Hawaii is home to roughly 10,000 described insect species, and the vast majority exist nowhere else on Earth. About 6,000 of those are endemic species that evolved on the islands after just 260 or so ancestral colonists somehow crossed the Pacific Ocean and established populations. But the islands also host a long list of introduced insects, some harmless and some genuinely destructive, that arrived with human activity over the centuries. Here’s what you’ll actually encounter and what’s worth knowing about.
Native Insects Found Only in Hawaii
Hawaii’s geographic isolation created an insect fauna unlike anywhere else. A single ancestor species could arrive on the islands and, over millions of years, diversify into dozens or hundreds of related species filling different ecological roles. Scientists call these adaptive radiations, and they produced an extraordinary range of native flies, beetles, moths, crickets, and damselflies found on no other landmass.
The most famous native insect is the Kamehameha butterfly, Hawaii’s state insect and one of only two butterfly species native to the islands (the other is Blackburn’s blue butterfly). The Kamehameha butterfly is a brush-footed butterfly related to painted ladies. Males have light orange patches near the wingtips, while females display pure white patches in the same spot. Their caterpillars grow to about two inches, are covered in spines and bumps, and range from bright green to brown depending on the individual. You’re most likely to spot adults around māmaki plants, their primary host. The species is legally protected, and collecting specimens without a permit is illegal even on private land.
Another beloved native is the happy-face spider, a tiny arachnid found only in Hawaiian rainforests. Its claim to fame is a pattern on its abdomen that resembles a smiling face, though not every individual displays it. Interestingly, the genes controlling the color pattern differ from island to island. Scientists still debate whether the “face” serves a defensive purpose, possibly startling bird predators, or whether the variation simply persists because there’s no strong evolutionary pressure against it.
Mosquitoes and Disease Risk
Hawaii had no mosquitoes before humans arrived. Today, two species capable of transmitting diseases like dengue, chikungunya, and Zika are established on the islands. The Asian tiger mosquito is present on every island, while the yellow fever mosquito has only been confirmed in certain areas on the Big Island. Both are daytime biters, which catches many visitors off guard since people tend to associate mosquito activity with dusk. Hawaii experiences occasional dengue outbreaks when an infected traveler introduces the virus and local mosquitoes pick it up.
Centipedes
The large centipede in Hawaii is hard to ignore. Adults reach six to seven inches in length. They’re predatory, fast, and deliver a painful bite through two fang-like appendages that inject venom. The reaction ranges from mild, localized swelling to significant swelling of an entire limb, depending on the person’s sensitivity. During the day, centipedes hide under rocks, leaf litter, logs, and soil crevices. When conditions get too wet, too dry, or when construction disturbs their habitat, they move indoors and settle in dark spots: inside shoes, under bedding, in closets, and especially in humid areas like bathrooms.
Cockroaches
Hawaii’s warm, humid climate is ideal for cockroaches, and several species are well established. The German cockroach is the small one, about half an inch long, light brown with two dark stripes running lengthwise behind its head. It lives exclusively indoors in kitchens, restaurants, and anywhere with moisture and food scraps. The Surinam cockroach is a burrowing species, roughly an inch long, found both indoors and outdoors. The harlequin cockroach is easy to identify by its striking black-and-yellow patterning and is primarily an outdoor species found around buildings. The Pacific beetle cockroach looks more like a beetle than a typical roach and is usually found outdoors beneath leaf litter. The brown-banded cockroach rounds out the list, a small yellowish-brown species with pale banding across its body.
Little Fire Ants
The little fire ant is one of Hawaii’s most concerning invasive insects. Native to South America, it likely arrived on the Big Island in the 1990s on plant shipments to nurseries in the Puna district. These ants are tiny but deliver a sting that produces welts lasting for weeks. They nest in trees and shrubs, so people often get stung on the neck, arms, and torso when ants drop from overhead branches. The ecological damage is severe: little fire ants protect crop-damaging pests like aphids and scale insects in exchange for the sugary secretions those pests produce. They also invade beehives, prey on bee larvae, and can eventually destroy entire colonies. In other parts of the world, they’ve been documented blinding pets and attacking the eyes of wildlife.
Termites
The Formosan subterranean termite is one of the most destructive insects in Hawaii, costing the state an estimated $100 million per year in prevention and repair. Its colonies are enormous. An average colony contains over two million individuals, and large ones exceed ten million. The damage is both aggressive and hidden. There’s often no external sign of an infestation until floors sag, roofs leak, or walls warp. These termites need an external moisture source (unlike drywood termites, which extract water from the wood itself), so they build mud tunnels to stay humid as they travel above ground. Large swarms emerge in May and June just after sundown on warm, still evenings. If the wind exceeds two miles per hour, they won’t swarm at all. When they do, the event lasts about 30 minutes before the termites land and shed their wings.
The colony structure is highly organized. Workers, which make up the vast majority of the population, forage for food, maintain the nest, care for eggs, and feed every other member of the colony. Soldiers have hard brown heads with pincer-like jaws and secrete a white sticky fluid from the top of their heads to immobilize enemies. Termites consume any plant material, including paper, cork, fruit, and living plants, but wood is their primary food source.
Fruit Flies
Four invasive fruit fly species form what’s known as Hawaii’s fruit fly complex: the Mediterranean fruit fly, Oriental fruit fly, melon fly, and Malaysian fruit fly. These insects are a major burden on agriculture because females lay eggs inside ripening fruit, and the larvae feed on the flesh from the inside out. They affect a wide range of crops from tropical fruits to vegetables, and their presence creates trade restrictions that limit what Hawaiian growers can ship to the mainland United States.
Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle
The coconut rhinoceros beetle is a large, shiny black beetle that bores into the crowns of palm trees to feed on sap, killing or severely damaging the tree. It was first detected on Oahu and has since spread to the Big Island, where the first detection occurred in Waikoloa in 2023. As of mid-2025, 30 adult beetles have been trapped on the Big Island, with detections stretching as far north as Kiholo Bay. Three breeding sites have been confirmed in the Kona area. The response has been aggressive: nearly 400 traps deployed, 1,300 palm trees treated preventively, and thousands of cubic yards of potential breeding material inspected. A voluntary quarantine order covering west Hawaii restricts the movement of green waste and other material that could harbor beetles.
What Visitors and Residents Notice Most
If you’re visiting Hawaii, the insects you’ll encounter most often are mosquitoes (especially at lower elevations and near standing water), cockroaches (indoors and out, particularly at night), and ants. Centipedes are less common but memorable when they show up. Hikers in native forests may spot native damselflies, endemic moths, or if they’re lucky, a Kamehameha butterfly around māmaki plants. The islands lack many insects that mainland visitors expect, including native ants, native termites, and most familiar butterfly species. What fills those ecological gaps is a mix of unique Hawaiian lineages that evolved in isolation and aggressive introduced species that arrived with modern commerce.