40 Insect Riddles

Insects are some of the most incredible creatures on Earth, with their diverse shapes, sizes, and behaviors. 

Test your knowledge and creativity with these insanely intriguing riddles about insects. 

See if you can solve them all!

Insect Riddles

1. I dance in the light and buzz in your ear, but I’m not a ballerina. What am I?
   
   
2. I might be found in a king’s crown, but I’m better known for marching around. What am I?
   
   
3. I sleep all winter and wake in the spring, but I’m not a bear. Instead, I flutter on wings. What am I?
   
   
4. I’m known to weave, but I’m not a tailor. I catch my food in a silky snare. What am I?
   
   
5. I’m as light as a feather, but I can sting like a bee. I’m colorful and playful. What am I?
   
   
6. I’m an artist of sound, hiding in the night. My music brings summer delight. What am I?
   
   
7. I may look like a tiny spear, but I hop and leap without any fear. What am I?
   
   
8. I wear a coat of armor and can roll into a ball, but I’m not a warrior at all. What am I?
   
   
9. I have a home on my back, but I’m not a snail. In gardens, I’m your tiny, hardworking pal. What am I?
   
   
10. My name sounds royal, but I love to play in soil. I’m small and wriggly, what am I?
    
    
11. I can be a monarch, but I don’t wear a crown. I am known to migrate, but I never leave the ground. What am I?
    
    
12. I’m a busy worker, sweet is my fame. I’m known for my dance, honey is my game. What am I?
    
    
13. I’m a night flier with a ghostly name, but don’t be afraid, I’m harmless and tame. What am I?
    
    
14. I carry a house that isn’t a home, on six legs I’m known to roam. What am I?
    
    
15. I’m known as a pest, my buzz is my signature tune. I love summer picnics, and I’ll be visiting soon. What am I?
    
    
16. I’m small and quick, with a love for the game. I’m a jumping expert, but not a kangaroo’s kin. What am I?
    
    
17. I wear bright colors, but I’m not a bird. In the garden, my fluttering can be heard. What am I?
    
    
18. I’m a silent flier, a nocturnal hunter. My eyes are big, but I’m not a monster. What am I?
    
    
19. I’m a master builder, creating mounds from the earth. I work with my colony, for all it’s worth. What am I?
    
    
20. I have many legs and can climb high walls, but I’m not a lizard, even though I crawl. What am I?
    
    
21. I am a creature of myth, but no fire do I breathe. In the moonlight, by the water, my wings you may see. What am I?
    
    
22. I’m a gardener’s friend, though I don’t plant seeds. I’m known to eat pests, that’s my good deed. What am I?
    
    
23. My bite is worse than my bark, I love to fly in the park. I’m tiny but fierce, what am I?
    
    
24. I’m a weaver of traps, not of tales. In my web, my dinner sails. What am I?
    
    
25. I’m a buzzing beauty, collecting nectar is my duty. I wear yellow and black, what am I?
    
    
26. Though I am not a cat, I’m known to have nine lives, and in the garden, I’m a pest control spy. What am I?
    
    
27. I’m an insect known for my light, twinkling in gardens at night. What am I?
    
    
28. Often seen in a cocoon, I transform under the moon. Who am I?
    
    
29. I’m not a beetle, but I wear a shiny armor, and in ancient myths, I’m a magical charmer. What am I?
    
    
30. I have no wings to fly, but I leap so high. I’m known for my song in the grass, what am I?
    
    
31. I’m a master of disguise, blending in is my prize. I look like a stick, but I’m alive and quick. What am I?
    
    
32. I’m known for my deadly kiss, in the insect world, I’m a dangerous miss. What am I?
    
    
33. I’m not a king, but I wear a crown of sorts. In the morning dew, I build my forts. What am I?
    
    
34. I’m a farmer’s foe and a gardener’s despair, I eat the crops, but I’m not a hare. What am I?
    
    
35. In a hive, I’m the one, the only queen bee. I’m the heart of the hive, what else could I be?
    
    
36. With my many legs, I scurry and frighten, but I’m more scared of you, truth be enlighten. What am I?
    
    
37. I hum and I hover, sipping flowers every hour. I’m not a bee, but just as busy, what am I?
    
    
38. I’m known to jump, but not to play, in the fields, I make my way. What am I?
    
    
39. I may look scary with my pincers so bold, but I help your garden, truth be told. What am I?
    
    
40. My wings are transparent, my body is thin, by the water’s edge, I’m often seen. What am I?

Answers

1. A mosquito.
   
   
2. An ant.
   
   
3. A butterfly.
   
   
4. A spider.
   
   
5. A dragonfly.
   
   
6. A cricket.
   
   
7. A grasshopper.
   
   
8. A pillbug (also known as a roly-poly).
   
   
9. A ladybug.
   
   
10. An earthworm.
    
    
11. A butterfly.
    
    
12. A bee.
    
    
13. A moth.
    
    
14. A snail.
    
    
15. A fly.
    
    
16. A flea.
    
    
17. A butterfly.
    
    
18. An owl (though not an insect, it’s a play on the term ‘moth’).
    
    
19. A Termite
    
    
20. A centipede or a millipede.
    
    
21. A dragonfly.
    
    
22. A ladybug.
    
    
23. A mosquito.
    
    
24. A spider.
    
    
25. A bumblebee or a honeybee.
    
    
26. A ladybug.
    
    
27. A firefly.
    
    
28. A moth or a butterfly.
    
    
29. A praying mantis.
    
    
30. A cricket.
    
    
31. A stick insect.
    
    
32. A black widow spider.
    
    
33. A dew-spider.
    
    
34. A locust or grasshopper.
    
    
35. The queen bee.
    
    
36. A centipede or a millipede.
    
    
37. A hummingbird moth or a hoverfly.
    
    
38. A grasshopper.
    
    
39. An earwig.
    
    
40. A damselfly.