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Bugs

Neonics are responsible for 92 percent of the increase in U.S. agricultural toxicity

Toxic Pesticides Are Driving Insect ‘Apocalypse’ in the U.S., Study Warns

The country’s agricultural landscape is now 48 times more toxic to insects than it was 25 years ago

A sentinel chicken gets its blood drawn in Charlotte County, Florida.

Trending Today

Rare, Mosquito-Borne Virus Found in Several Chickens in Florida

The only way to prevent eastern equine encephalitis virus, which causes brain-swelling and has a high mortality rate, is to avoid mosquito bites

After a queen ant successfully mates with multiple males, she chews off her wings, returns to the ground and starts a new colony

Swarms of Flying Ants Overtaking Great Britain Show Up as Rain on Radar

Once a year, the winged insects take to the skies and engage in mating rituals

Giving lovebugs a whole new meaning.

New Research

A Fungus Causes Cicadas to Mate Like Crazy, Even After Their Butts Fall Off

And now scientists think they know why

Dermacentor marginatus, female, on stomach and on back

More Than One Million Ticks Make Up This Cringe-Worthy Collection in Georgia

The U.S. National Tick Collection is the largest continuously curated collection of ticks in the world

Bedbugs, which were previously thought to be about 50 million years old, could be much older, new genetic and fossil evidence suggests.

Bedbugs Scurried the Earth Alongside the Dinosaurs 100 Million Years Ago

Researchers calculate that the pests evolved long before bats, which were thought to be their first hosts

Skrillex's Grammy-winning “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” could help researchers discourage the spread of mosquito-borne diseases

Playing Skrillex May Help Ward Off Mosquito Bites

The EDM artist’s mix of very high and low frequency beats discourages the insects from biting victims, having sex

New Research

Mosquitoes Can Smell Your Sweat

Researchers have identified a receptor in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that detect lactic acid and other compounds in human sweat

This moth specimen was mistakenly identified as a butterfly in 1793, leaving biologists to wonder what happened to the missing "butterfly" for more than 200 years.

One of the ‘Rarest Butterflies Ever’ May Have Been a Moth All Along

A species description from more than two centuries ago has fooled scientists until now

Of 82 percent of American respondents who said they would be willing to try insects, 43 percent ate sushi on a regular basis

Your Opinion of Sushi Is a Good Predictor of How Willing You Are to Eat Insects

Individuals who frequently dine on sushi are more likely to try insects than their raw fish-rejecting counterparts

Previously, the only known member of the genus spotted on Sulawesi was T. fulvicornis, a species described in 1885.

Cool Finds

These 103 Beetle Species Have a Mix of Pop Culture-Inspired Names

Entomologists named the newly discovered species after Star Wars Jedi master Yoda, Greek goddess Artemis, French comic book character Asterix

From L to R: Gymnetis drogoni, Gymnetis rhaegali and Gymnetis viserioni

These New Beetle Species Are Named After the ‘Game of Thrones’ Dragons

Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons—Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion—provided the inspiration for these three beetles’ new names

Ants and honey bees have been observed reproducing without males before, and now all-female termite colonies join the asexual group.

All-Female Termite Colonies Reproduce Without Male Input

These insects seem to have dispensed entirely of the need for males and their sperm

A pair of Aedes albopticus mosquitoes mating. These mosquitoes are very closely related to the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes used in the WeRobotics/IAEA trials, and both can carry Zika, yellow fever and dengue. The female is much larger.

Do Not Fear the Drones Air-Dropping 50,000 Mosquitoes From Above

These horny buggers are actually here to help us fight the spread of disease

Some of the ‘remarkable beetles’ Wallace collected in Borneo.

Tracing Alfred Russel Wallace’s Footsteps Through the Jungles of Borneo

A biologist treks to the site where the little-known naturalist penned a paper on evolution that would spur on a rivalrous Charles Darwin

Balding on the lemurs' lower backs indicated frequent itching and scratching associated with rashes caused by a common pesky parasite.

Lemurs Smear Bugs on Their Privates to Ward Off Infection

Lathering up with orange goo from millipede guts might relieve infections, expel parasites in lemurs

The tiny mosquito can be a big summer nuisance.

Why Some Summers Are So Appealing For Mosquitoes

…and so unbearable for you

The first insect found trapped in ancient amber wasn’t a mosquito, but an overstuffed weevil.

Jurassic Park’s Unlikely Symbiosis With Real-World Science

The 1993 film showed both the promise and misconceptions that surround ancient DNA

These Portuguese Libraries Are Infested With Bats—and They Like It That Way

They actually serve a very specific purpose

Most White Sands moths are white to blend in with their environment, but a select few black species have evolved as well.

Dissecting Moth Genitals In the Name of Science

How “moth evangelist” Eric Metzler uncovered hundreds of moth species in the barren dunes of New Mexico

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