Insects

The Extraordinary Life Cycle of a Hornet Colony

After a hornet queen lays hundreds of eggs, her workers set about feeding the larvae chewed-up prey. With tiny waists, the workers can’t digest solid food

February 13, 2017

Turning Dragonflies Into Drones

The DragonflEye project equips the insects with solar-powered backpacks that control their flight

February 10, 2017

New Research

This 100-Million-Year-Old Insect Trapped in Amber Defines New Order

These now-extinct creatures are thought to have been able to secrete a chemical repellant and rotate their heads 180 degrees

January 31, 2017

How to Create an Insect Habitat in Your Garden

A Smithsonian gardener offers tips for sheltering the insects during the frosty winter months

January 25, 2017

Trending Today

Australian Zoo Calls for Public Help Collecting One of the World’s Deadliest Spiders

With antivenin in short supply and funnel-web spider activity higher than average, Reptile Park needs a hand

January 25, 2017

The Next Pandemic

To Fight Deadly Dengue Fever in Humans, Create Dengue-Resistant Mosquitoes

How manipulating the immune systems of mosquitoes can halt the spread of dengue virus

January 12, 2017

Trending Today

This Swiss Grocery Will Soon Sell Mealworm Burgers

In the continued quest for sustainable proteins, another company is wriggling into the market

January 12, 2017

Incredible: This Underwater Spider Has an Actual Scuba Tank

The scuba spider is the only arachnid to live exclusively underwater, despite lacking gills. Its secret is a makeshift oxygen supply

January 10, 2017

Meet the Researchers Who Scour the World’s Most Dangerous Corners in Search of Biological Riches

Militants, malaria and pirates are just some of the challenges these scientist-explorers face in their quest to map the world’s diversity

January 3, 2017

The Bug That Had the World Seeing Red

How a Mesoamerican insect once created the globe’s most coveted color

December 29, 2016

New Research

Researchers Record Trillions of Migrating Insects Swarming Through the Skies

Though bugs make up a large amount of biomass, little was known about their migrating habits, until now

December 29, 2016

This Devoted Mother Is Also a Cockroach

Female giant burrowing cockroaches look after their young for up to six months. In an eight-year lifespan, they can produce around 150 young

December 12, 2016

Spectacular Footage of a Butterfly Leaving Its Cocoon

The transition from caterpillar to butterfly is a process that consists of four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult

December 7, 2016

Watch This Mother Tick Lay 1,500 Eggs

The birthing process for a female tick is very involved. Once she’s matured, she can take up to 20 days to lay her eggs

November 24, 2016

Trending Today

Florida Officials Will Release Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Zika

The Florida Keys are the latest front on the war against the virus

November 21, 2016

Cool Finds

Collection of Fossilized Poo Certified as World’s Largest

George Frandsen’s 1,200-piece coprolite collection earns the Florida man a spot in Guinness World Records

November 17, 2016

Why Do Insects Hate the Smell of Peppermint?

The stick bug primarily depends on its camouflage to avoid predators. But when enemies get too close, this insect deploys peppermint as a last resort

November 17, 2016

Watch a Bombardier Beetle Mace a Praying Mantis

Praying mantises are adept at ambushing their prey with their specialized legs and swift reflexes

November 8, 2016

Hollywood Has Nothing on These Real Life Halloween Horror Shows

Face-unfurling, chest-exploding, zombie-making fiends: They’re all around us

October 31, 2016

Yes, Spiders Eat Spiders

Portia spiders, known for their remarkable intelligence, have some of the most astonishing hunting skills in the arthropod community

October 24, 2016