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Bugs

An Aedes aegypti mosquito

Google Wants to Release 32 Million Mosquitoes in California and Florida. Here’s Why

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 counterparts

A mosquito drinking blood from a bag, accessible through mesh

Could Bug Spray Attract Mosquitoes? Lab Insects Learned That the Smell of DEET Would Lead Them to a Tasty Treat

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 regularly

In laboratory experiments, house crickets groomed an antenna that had been touched by a hot soldering iron.

Can Insects Feel Pain? New Research Suggests That Crickets Do

Used for food, feed and research, the critters are among the most widely farmed bugs. The study authors say humans should work to reduce harm in insect farming, handling and experimentation

Now part of Dry Tortugas National Park, Fort Jefferson was built starting in 1846.

This Soldier Died of Yellow Fever During a Hurricane 153 Years Ago. Archaeologists Just Found His Grave

George Tupper, a 22-year-old from Massachusetts, was nearly a year into his military service when a yellow fever outbreak struck Fort Jefferson

3D rendering of an Eciton hamatum subsoldier ant

These Stunningly Detailed 3D Images of Ants Showcase the Remarkable Diversity Across Their Many Species

Scientists used a game-changing technique to scan about 2,200 preserved specimens in just one week to create the Antscan database

Common eastern bumblebee queens use underwater breathing and anaerobic metabolism to survive when submerged.

Bumblebee Queens Breathe Underwater to Survive Drowning, Revealing How They Can Live Submerged for a Week

After scientists accidentally discovered that the common eastern bumblebee can withstand flood conditions, they wanted to investigate what makes that super-ability possible

A blue morpho butterfly, native to the tropical forests of Central and South America

Most Insect Species Call the Tropics Home. But Climate Change Is Pushing Many of the Critters There to Their Heat Limits

Insects in the lowlands will have an especially hard time with rising temperatures, a new study suggests

A small underwater lens made a coral in Indonesia look like another common lifeform.

See the Beauty of Corals, Beehives, Mushrooms and More in These 11 Images From the Close-Up Photographer of the Year Awards

Now in its seventh year, the competition honors macro, micro and close-up images snapped around the world

Sceptobius beetles groom ants to steal the pheromones that they produce. The beetles cloak themselves in those pheromones to match the scent of the ant colony, gaining the ability to live among the ants undetected.

These Beetles Are Entirely Dependent on Ants for Survival. Here’s Why That’s Not an Evolutionary Death Sentence

Rove beetles cloak themselves in ant pheromones to sneak into the insects’ nests for protection. But in an odd catch-22, that makes them forever reliant on their hosts

Joshua trees rely on a single species—the yucca moth—to pollinate their flowers.

The American Southwest’s Iconic Joshua Trees Are Blooming Early—and Scientists Want Your Help to Figure Out Why

The spiky desert succulents typically blossom beginning in late February. But this season, many started growing flowers up to four months early

The larvae feed on the leaves of elm trees in a distinctive zigzag pattern.

This Invasive Wasp Is Wreaking Havoc on Elms in North America—and the Damage May Soon Spread to Other Trees

Elm zigzag sawflies can munch on plants beyond their preferred elm trees when foliage isn’t available, a new study suggests

Black soldier fly larvae grow in a high-tech facility at Innovafeed in Nesle, France. The company, which also has a facility in Decatur, Illinois, is the world’s largest producer of black soldier fly larvae.

Maggots Are an Incredibly Efficient Source of Protein, Which May Make Them the Next Superfood for Humans

Inexpensive to raise and insatiably hungry for trash, black soldier fly larvae are already on the menu for livestock, pets and, maybe soon, people

Many stingless bees are native to Peru, where they pollinate the Amazon's diverse plants and food crops.

Honey-Making Stingless Bees in the Peruvian Amazon Become the First Insects to Gain Legal Rights

Two local ordinances granted rights to at least 175 stingless bee species in Peru, which are culturally and spiritually significant to Indigenous peoples and help maintain a healthy rainforest ecosystem

The researchers examined 3D reconstructions of hundreds of ant exoskeletons.

Some Ants Sacrifice Stronger Exoskeletons for Larger Colonies, Which May Help Them Take Over New Environments

Species with thinner protective barriers may need fewer resources and tend to have a greater ability to adapt to new habitats, a study suggests

New World screwworm is the name given to the larval, or maggot, stage of the Cochliomyia hominivorax blowfly

Flesh-Eating Screwworms Are Creeping Closer to a Comeback in the United States

Eradicated since 1966, the pests have recently been detected in Mexico within 70 miles of the U.S. border

A trail camera in Vermont captured 80 photos of moths fluttering around a moose's head, likely slurping up its tears.

Trail Cameras in Vermont Captured Something Strange: Moths Sipping a Moose’s Tears

Tear-drinking, known as lachryphagy, has mostly been observed in the tropics, so scientists were somewhat surprised to find the unusual behavior so far north

Spotted lanternflies have spread to nearly 20 states since 2014.

Bees Are Turning the Sticky-Sweet Secretions of Spotted Lanternflies Into Honey—and Some People Love the Smoky-Smelling Stuff

The invasive insects have been spreading across the United States for over a decade, leaving behind poop that bees are transforming into a less sweet, sometimes savory, honey

The black parasitic ant tricks the workers into attacking their amber queen.

These Parasitic Ant Queens Found a Sneaky Way to Stage a Coup: Trick a Colony Into Killing its Mother

While ant queen violence is well-known, scientists recently documented the first evidence of parasite-induced matricide

Scientists have identified a new species of non-biting midge—a type of small fly—from 151-million-year-old specimens discovered by an amateur fossil hunter.

This Amateur Fossil Hunter Discovered a 151-Million-Year-Old Insect—and It’s a New Species

Retired teacher Robert Beattie, now 82, has been digging up remnants of the past ever since he was a child

A silver Argiope spider in a spiderweb with stabilimenta.

These Mysterious ‘Decorations’ in Spiderwebs Might Help Spiders Better Locate Their Prey

Researchers used computer models to simulate if and how these features influence prey affect vibrations of orb-weavers’ webs

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