Insect Tattoos and Tattoo Designs

Is One Bugging You to be part of your body art gallery?

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Whether it’s a butterfly tattoo on a lower back or a dragonfly tattoo on your shoulder, insect images have become a popular choice for body art enthusiasts everywhere. Rendered in many styles from tribal to Celtic, realistic to fantasy, these insect tattoo designs appear in personal body art galleries around the world.

While humanity certainly has the benefit of dominion of the earth, there is another species that still strives to take it back. Small, determined and hopelessly outnumbering us, insects are a constant reminder that we must share this planet with many other creatures.

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We’ve both inhabited this space for thousands and millions of years, and have learned – to some extent – to live along with one another. Sure, there’ve been some instances of scourges of bugs, and we can still call Terminix if things get too bad, but on a whole, we recognize their strength in numbers. Some of us have even honored insects and bugs by bearing on their flesh the emblem and image of the insect tattoo design.

Insects are the most diverse group of animals on earth, and there number over 800,000 species of insects. They range in a spectrum that goes from horribly disgusting to breathtakingly beautiful. Insect inspired tattoo designs seem to be worn by unique and unimaginably different crowd.

From simple outlines to intricate shading, filling and design, insect tattoos really run the full gamut. They captivate our attention because it seems so incredibly unexpected to see them decorating our human flesh so comfortably.

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Popular Insects for Tattoo Designs

Some bugs and insects that are more regular tattoo subjects include:

• Beetle tattoo designs – Often found on ankles or shoulders.
• Butterfly tattoo designs – The most popular of all the insect tattoos can often be found on the lower back or shoulder blade.
• Dragonfly tattoo designs – Only a little less popular then the butterfly tattoo can often found on the lower back or an ankle.
• Moth tattoo designs – Similar to the butterfly tattoo these delicate designs have a unique and nocturnal look. They can be found on shoulders and the lower back.
• Ladybug tattoo designs – The third most popular insect tattoo ranks just below butterfly tattoos and dragonfly tattoos. Although you can get your Lady bug design anywhere, you will often find them on the ankle.
• Scarab tattoo designs – Their spiritual implications and ancient association with Egyptian culture make these little creatures very popular for tattoo designs. They are often found centered on the upper or lower back.
• Ant tattoo designs – An uncommon choice, ant tattoos can be found crawling all over the body just as they do in real life.
• Grasshopper tattoo designs – These multicolored or green jumpers are often found on shoulders.
• Locusts – Associated with plague and destruction, these frightful creatures make for a unique tattoo and are often found on ankles and shoulders.
• Bumble Bee tattoo designs – Favored by gardeners and honey lovers, the bee tattoo will often be found on an ankle or a lower back.
• Wasp tattoo designs – These interesting looking creatures are feared in real life but as tattoos they make a striking statement and can be found in many styles. Often they are tattooed on shoulders and ankles.
• Hornet tattoo designs – Similar to the wasp the hornet can be found on ankles and shoulders.
• Preying Mantis tattoo designs – The strange alien look of the praying mantis makes it a tempting subject for body art enthusiasts. You will find them lingering on shoulders and shoulder blades.
• Caterpillar tattoo designs – With their strong association to the butterfly, caterpillar tattoos are very popular and imply the early stages of growth prior to change and metamorphosis. They are often tattooed on shoulders and ankles.

And even more gross and disgusting varieties like roaches, mosquitoes and flies. You’ll find them slipping, leaping, crawling, scurrying, skittering, flying, slithering, swimming and striding across arms, legs, wrists, ankles, upper backs, lower backs, shoulders, bellies, breasts, chests, hips and rear-ends.

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Bugs and Destruction

Like skull tattoos, demon tattoos, grim reaper tattoos and other frightening tattoo designs, people often choose a tattoo of a scary subject. Perhaps this choice of design is a way of facing our fears so that they do not plague us. A bit more rebellious than other creatures under our care, insects and bugs have certainly made some pretty powerful counter-attacks. Locusts, armyworms, aphids, corn borers, coddling moths, tent caterpillars, Japanese beetles, gypsy moths and bag worms have all plagued humanity for as long ago as we can remember. Cockroaches and termites still continue to infest and threaten to overrun homes, apartments and offices in both rural and urban areas. Many insects have come to represent death and destruction.

Metamorphosis

But over the years, we’ve learned some things about, and more importantly from, the bug and insect world. One of the aspects of the insect world that never ceases to amaze us is the common nature of major metamorphoses. Nearly 80% of all insect species will go through this major change, which starts as an egg, then hatches into a larva (grub or caterpillar). This larva will molt several times and then enter the pupa stage (or the chrysalis stage). As a pupa, the creature will rarely eat or move, but beneath the shell, magnificent changes are underway.

Upon completion, an adult insect will emerge, alive and well and completely different from any of its earlier stages of life. It’s interesting to note that the chief function of adult insects is to reproduce. In fact, some species don’t have mouths, and others with them don’t eat!

This leaves us with a world of butterflies and dragonflies, instead of only nymphs and larva. Maybe we identify with it in our souls, where we have undergone so much personal change and development. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that insect tattoo designs are a big part of tattoo culture and have found themselves as an important part of many tattoo and body art collections. You will find them alone or combined with other popular subjects. A butterfly is often found with a fairy on a lower back to make for a colorful fantasy tattoo. A Lady Bug can often be found combined with a rose or vine on a lady’s ankle for a beautiful nature tattoo. Whatever your reason and whatever your choice the possibilities are endless when you consider an insect tattoo design for your next tattoo.

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