General Information

Before modern times and a global economy, witchcraft embraced the ordinary. We used what we had available to us. What we had was what was around us – insects, too. In general, except for a few creepy crawlies, I prefer to encourage the philosophy that all creatures, including insects, were put on this earth for good, valid reasons. Likewise, I feel that we as humans don’t really have a reason to harm insects without provocation. Even with provocation, I tend to wonder. Most likely we humans have placed ourselves in their way, not the other way around. We as humans can co-exist with all insects in the most caring type of way. As keepers of the old ways, where the earth and its inhabitants respected their home and all its inhabitants, we in the witchcraft community can “do no harm.” As such, I do not kill insects if I can help it. If they find themselves in the house, I usher them out or leave them in the case of spiders. If they are in my yard, I move them or work around them. If I encounter them elsewhere, I leave them alone and encourage others to do the same. This includes the more deadly ones, too. There are a few exceptions which I will get to later in the article.

If I am working with insects, the insects are not alive, nor have they been ”unalived” to benefit my practice. In short, I work with humanely-collected critters. I also tend to not set them on fire or otherwise destroy the bug in the ritual. They can be hard to find. In that vein, I look for bugs that have meaning for me - where my intentions can be enhanced by their use. In my practice, I use insects to enhance my energy in a specific way in a spell or use as a talisman. In using them as a spell enhancer, I am connecting with the energy that the insect projected to me. You’ll see what I mean in the paragraphs below. It’s much harder to use a bug as a talisman if the talisman is meant to be moved or carried frequently. The fragile nature of bug carcasses makes them less likely to survive being carried or handled. (If that’s what you want, go for it, though.) Consider using them where you can save for a different time. Just remember to cleanse the insect in between.

I have been experimenting with putting just enough resin on the insect to protect it but not make a thick block of resin around it. I am trying these creatures in my practice now. I should have updates to whether resin reduces the insect’s impact soon. I will be highlighting the bugs that have meaningful energy to me. There are so many more. As I discover more, I will continue to add here.

Here are some insects that I seek and use and why.

Spiders and Their Webs

I consider spiders good-luck insects. Many other cultures do also. Spiders easily catch and dispose of flies. That’s a great reason to allow them access to your home. Spiders are generally shy in my world. A spider will bite a human if disturbed or messed with, but not maliciously. In most cases, they are considered helpful not harmful. Most times using a spider in my work brings protection or cleansing, but not always.

Fly spiders (Bold Jumping Spider)

I have always called these creatures "fly spiders", but others have called them muscle spiders or jumping spiders. I think these spiders are actually called Bold Jumping Spiders (Phidippus audax). They do wonders at keeping your fly population down. I find them to be cheery little creatures in real life, They will not threaten you in the least. Fly spiders are a happy childhood memory for me, so fly spiders enhance protection and joy for me.

Jumping spiders (various)

In the southern United States, various species of jumping spiders thrive - too numerous to deal with individually here. The one that I encountered the most is the Texas Brown Jumping Spider, but they come in a variety of colors. Jumping Spiders are considered the most common spiders in Texas. They are small and harmless. Jumping spiders have loads of energy, after all they hunt for their meals. In my encounters with jumping spiders I find them bashful but playful. I would use a jumping spider for extra energy in a spell, for example.

Banana spiders (Yellow Garden Spider)

These beautiful critters grow large with loads of color. Their eight legs form an X. I think “banana” is southern misnomer. I think that they are garden spiders, the main variety in my area is the Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia). Like other spiders, garden spiders are helpful in that they consume other insects. Their web can be constructed of large concentric circles.

While in general garden spiders are helpful, my childhood connection to these creatures was a negative one. Totally scared, I wouldn’t go near a web. I don’t know what I was thinking would happen – maybe the spider would leap out its web as I approached throwing its scary huge body onto me for the kill. In my adult life I have come to appreciate banana spiders and have positive energy with them. In fact I have argued with an exterminator at my sister’s house about leaving one alone. Now I only use a banana spider in positive rituals. (I don’t do baneful spell work, BTW.)

Tarantulas

Tarantulas in the area that I live exist, but they aren’t the size of the ones you might encounter in New Mexico, for example. Most are part of the genius Aphonopelma. There are fourteen different species in Texas alone. Identifying which species you encounter is difficult at best. One of the more common ones, the Texas Brown Tarantula is dark brown and can grow up to about 4-5 inches. They are night creepers, preferring to hang in their burrows during the day. Beautiful insects, they sometimes look like they have a velvet suit on. For now, I do not have emotional or spiritual associations with these creatures. If anything, I might use a tarantula for “increase” spells.

Trap Door Spiders

Trap Door Spiders (Eucteniza relata) are related to tarantulas and look a bit like them. Their uniqueness to other tarantulas is in how they hunt. They build or find a hole to burrow and construct a silk door above the opening. Prey get stuck in the silk door, and thus fall into the hole to become a spidey snack. Not aggressive except when disturbed, they are, again, great insects to have in your garden. The downside to trap door spiders is that they inhabit areas that humans want to be. In my case, I was clearing a flower/vegetable bed, not paying attention and of course not wearing gloves. I disturbed a medium sized spider who proceeded to figure out if I was tasty. I was not. We both survived the ordeal with said spider comfortably moved to the neighbor’s yard and me just holding my hand below my heart until I figured out that this spider was not venomous. (I screamed like an eight year old, BTW.) Here I see using a Trap Door Spider to enhance a "catch me, cuz I'm falling" spell or to find out what is hidden.

Spiderwebs

Spiderwebs are great for both spell and healing work. As many might know, spiderwebs are great for stopping the bleeding of a wound. In spell work, spiderwebs again can be used to increase the effectiveness of the spell and your energy or to stop the metaphoric bleeding. I think of spiderwebs as binding, as they are used to gather food by stickily holding it for the web’s inhabitants. Thus I have used webs to hold items. For example, I recently did a spell to bind the thorns of a Texas-native low-growing thorn bush from going through the boot of a couple of rock hounds. Seems that the explorers were Stepping “willy-nilly” on the bush thus causing the 1” thorns to go through their soles. It’s been about month or so since the incantation – so far so good.

Just a gentle sidenote

Binding spells are considered baneful when used against others. Choose your intentions, words and tasks carefully.

Scorpions

In sandy South Texas, it is quite easy to find native scorpions. Scorpions tend to hide during the day and come out at night. Sneaky hiders, scorpions will surprise you as much as you surprise them. They do not like bright lights, even shying away from ultraviolet light. We use ultraviolet light to find them as scorpions glow in ultraviolet light.

In addition, “If there is one, there are others.” That concept is actually an old wives’ tale that appears to have some truth to it. They are prolific, clustering together in scorpion nests. For example, my mom-in-law built a U-shaped tall planter. Within a single year, the scorpions moved in and continue to their new digs.

I use them in spells to apply selective protection. I also use them to pull hidden information since they are such good hiders. I also use them when I feel like I’ve been wrongly minimized. Scorpions don’t want to sting, they want to eat, sleep, and make more scorpions. (Though, I have a nephew that swears that his female scorpion just likes to sting him.) I use them to balance my interactions with others. They only sting humans when startled or backed into a corner.

As always, I only use ethically gathered scorpions.

June Bugs

Much of the following details were garnered from an AI summation via the Google Search Engine.

June Bugs in Texas are harmless, nocturnal scarab beetles, often called May or June beetles. They emerge from late spring to summer. While adults live for only a few weeks to a month to mate, their white grub larvae live in the soil, feeding on grass roots for 1–3 years. Larvae often attack St. Augustine grass (one of the most planted grasses in Texas) leaving bald patches. High concentrations of grubs (5-10 per square foot) can kill grass.

Common species of June bugs are brown, though large green June beetles/fig eaters are also present. They do not bite or sting but are clumsy flyers. Thus, getting in one's hair seems to be the June Bug's most memorable characteristic. They are heavily attracted to bright lights at night, often creating a noisy nuisance by crashing into windows and doors. Hence, lighting such as porch lights, patio lights, and interior lighting from homes are big attractions. Adults live for a few weeks larvae live underground for one to three years before emerging. All in all, June Bugs are pesty, creepy beetles that are more of a nuisance to humans than they are beneficial. Switch to bug-safe or yellow lights and keep outdoor lights off at night. Essential oils like peppermint or cedarwood can act as natural deterrents.

While you might want to exterminate June Bugs "en mass", they are an important part of the food chain, serving as food for animals like birds, toads, and skunks. They are most commonly seen during peak summer months, though, as noted in a Reddit post, they can appear as early as April. In 2026, June bugs showed up in late February in south Texas. While I could easily chalk that up to global warming I don’t really know.

I tend to want to use June Bugs to represent pesty people, animals, situations, etc. These critters are so prolific where I live I do not worry about saving the bug carcass for further uses. During Spring, I can just walk outside and pick a couple of dozen carcasses to do my work.

SIDENOTE: I have often thought that the most authentic witchcraft was intended to be more like finding and using readily available items for your immediate use rather than storing them in glass jars for later use. Granted, different items can perform the same task, but sometimes you just want the best of the best. Unfortunately even I can suffer from lacking the right resources at the right times. Therefore, I do collect and save insects.

Nonetheless, these critters are great way to readily embrace the old ways.

In the next few weeks, I will be adding more information on some of the other bugs I fancy. Please return to this page to find information on:

Dragonflies

Butterflies & Moths

Cicadas and Katydids

Hornet, Wasps & Their Nests

Fleas, Flies & Roaches

Ants

Grasshoppers

Dung Beetles

Stink Bugs

Blister Bugs

Crickets

Pill Bugs (Roly-polies, Armadillidiidae)

Doodle Bugs (Ant Lions)