https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/insects/RSS feed for InsectsenFri, 10 Jul 2026 15:45:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bumblebees-seem-to-lick-their-lips-after-sweet-treats-and-shake-their-heads-at-bad-tastes-hinting-at-the-insects-inner-lives-180989098/Slow-motion videos suggest that the insects display distinct behaviors when they like or dislike a snack. The findings might offer a new way to study their emotion-like statesFri, 10 Jul 2026 15:45:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bumblebees-seem-to-lick-their-lips-after-sweet-treats-and-shake-their-heads-at-bad-tastes-hinting-at-the-insects-inner-lives-180989098/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cyborg-cockroaches-could-help-find-survivors-of-natural-disasters-new-diving-suits-allow-the-insects-to-expand-their-search-underwater-180989066/Previously, researchers created electrical implants to control cockroaches' movements for search-and-rescue missions. Now, they've made 3D-printed suits that provide oxygen, allowing the critters to survive submerged for up to three hoursTue, 07 Jul 2026 16:01:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/cyborg-cockroaches-could-help-find-survivors-of-natural-disasters-new-diving-suits-allow-the-insects-to-expand-their-search-underwater-180989066/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earth-might-be-home-to-20-million-insect-speciesmore-than-three-times-as-many-as-previously-thought-a-study-suggests-180989062/Recent estimates have come to the consensus that our planet hosts roughly six million species. But new research reveals that those counts may be drastically underestimatedThu, 02 Jul 2026 15:30:42 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/earth-might-be-home-to-20-million-insect-speciesmore-than-three-times-as-many-as-previously-thought-a-study-suggests-180989062/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-decades-of-debate-scientists-say-these-fossils-belong-to-the-largest-known-scorpion-which-lived-415-million-years-ago-180989022/Researchers have wondered whether Praearcturus gigas was a giant crustacean called an isopod or some other creature. A new analysis of museum specimens suggests that it was a scorpion that stretched more than three feet longWed, 01 Jul 2026 18:55:43 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/after-decades-of-debate-scientists-say-these-fossils-belong-to-the-largest-known-scorpion-which-lived-415-million-years-ago-180989022/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-male-fruit-flies-have-sperm-that-are-nearly-as-long-as-their-bodies-heres-how-the-cells-dont-become-a-tangled-mess-180989054/Males of the species Drosophila melanogaster pack thousands of almost two-millimeter-long sperm cells into significantly smaller storage organs. A new study reveals how they move in an orderly mannerWed, 01 Jul 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-male-fruit-flies-have-sperm-that-are-nearly-as-long-as-their-bodies-heres-how-the-cells-dont-become-a-tangled-mess-180989054/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-newly-discovered-spider-builds-a-unique-web-that-sends-ants-catapulting-through-the-air-180989003/Flung prey can reach speeds of up to 14.4 feet per second, or a little less than ten miles per hour. An insect will land in the spider's main web about a foot above the spring-loaded trapWed, 24 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-newly-discovered-spider-builds-a-unique-web-that-sends-ants-catapulting-through-the-air-180989003/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-butterflies-can-live-25-times-longer-than-their-relatives-they-might-provide-insights-into-healthy-aging-in-humans-180988993/Their unusual diet of pollen—rather than nectar—might partially explain why members of the Heliconius genus live so long, up to nearly a yearTue, 23 Jun 2026 15:47:01 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/these-butterflies-can-live-25-times-longer-than-their-relatives-they-might-provide-insights-into-healthy-aging-in-humans-180988993/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ants-can-get-distracted-by-cookies-chips-and-other-junk-food-heres-why-that-could-be-a-problem-for-the-environment-180988962/The insects enjoy snack crumbs, but new research shows that this unnatural food source can divert them from one of their most significant roles: dispersing plant seedsTue, 16 Jun 2026 16:15:34 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ants-can-get-distracted-by-cookies-chips-and-other-junk-food-heres-why-that-could-be-a-problem-for-the-environment-180988962/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bumblebees-can-solve-problems-on-the-fly-adding-to-the-insects-list-of-impressive-cognitive-abilities-180988925/In a series of experiments, the fuzzy pollinators figured out how to use a ball as a tool to access a sugary treat. The study further highlights that the critters are quite clever despite their tiny brainsWed, 10 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/bumblebees-can-solve-problems-on-the-fly-adding-to-the-insects-list-of-impressive-cognitive-abilities-180988925/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-100000-illegal-exotic-cockroaches-were-seized-by-australian-authorities-in-a-record-setting-bug-bust-180988913/The insects are estimated to be worth up to $141,000, according to Australia's Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water. Exotic cockroaches could harm the country’s wildlife and agricultureTue, 09 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/more-than-100000-illegal-exotic-cockroaches-were-seized-by-australian-authorities-in-a-record-setting-bug-bust-180988913/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-determines-royalty-among-honeybees-not-just-a-distinct-diet-queens-also-need-specially-built-regal-chambers-a-study-suggests-180988899/The peanut-shaped compartments where future queens grow up seem to play an important role in development. The wax has chemical and physical differences from that in other parts of the hiveFri, 05 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-determines-royalty-among-honeybees-not-just-a-distinct-diet-queens-also-need-specially-built-regal-chambers-a-study-suggests-180988899/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/google-wants-to-release-32-million-mosquitoes-in-california-and-florida-heres-why-180988892/The company is asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for permission to release millions of sterilized mosquitoes in order to fight their disease-spreading counterpartsWed, 03 Jun 2026 19:04:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/google-wants-to-release-32-million-mosquitoes-in-california-and-florida-heres-why-180988892/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-bug-spray-attract-mosquitoes-lab-insects-learned-that-the-smell-of-deet-would-lead-them-to-a-tasty-treat-180988866/Researchers don't know how the findings might overlap with real-world settings. But the discovery suggests that we're most vulnerable when our insect repellent is wearing off, meaning we should reapply it regularlyMon, 01 Jun 2026 14:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/could-bug-spray-attract-mosquitoes-lab-insects-learned-that-the-smell-of-deet-would-lead-them-to-a-tasty-treat-180988866/