night, concealing themselves under bark and debris by day.
A large nocturnal moth with cryptic gray-brown forewings camouflaged like tree bark, concealing brilliantly colored hindwings flashed in startle displays to confuse predators.
The most damaging garden pest in Britain — its soil-dwelling larvae eat through the roots of container plants and garden favourites including fuchsia, begonia, heuchera, and strawberry, causing sudden plant collapse; the adult is a dull black beetle that notches leaf edges at night and cannot fly.
A diverse group of stinging insects ranging from solitary mud-daubers to aggressive social yellowjackets — predators of garden pests, distinguished from bees by smooth bodies and the ability to sting repeatedly.
Aquatic beetles that have evolved to live in ponds, streams, and lakes — the great diving beetle is Britain's most spectacular aquatic insect, an aggressive predator that will attack fish, frogs, and newts; it carries an air bubble under its wing cases to breathe underwater and can fly between ponds at night.
An insect that walks on the surface film of still or slow-moving water using hydrophobic leg hairs that trap air — an iconic example of surface-tension locomotion and a model organism for materials science research.
A beetle with a distinctive elongated snout — among the largest insect families with over 95,000 species, including notorious agricultural pests of grain, cotton, fruit, and bark.
A small, oval beetle that gyrates in tight circles on the water surface — equipped with divided eyes that see above and below the waterline simultaneously, and with sensory organs that detect surface ripples like a sonar system.
A tiny sap-sucking insect pest that colonizes the undersides of leaves, weakening plants and transmitting viruses — a major problem in greenhouse agriculture and tropical food crops worldwide.
Try insects that start with W, or end with W. Or browse the full insects index.