How to Take Better Insect Photos for Accurate Identification

By Samantha Kiever, Research Entomologist, Insects Limited

Ever since I first became interested in entomology, I’ve been known as “the bug lady.” Much like Rick Harrison on Pawn Stars always has “a guy” for obscure things, I’m “the guy” when it comes to insects. Friends and family constantly send me photos—some so blurry or vague that I’m not sure if I’m looking at a bed bug, a chia seed, or something scraped off the bottom of a shoe.

If you work in this field, you’ve seen your fair share of these cryptic snapshots. And even if you’re not a professional, you deserve to know what’s crawling around your home or business.

At Insects Limited, we “start with the insect first,” which means accurate identification is the foundation for everything else. And for that, a clear photo is key.

Without much knowledge of entomology, it can be difficult to pinpoint what exactly an entomologist is looking for when trying to identify a mystery arthropod. Sometimes, it can even seem like magic that this little brown thing that moves can be identified as one species of millions, all with names that possess more Latin syllables than a corn cob has kernels.

Whether you are a professional looking for guidelines for your clients on how to send the best photo possible for ID or simply a person with an average understanding of insects looking for answers, here are some best practices for getting the best possible identification from a photograph.

How Getting Close to Insects Improves Photo-Based Identification

Think of it this way. How do you know something is a bug? If you’re already close enough to see it, then it might be pretty obvious. If the mystery speck is stationary, the first thing you need to do it get closer to it and determine if it has those hallmark characteristics of insects: three body segments, six legs, etc.. Sometimes it may seem obvious that the brown blur across the room is an insect because you’ve seen them around many times before, and it’s clearly alive because it is moving. Unfortunately, something that simply looks like a moving brown speck can only be identified as a moving brown speck. While you may know from prior experience that this is a bug like all the others you have seen, this is the entomologist’s first encounter with your insect. The closer you get, the more detailed the image so we can accurate identify your critter.

Why Complete Insect Specimens Matter for Accurate ID

This is especially important when photographing deceased insects. Sometimes a specimen may appear baffling to the uninitiated—it’s clearly something that was once an insect, but it looks segmented without any eyes, and it has weird circles along the top half. Perhaps it was a larva of some kind? When looking for an accurate identification of an insect, fragments are almost always not enough to identify what you’re dealing with. Be sure that your specimen has antennae, legs, and three body segments. If those features are all present, you’re more likely to get the answers you’re looking for.

Note: Smashed insects often can’t be identified because being smashed destroys the aforementioned critical features to ensure a complete specimen.

Best Lighting Tips for Clear Insect Photos

A shadowy blur taken in a dim hallway at 2 a.m. isn’t going to show much. Opt for natural lighting or a well-lit indoor shot. If possible, it’s best to refrain from using the flash to get a photo of the insect, as the reflection from the flash can obscure important markings vital to identification. Using the flash may also mess with a phone camera’s focus. If you need to take a photo in a dim area, try illuminating your insect with a flashlight from a distance that doesn’t cause the photo to be washed out.

How to Take Focused Insect Photos That Experts Can Identify

This one is huge. No matter who complete the specimen or how well it is lit, if the photo looks like it was taken mid-earthquake, there’s not a lot of information to glean from it. On most smartphone cameras, simply tap on the insect on the screen to force the camera to focus on it.

Sometimes cameras may struggle to focus if you are too close to your subject. Back up just enough that you can force your phone to focus, and avoid the temptation to use zoom. Also avoid zooming into an already snapped image from a distance and cropping it. Because digital images are made of pixels, by utilizing zoom in this way, you’re increasing the size of the pixels, which can obscure even more detail.

Use Background Contrast to Make Your Insect Photos Stand Out

Try and get the insect on a surface that really makes it stand out. Dark insects turn out best when photographed on light colored surfaces, and light colored insects turn out best on dark colored surfaces. Avoid overly textured or patterned surfaces. Really make sure the insect is the star of the show.

Why Context Matters: How Describing the Scene Aids Insect ID

Sometimes, the photo only tells half the story. Although photos are often touted as being worth a thousand words, offering a couple of words yourself about your situation can help bolster the identifiers confidence in their diagnosis. If the context that you provide alongside your photo matches the suspected behavior or biology of the insect the trusted identifier suspects, this can bolster their certainty in their identification despite not being able to observe the insect from every angle inside and out to identify them.

For example, someone sends a photo of a small, brown beetle to a trusted professional hoping to find out what exactly has been plaguing their living room. They’re worried they may have some wood-boring pest making meals out of their solid wood coffee table. The photo shows a brown beetle with its head tucked downwards beneath the hood of their pronotum. Given the clarity of the photo it could be cigarette beetle, drugstore beetle, or Anobium punctatum. In the provided narrative, the concerned individual also mentions that they haven’t seen any damage to the wood, but they’re unsure if the beetles would leave behind obvious signs of damage or not. They also mention something else peculiar: they’ve had to pick a couple of beetles out of their potpourri. Without any more correspondence, the entomologist can state that. There is a greater likelihood that the beetles are cigarette or drugstore beetles based on the lack of wood damage and the apparent presence of a food source where they are being found. Of course, it is the responsibility of the entomologist providing the identification to disclose their level of certainty based on the photos and provided narrative, and follow up is always advised, as confirming the presence of circular holes in the potpourri and receiving a follow up photo confirming antennas structure once it is known what to look for is the best route to an level of identification that is appropriate for subsequent monitoring and management of the situation.

Photo-Based Insect Identification: What Works and What Doesn’t

As helpful as a good photo can be, it’s important to know where its limits lie. There are many features that just don’t translate well, or at all, through a camera lens. Characteristics like genitalia structure (used often in species-level ID), minute antennal differences, or the exact pattern of leg spines aren’t easily visible in your average smartphone snapshot.

So, while a sharp, well-lit photo may help us rule out something serious—like determining that your mystery moth isn’t a clothes moth—it may not be enough to identify exactly which moth you’re dealing with (this is especially true for moths that you may notice as a once off in your house and haven’t shown any established behavioral patterns). And in many cases, that’s okay. Not every situation requires a down-to-the-species ID. It can still be helpful to confirm or reject the potential for an infesting insect versus a casual invader that has sadly wandered indoors to await its demise from lack of food, water, and/or shelter. In the context of stored product pest management, knowing the category of pest (pantry moth vs. clothes moth) can be sufficient to guide effective monitoring and control strategies. Even if more specific identification is still needed, knowing the category of pest is helpful in determining a starting point to locate more specimens that can be utilized for microscopic examination and more conclusive identification.

Quick Guide: How to Take Better Bug Photos for Identification

A good insect photo is clear, focused, well-lit, and shows as much of the specimen as possible, with the right angle and helpful context. Even if it doesn’t lead to a precise species-level identification, it can still offer something valuable: clarity. Knowing that the moth in your bedroom is not a clothing moth, or that the beetle you found likely came in from outside rather than signaling an infestation, can bring real peace of mind. And if the photo does suggest a potential pest problem, it gives you the information you need to move forward with confidence. That means building a solid management plan and using strong monitoring tools to make sure whatever action you take is effective and lasting, leaving you with a pest-free space, protected food, and a calm mind.