Amazing Photos of Insects That Will Change Your View of Our Little Friends

When most people think about bugs, they think pests. Those obnoxious ants, those pesky mosquitos, stinkbugs who live up to their name, termites who destroy property, and those seemingly indestructible cockroaches...but there is a lot of beauty to be found in the insect world, and not just with butterflies (but definitely some butterflies). These amazing insect photos prove that.

According to the Smithsonian Institute, there are more than 900 thousand species of insects out there. Some may be the stuff of nightmares, but there are definitely a few that are pretty cool looking and even useful. Honeybees pollinate farms, earthworms spend their days making soil better for crops, and ladybugs, dragonflies and praying mantises eat other pests that destroy plants and harvests. We’ve found a few of the most fascinating bugs out there...and don’t worry all you arachnophobes out there, spiders fall under a different class of animal.