Insect Armies! Terrifying Bug Groups Explained

A bug's life

Bugs! Creepy crawlers! They’re repulsive, and icky, but also strangely fascinating.

Did you know a large group of ladybugs is called a loveliness?听For a swarm of winged insects, that’s freaking adorable! It turns out that many other bug听species听have pretty sweet (and often hilarious) names that are only used when referring to a group. Grab your butterfly nets, and let’s discover some more bugged-out group names.

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An army of caterpillars

A group of caterpillars is called an听army, albeit a very fuzzy, peaceful, squirmy army, mostly living on leafy greens in a rose bush or garden. Ahh, now that’s a cushy deployment.

A kaleidoscope of butterflies

Once freed from their cocoons, a group of butterflies is a kaleidoscope! This colorful term comes from Greek, meaning “observation of beautiful forms.”听How pretty and fitting.

An intrusion of cockroaches

A group of cockroaches is called an intrusion. Since they鈥檙e always in a group, they鈥檒l always be an unwelcome intrusion.

A scourge of mosquitoes

A group of mosquitoes is a scourge or a swarm. Some are repellent resistant, so choose wisely, don鈥檛 be scourged (or punished) with stings.

A business of flies

A group of flies is called a business. They get ready like most of us, with a briefcase and tie, coffee, paper, before buzzing away to their offices within garbage cans and听dumpsters.

A swarm of ants

A group of ants is, like mosquitoes, called a swarm if winged. Otherwise, they鈥檙e a colony or nest, tunneling in听your backyard, in search of food scraps and crumbs. If you see any marching around, looking and walking like carbon copies of each other, they鈥檙e an army of soldiers.

A clutter of spiders

黑料网 do you call a rampant horde of spiders? According to the experts, they should be referred to as a clutter or cluster.听Incidentally, mamma spiders听love to hide amongst听all the听undisturbed听clutter in your home. Maybe that’s why they seem to prefer garages and creepy attics.