Word for "little insect"

What's the best word for small kind animals such as earthworms, butterflies and caterpillars but not the bad bugs like flies, mosquitoes and cockroaches?

The word may refer to the bad bugs, but it should sound sweet and kindly, and girls may use it as a nickname.

Solution 1:

In English these are all simply bugs. There is no cultural notion of good vs. bad, but there are a few expressions like snug as a bug that imply this.

I think bug is about as close as you can get, something like little bug works fine as a cute nickname. Otherwise there are only negative forms for insects, such as pests or vermin.

Instead of trying to fit one word for a class of "cute insects", you could choose a particular kind. This also makes it more personal and endearing. Consider:

• Honeybee
• Pillbug
• Ladybug (ladybird)
• Butterfly
• Cricket

I can add that Czech also has the same idea of "cute bug" ("brouček") as a diminutive nickname, so I understand your question. There's no real equivalent in English.

Solution 2:

What about creepy-crawlies.

That tends to be used when portraying insects more positively.

Solution 3:

In the US, grasshopper is used as a sobriquet, and (less frequently) katydid and honeybee too. If you want other insect names or tags to try out as nicknames, consider bumblebee, worker bee, maybug or mayfly, damselfly, dragonfly, and leafhopper.

I don't know of a small-insects class-name with positive connotations (i.e. regard creepy-crawly as negative, and believe beastie denotes animals rather than insects), and don't know of any nicknames based on such a class-name.

Solution 4:

In informal contexts, you could try beastie (Scottish?), creepy-crawly or, in South Africa apparently, gogga.