Dreams about insects – what do they mean? (dream interpretation insects)
Dream interpretation insects or bugs. Dreaming about creepy-crawlies is not uncommon, but what does it actually mean? It can be several things.
NOTE: Corona-update (April 2020) – the corona pandemic has resulted in a huge increase in dreams about bugs/insects attacking / crawling all over the body (as shown in preliminary corona pandemic dream research). In this image these dreams might simply symbolize our reaction (deep down) to the pandemic.
Mostly our fear/anxiety in relation to the virus – that then might show that we are more afraid/anxious than we maybe think we are.
Other angles on insect dreams / dreams about bugs:
Negative feelings that haunt you. Dreaming about insects or bugs – especially in large numbers – is often a symbol of negative thoughts or feelings (guilt, anxiety) that haunt you or, more metaphorically, crawls through your unconscious mind. You might ask yourself: what is it I am trying to push away or will not face?
Is it an old habit or previous experience that I am trying to avoid confronting and which is now popping up? If previous bad experiences lurk in the unconscious mind, one thing is certain: they influence – often in a negative manner – the way you think and act when you are awake.
This can for example be about low self-esteem because of the bad experience or a significant unconscious feeling of envy that may ruin your relationships with others.
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When trying to understand your dreams it is important to know that your dreams are… your dreams. As such, you are the best person to figure out the true meaning of your dreams.
However, it is important to learn how to generally approach your dreams. Dream dictionaries like this one are only a supplement, and if you want to fully utilize the potential of your dreams, you should start at a different place.
My online course “Unlock your DREAMlife” gives you a great foundation for understanding (and recalling) your dreams.
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Not being in touch with your instincts. However, it can also be about a fundamental instinctive part of yourself that you are not utilizing. In other words, you can be too “in your head” (too rational or logical), and a dream about loads of insects can in this way be a strong indication to change your approach to life and the challenges you might encounter.
Try noticing how you feel instead of overthinking things.
The individual insects can also be significant. An ant can symbolize a more group based and organized approach to life – a lone ant can therefore mean isolation. Do you have to ask for help and bring others into the solution to your challenges, or do you have to find your inner organizer?
The group mentality also applies to bees, but a bee that stings you can mean that someone or something has “stung you” – have you recently been hurt by others (external interpretation), or has a sudden inner impulse/feeling left negative traces (internal interpretation)? A significant theme in the world of dreams is spiders – see the blog post about Spiders.
Caterpillars, cocoons and butterflies are often signs of something growing into something bigger and better – a process of maturing, in other words. What inside of you is right now a caterpillar that one day could become a big, beautiful butterfly?
Worms – depending on the species – often feed on decaying things, and a dream where worms appear might be a symbol of something within you rotting or decaying. This can be a positive thing (destructive thoughts and patterns that have died), but it can also be a strong and positive, but unused aspect of yourself, and if you are not careful, this aspect might be lost.
Worms, however, can also symbolize something you feel threatened by, maybe a weakness or negativism.
If you are dreaming about ringworm, this might mean you have to take better care of your body (it will rarely mean that you actually have ringworm).
Dream dictionaries are a very helpful tool when interpreting dreams. However, generally learning how to approach your dreams, will give you a better foundation for understanding them. My online course “Unlock your DREAMlife” teaches you how to much better utilize – recall and understand – your dreams.
Also read: Why I no longer interpret dreams for free
Return to the index of dream themes and symbols:
Dream interpretation A-Z ↵
NOTE: Dream interpretation is not always an easy skill, and when you dream about insects, it is almost certainly about something different for you than it is for someone else dreaming about insects. It is crucial that you feel the interpretation fits you, but it might be the case that the above interpretations do not suit you and your situation.
I woke up fearful and shocked as I almost experienced the trauma of having many insects inside my body. I could see them move and I also saw myself asking for help from family members who didn’t help me and let me suffer in real life, a few years ago.
In the dream the same set of people again didn’t help me.
I also saw myself enjoying nature, laughing, speaking with someone, while I was sitting on top of a coconut 🌴 tree in the beginning of my dream. And then suddenly I fell and all wearied insects went into my body.
What is my conscious trying to tell me.
Dear Bhawana – thank you for your very interesting dream! Since I don’t know you, what is happening in your life etc. at the moment it is quite hard to guess. Dreams should always be related to the waking life – examined from the angle “How might this (strange) dream portray something of relevance to my waking life?”. Dreaming of attacking insects/insects crawling all over the body is a huge dream theme across all cultures /nations these days. In the first studies on pandemic dreams (dreams related to the corona pandemic) it seems that many seem to have the type of dream that you have (expressed individually of course). So – the dream might portray your unspoken / unconscious fear related to the Corona pandemic. But it also might mean other things of course – did you read the blogpost above? It might inpspire you to find the meaning of this dream that makes most sense to you. Best – Michael
ok, so I dreamt last night that i was at a friends house and this man came over and she asked him to do something. It somehow felt like a game night or something and the were others outside playing a train game, my husband and son were at the front of the line. So the man said that he is going to do it , but he is going to kill whoever to do it. She replied ok ,I was kinda lost thught it was a joe because she paid him. So I walk home and the dude shows up to my door showing the clothes of my baby sliced horizontally. I immedately begin o cry, then he shows me my husbands clothes . He dint say what happened but told me that I need to make a statement to the police and then disappeared. So went right back to my friends house we lived next door and shared the same yard. So i told want the man said to me and she said h would never do something like that and went to show me outside. She said as soon as I left it was like a bunch of bugs fell from the tree and they fell right where my husband and baby were in the rain line because everyone in the back f them was still there . Did i mention that there were 15 people on the line thought that ws weird that i knew how many people there was considerng i didnt count them. So while I’m heading to go back home because after seeing that and knowing what the man told me I was crying and shaking. I saw my mother sitting by a light post across the street and she calld me that was also weird because she never comes over. So I get insde my house and I message the man and ask what he wants me to do , but something didn’t feel right to me because i felt like i would get blame and that i would be next. But I heard the voice of someone close to me and he was screaming at me telling my I always doing that and then I heard people from our church singing and got up right away. It was horrid I’m still afraid because the dream felt so real and now I would feel without my son and husband.
I had a dream where little bugs literally crawled out of my skin and eventually so did little worms. I tried to squish them in panic but they just ended up multiplying to little ones. I even poured hot water, soap, and bleach on my arm trying to kill them but I only burnt myself. In the dream I was crying and panicking because I’m terrified of little bugs and they only stopped crawling out of my skin when I calmed down and didn’t think about it. At one point, I started to think I was going crazy and it was just in my head.
I have been struggling with self esteem and I wonder if it had to do with that. I’ve also been procrastinating in schoolwork and it makes me overwhelmed and stressed just thinking about not “making it”
Omg i just woke up and i feel exhausted from my dream. My frist time to dream about bugs and all sorts of insects crawling flying on the floor walls. Doors of our house. And i tried eradicating them by spraying insect killer and i kept running out tho my mom ang brother was just looking at me and they were so relaxed will i was running out and shouting. Woke up tired. What does this mean. This is crazy
Hi Gie – thank you for your comment and interesting dream! So many people (worldwide) these days have similar dreams. Your dream could be a reflection of how you deep down experience the Corona pandemic – bugs/insects in dreams can simply illustrate virus/bacteria – and how they invade our lives (bodies). In this case presumably NOT because you are ill yourself – but more because you are anxious about becoming ill (also see this article from New York Times covering this topic). There might also be other angles to it of course – did you read the blogpost above? Best regards – Michael
I had a dream that I was afraid of this giant bug that kept flying around me. Eventually it landed on my hand and I just started clapping, and I killed it. It fell in my cup of tea, and I tried to wash it down the drain, but it’s body was too large. When I woke up I realised it looked most like a ladybird, do you know what this means please?
Hi, I had a dream of bugs last night. That I got hurt the day before and woke up to some odd bugs flying around the house i noticed my leg to be itching badly and when I look down there are million of holes with something inside I go to squeeze one out and it’s one of these bugs flying around it’s a circle bug with wings. After I pop them out the cut closes and feels fine I had about 15-20 and then on the side of my leg there are pimples I start to pop and puss will squirt out but at the end is a square object that I pull off with tweezers and it’s a baby egg of that bug… It sounds very odd and I spent all day disturbed by it. Still get goose bumps writing about it.
I don’t dream about insects that much, but last night I dreamt that a large group of big blue insects(they were big in size) covered my body I don’t quite remember but I think I was wearing a tshirt and I could see that they were all over my hands, they were sucking blood and when I smashed them by my hands they exploded in blood or was it a blue liquid I don’t remember
Hi, I dreamt of insects everywhere in the house and there is a baby. My brother trying to throw the insects outside.
Hi VB,
thank you for your comment and very interesting dream! Did you also read the blogpost above? I would however also consider seing the dream as a by now “classical Corona pandemic dream” – a dream that many people across the globe is currently having – dreams about insects attaching/invading… where the insects then symbolize the virus – and thus your deep fear / how you react to this perceived threat (it is a real threat indeed, buy maybe you are more anxious than you think -and maybe you – right now, in this very moment – could be more relaxed about it). Also read this NY Times article on pandemic (Corona) dreams: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/13/style/why-weird-dreams-coronavirus.html
Hello, I had a dream last night that inside a classroom, Inam thirsty then I get glass but all have water and when I get another glass it is damaged, until I get a disposable cup so I get water in the water dispenser, but when I am about to drink I notice that there is a two black dead fly and so I didn’t continue to drink. And then I go outside the classroom ( I think our classroom during Grade), what I don’t understand when I trt blow there is a fly coming out on my own mouth, maybe three time I blow and I see maybe 3 or 4 flies coming out flying, and I feel that there is something in my throat. My feelings when I blow with a fly is somewhat happy
Hi Ben – thank you for your highly interesting dream! It is very interesting that you find yourself happy when blowing out the fly – is it because you “get rid of it” then – or is the whole experience a positive thing? One way of seing the dream – (if the whole experience seems positive) is that the flies might symbolize inner instincts / sides of yourself. Flies seem to be persistent, they fly fast – how are these traits potentially relevant for you at the moment? There are SO many angles to flies in dreams, and the dream should always be related to your waking life situation/thoughts at the moment etc – so going more deep would require more time (feel free to book a session with me). Best – Michael
In my dream I was at my parents farm where I saw my brother who is an drug addict. (Context – His behavior and actions pulled our family apart) Anyhow, I saw 2 men that I did not know. I walked pass them and when I looked back I saw my brother bending down doing hindu prayers – offering flowers. I proceeding to take a walk though the farm and it was raining so I had to walk through the muddy areas. The area had beautiful trees. However, when I looked down at both feet I saw mostly red ‘bachac’ ants, a couple of centipedes and other insects gripping on to my skin up to mid calves. I was shocked and starting to pulled them off one at a time. Then they started to bite and I pulled several off at once. I gotten 99% of them off. The dream stopped at this point since felt my body shaking – I tried to wake up out of the dream – my heart was racing so I had to take deep breaths to slow it down. Then I slowly open my eyes totally awake. I have never had a dream like this before – what does it mean.
I had a dream that I was served a bowl of insects i’ve never seen before, one specific insect looked like a giant larvae, in black, with eyes all over it. In the beginning I had no idea they were eyes, just a bunch of round shiny spots on the bug. I’m casually eating this bowl with chopsticks when a documentary on those same insects show up. Thats when I realize that im eating BUGS and this is not something I do normally. I learn that those shiny spots are eyes all over its body. I start becoming extremely disgusting with that fact that all of those eyes are inside of my body looking inside of me. It kinda just ends there. I wake up disgusted with a vivid image of that insect in my head.
I tend to have reoccurring dreams (this is not one of them) and dreams where it feels like someone else is also inside of my dream. A really negative tone, thats felt reoccurring in different concepts of dreams for almost 10 years now. Midway through this dream where I felt disgusted, the tone shifted, it almost felt as if those bugs were maliciously trying to pry into me and watch from the inside. This is one of the softer odd dreams I have, they’re usually more intense and I’m a bit lucid in them. I’ve never publicly spoke about this til now, I have no idea how to decipher it.
Hi Yoshi – what an interesting – but also upsetting – dream you’ve had! Since I don’t know much about you/your life situation it is hard to say what this might mean (dreams should always be related to waking life situation). But I can’t help but thinking that this might be a pandemic/Corona-related dream. Dreams about insects attacking have thus been reported in current/ongoing research in corona-related dreams (https://www.latimes.com/lifestyle/story/2020-04-07/coronavirus-quarantine-dreams). And since you in the dream have seen a documentary about insects – and you then at the same time eat them – this might be why you have this dream. I expect you – as most – read/see/hear/think a lot about the pandemic these days. Best rgds – Michael
I have been woken many times screaming after seeing over-sized bugs and spiders crawling on my bedroom wall. I woke screaming last night after having huge spiders coming towards me from my ceiling. Each time I jump out of bed and turn on my light, too scared to get back into bed.
i had a dream last night, me and my lover (whom we have some communication trouble regarding of his tendency of self indulgences) were in a bedroom, it was a pretty messy one and pretty dark. we were working on a laptop from bed. my intention was to find a way to increase my income and images regarding of my current job and other jobs were popping while debating with him. Suddenly, in a corner of our bedroom i saw an anthill covered by moss tree. the moss tree was erupting of worms, crawling insects, larvae, cocoons, ants, it had a very gross aspect like something was rotting there and all those creatures were attracted to it. i told to my lover to get rig of them and he started to shoo them from there, i don’t know if he were killing because i was disgusted to get close and i felt it was his job to do. there were ants too coming from the anthill of bugs and walking under bed. my instincts was telling me that ants were eating the worms and larvae and the crawling bugs.
I had a dream of being in a hotel/motel and having bugs all over and also crawling on me. When I woke it felt like the bugs were still in my hair. I had to brush my hair right away and the feeling went away after a while.
I dreamt of insects being crushed to make a drink ?
Last night I saw a dream. It had many scenes like putting some flour over my body (exposed parts only), but don’t know why. And then the last scene that stayed in my memory was far too horrific. All of my body was covered with blood and flesh eating worms. But surprisingly I didn’t feel pain. I just ignored what was happening to me. Just then someone who was with me pointed it out in a least dangerous way. Then they shrugged my body and started removing the tiny worms little by little. And then I woke up feeling super disgusted and a bit tired.
What could it be about? Though I must say I was a bit tired the day before.
I had a dream that an insects came out from under my skin on my face, and when I woke up from my dream I had and insect actually crawling on my face.
What does this mean?
I had a dream about being at my house and my mom was having cancer in this dream even though she isn’t sick and there was this red beetle that looked like the beetle from coralline and we had to get this long rod that was covered in these bugs and it awoke a woman named cha luo and she said I will catch you and summoned her two daughters to kill me and my sisters and we kept on running around to get away but my sisters left me and went inside my grandma’s house and then I ran through a gate to not die and then I told my brain wake up this isn’t real and I woke up
I had this werid dream where i went to the bathrom and coughed up a bug, then it turned into a few more then a lot more, kinda like my mouth was full of them.
I dreamed a bug was eating thou my kneecap and I felt it what do you think that means?