Insects

The western monarch butterfly has declined by 99.9 percent since the 1980s, according to the latest population assessment.

Climate Change Lays Waste to Butterflies Across American West

Study documents declines across hundreds of species over recent decades, and finds years featuring warmer, drier autumns are particularly deadly

A blowfly on lavender flowers. Flies are the unsung heroes of pollination. They visit flowers to stoke up on energy-rich nectar and protein-rich pollen and transport pollen from flower to flower in the process.

How Much Do Flies Help With Pollination?

The much-maligned insect could be the key to ensuring future supplies of many of the world’s favorite foods

Blickling Hall is listed in Britain’s earliest public record, the Domesday Book, which was written in the 11th century. The house was at one point the home of Geoffrey Boleyn, grandfather of Anne Boleyn, who may have been born there around 1507.

Historic British Mansion Fights Moths With Tiny Parasitic Wasps

The moths eat wool and silk, putting historic artifacts—like a tapestry gifted to the house by Catherine the Great—at risk

Bogong moths were traditionally ground into pastes or cakes. Pictured here are a single moth (left) and thousands of moths resting on a rock (right).

Aboriginal Australians Dined on Moths 2,000 Years Ago

The discovery of an ancient grindstone containing traces of the insect confirms long-held Indigenous oral tradition

Two wood-feeding cockroaches (Salganea taiwanensis). The one on the left is missing it's wings after the mutual wing-eating behavior. The one on the right has it's wings intact.

These Cockroaches Mate for Life. Their Secret? Mutual Sexual Cannibalism

Both males and females will munch on each other’s wings after sex, a behavior that may encourage lifelong partnership

The Hopkins’ rose nudibranch is a carnivorous sea slug that obtains its trademark color from eating pink moss animals.

14 Fun Facts About Bright Pink Animals

From jellyfish to millipedes, the rosy hues make rare but exciting appearances in nature

The broad-tailed hummingbird uses its fiery throat feathers, called a gorget, to attract a mate.

From Aerial Acrobatics to Sexual Deception, See Eight of Nature's Wildest Mating Rituals

Some species have developed unusual rituals to show off their prowess as a potential mate

Female Mediterranean field crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) crickets can tell male cricket qualities and fitness through their courtship songs.

Noise Pollution Interrupts Crickets' Sex Lives

Anthropogenic noise is affecting the female cricket's ability to hear the male's courting song

The study analyzes thousands of records to understand how many species of bees are spotted by scientists each year.

Thousands of Wild Bee Species Haven't Been Seen Since 1990

Between 2006 and 2015, researchers worldwide observed 25 percent fewer bee species than they had before 1990

Catnip and a plant called silver vine, Actinidia polygama, are not closely related, but both make cats go wild.

Felines May Use Catnip for More Than Just Euphoria

The plant may keep pesky mosquitos away

Female springbok mantises will fight against males who want to mate

Male Mantises Wrestle to Escape Cannibalistic Females

Mating is not so romantic for these insects

Silver-washed fritillary butterfly

Study Reveals the Secrets of Butterfly Flight

The fluttering insects create tiny jets of air by clapping their flexible wings together, which may help them evade predators

The fossil of Aphelicophontes danjuddi, a new genus and species of assassin bug, accompanied by the fossil of a small beetle

Ancient Insect Genitals Found in 50-Million-Year-Old Fossil

A newly discovered assassin bug features a well-preserved phallus the size of a grain of rice

North American species like the Colorado potato beetle and the fall armyworm have become invasive elsewhere.

Have Any North American Species Become Invasive Elsewhere in the World?

You've got question. We've got experts

A dung beetle rolls its meal in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa.

How Dung Beetles Roll Their Food in a Straight Line

As they craft their humble lives from piles of manure, the insects look to the skies for direction

One specimen of the ultra-black fish species Anoplogaster cornuta.

Ten Scientific Discoveries From 2020 That May Lead to New Inventions

From soaring snakes to surfing suckerfish, nature is an endless source of inspiration

Though several animal species like chimps, crows and elephants have been documented using tools, it's pretty rare in the insect world.

To Compete With the Big Guys, Tiny Crickets Fashion Leafy Megaphones to Blast Their Mating Calls

Using leaves can make male crickets' calls three times louder, upping their chances of attracting a female

Asian honey bees applying animal feces at the entrance of their hives to ward off attacks from hornets.

Asian Bees Plaster Hives With Feces to Defend Against Hornet Attacks

Researchers say the surprising behavior could constitute tool use, which would be a first for honey bees

A keyhole wasp can block up an airplane's external sensor in as little as 30 minutes.

In Australia, Just One Wasp Can Ground an Airplane With a Strategically Placed Nest

Invasive keyhole wasps were building nests in the equipment pilots use to measure how fast they’re flying

Monarch butterfly caterpillars will headbutt each other when food is scarce, according to new research.

Monarch Caterpillars Butt Heads Over Milkweed

A new study finds the colorful butterfly larvae will aggressively lunge at each other in pursuit of an extra mouthful of food

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