No confirmed photo of Bumble Bees
Bumble Bees
What the sources say
Venom: “Insect stings probably injure more people each year than all other venomous animals combined.” (Nebraska Extension)
Nebraska Bugs and Insects That Sting or Bite
Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.
On this page
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: …it is estimated that there are upwards of 30,000 species of insects in Nebraska.
This page lists 15 insects and 6 ticks. 4 are venomous by official accounts.
Not every species: no complete official list of Nebraska insects exists, so this page covers the ones state and Extension sources name. How lists are built.
Which insects can hurt you
Official sources single out these insects in Nebraska, in their own words:
-
Stinging wasps and bees
Allergic reactions can be life-threatening. “In allergic individuals, insect stings can cause a life-threatening systemic reaction that can rapidly lead to anaphylactic shock.” Nebraska Extension
-
Culex tarsalis mosquito
Disease vector. “…is probably the most important vector of mosquito-transmitted diseases in Nebraska.” Nebraska Extension
Ticks (arachnids, not insects)
Official sources single out these ticks in Nebraska, in their own words:
-
Photo: Turner Brockman · CC BY-SA 4.0 · iNaturalist · resized American Dog Tick
Disease. “Transmits tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
-
Photo: Jack Forrester · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist Blacklegged Tick
Disease. “Transmits Lyme disease” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
-
Photo: Jasper Shide · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist Lone Star Tick
Disease. “Transmits ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Heartland virus, Bourbon virus, and STARI.” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
-
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick
Disease. “Transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia.” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
-
Brown Dog Tick
Disease. “Transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever (in the southwestern U.S. and along the U.S.-Mexico border).” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
All 15 insects and 6 ticks
Venomous species first, then A to Z. Do not handle them.
No confirmed photo of Honey Bee
Honey Bee
What the sources say
Venom: “Insect stings probably injure more people each year than all other venomous animals combined.” (Nebraska Extension)
No confirmed photo of Paper or Umbrella Wasps
Paper or Umbrella Wasps
What the sources say
Venom: “Insect stings probably injure more people each year than all other venomous animals combined.” (Nebraska Extension)
No confirmed photo of Yellowjackets
Yellowjackets
What the sources say
Venom: “Insect stings probably injure more people each year than all other venomous animals combined.” (Nebraska Extension)
No confirmed photo of American Burying Beetle
American Burying Beetle
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Conservation
- state and federal endangered
American Dog Tick (arachnid)
Dermacentor variabilis
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Danger to people
- “Transmits tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
- Where in Nebraska
- Found statewide throughout Nebraska. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
No confirmed photo of Asian Tiger Mosquito
Asian Tiger Mosquito
Aedes albopictus
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Blacklegged Tick (arachnid)
Ixodes scapularis
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Danger to people
- “Transmits Lyme disease” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
- Where in Nebraska
- In June 2019, state health officials identified established populations in Douglas, Sarpy and Saunders Counties. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
No confirmed photo of Blue Mud Dauber
Blue Mud Dauber
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
No confirmed photo of Brown Dog Tick (arachnid)
Brown Dog Tick (arachnid)
Rhipicephalus sanguineus
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Danger to people
- “Transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever (in the southwestern U.S. and along the U.S.-Mexico border).” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
No confirmed photo of Carpenter Bees
Carpenter Bees
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
No confirmed photo of Cicada Killers
Cicada Killers
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
No confirmed photo of Culex tarsalis (mosquito)
Culex tarsalis (mosquito)
Culex tarsalis
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Danger to people
- “…is probably the most important vector of mosquito-transmitted diseases in Nebraska.” Nebraska Extension
No confirmed photo of Digger Wasps
Digger Wasps
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Gulf Coast Tick (arachnid)
Amblyomma maculatum
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
Lone Star Tick (arachnid)
Amblyomma americanum
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Danger to people
- “Transmits ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Heartland virus, Bourbon virus, and STARI.” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
Monarch
Danaus plexippus
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Conservation
- Tier 1 at-risk pollinator per NGPC
No confirmed photo of Regal Fritillary
Regal Fritillary
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
No confirmed photo of Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (arachnid)
Rocky Mountain Wood Tick (arachnid)
Dermacentor andersoni
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Danger to people
- “Transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia.” Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
No confirmed photo of Salt Creek Tiger Beetle
Salt Creek Tiger Beetle
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
- Where in Nebraska
- Found only on salt flats and salt water seeps in saline wetlands near Lincoln Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- Conservation
- state and federal endangered
No confirmed photo of Yellow and Black Mud Dauber
Yellow and Black Mud Dauber
- Venom
- No official source we use states whether this animal is venomous. That does not mean it is harmless: do not handle it.
When insects are active in Nebraska
Records of insects in Nebraska peak in June to August. They show when people record insects, not how many there are (about month bars).
- Striped bark scorpions in Franklin County are dormant from late October to mid-March. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- Ticks are active April to October; DHHS surveys then. Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services
- May and June are regarded as high tick season. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Most insect stings occur in late summer and fall. Nebraska Extension
If you are bitten or stung
Call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 right away. Poison Help connects you to your local poison center, any time of day.
Official advice from Nebraska Regional Poison Center, Nebraska Extension and University of Nebraska-Lincoln:
- Bite or sting emergency: call 911 or Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222. Nebraska Regional Poison Center
- Stinging insects usually sting only when stepped on, touched or annoyed. Nebraska Extension
- Check for ticks after being outdoors. University of Nebraska-Lincoln
How to report
NGPC: 402-471-0641 (or a local conservation officer). Sick or dead wildlife: report to a Game and Parks office. Invasive species: Nebraska Invasive Species Council, [email protected] or its Report A Sighting page. Reptile and amphibian sightings: UNL Report A Sighting form (herpneb.unl.edu/report-sighting). Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
About this list
Venom labels come only from official sources and link to them; "Not stated" never means harmless. How labels work.
Sources
- Contact Us. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. archived copy, captured August 24, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“You may contact us by mail, phone at 402-471-0641, or the contact form below.”
- Insects. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. archived copy, captured October 1, 2023; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“…it is estimated that there are upwards of 30,000 species of insects in Nebraska.”
- Stinging Wasps and Bees (G1447). Nebraska Extension. NebGuide G1447; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (4)
“Insect stings probably injure more people each year than all other venomous animals combined.”
“In allergic individuals, insect stings can cause a life-threatening systemic reaction that can rapidly lead to anaphylactic shock.”
“Generally, these insects will not sting unless stepped on, touched, or annoyed.”
“Most insect stings occur during late summer and fall when stinging insects are most abundant.”
- Residential Mosquito Control (G2037). Nebraska Extension. NebGuide G2037, undated in HTML view; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“…is probably the most important vector of mosquito-transmitted diseases in Nebraska.”
- Medically Important Ticks of Nebraska. Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. archived copy, captured July 12, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (6)
“Transmits tularemia and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.”
“Transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever (in the southwestern U.S. and along the U.S.-Mexico border).”
“Transmits ehrlichiosis, tularemia, Heartland virus, Bourbon virus, and STARI.”
“Transmits Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Colorado tick fever, and tularemia.”
“Transmits Lyme disease”
“When ticks are active in Nebraska (April-October)”
- Nebraska Ticks & Prevention (Tick Tag Go). University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Nebraska One Health, Tick Tag Go). undated page; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (2)
“Perform regular, full body, tick checks on your person and children”
“May/June is regarded as high tick season in Nebraska.”
- Terrestrial Invasive Insect Species List. Nebraska Invasive Species Council. updated February 16, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
- Threatened and Endangered Species. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. archived copy, captured May 19, 2023; checked November 3, 2026.
- Nebraska Regional Poison Center. Nebraska Regional Poison Center. archived copy, captured October 1, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“The person has collapsed or stopped breathing? Call 911 or your local emergency number right away … For Poisoning Questions or Emergencies, Call 800.222.1222”
- Nebraska Has Scorpions? Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NEBRASKAland Magazine blog). archived copy, captured September 17, 2025; checked November 3, 2026.
Quoted passages (1)
“…they are dormant from late October to mid-March”
- GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.