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Insects(Page 3)

If it has six legs and looks semi-alien, it probably plays a crucial role on our planet. The latest on insects, and the entomologists trying to shed light on their importance and uniqueness.

Explore Insects

Latest in Insects

A fuzzy yellow and black bumblebee foraging on a green plant.
Environment

Bumblebees carbo-load on the fly

By Laura Baisas

A group of worker bees surround the queen bee on a honeycomb. All worker honeybees are female and they can go to extreme lengths to serve their queen even shedding their own ovaries.
Environment

Female honeybees may pass down ‘altruistic’ genes

By Laura Baisas

The best outdoor bug zappers will help keep inspects at bay.
Gear

The best outdoor bug zappers of 2024

By John Alexander

To protect wild bumblebees, people have to find them first
Environment

To protect wild bumblebees, people have to find them first

By Sarah Trent / High Country News

Aerial view of a hot air balloon over Namib desert. The circular “fairy circles” are derived from any vegetation & surrounded by tall grass.
Science

Mysterious ‘fairy circles’ may appear on three different continents

By Laura Baisas

Spider silk stronger than Kevlar spun by an unlikely source
Technology

Spider silk stronger than Kevlar spun by an unlikely source

By Andrew Paul

A dissected ant and where you can see the encapsulated parasites (white oval structures) spilling out of the hind body.
Science

This parasite deploys mucus slime balls to make ‘zombie ants’

By Laura Baisas

The CLARI mini-robot created by Kaushik Jayaram, assistant professor, mechanical engineering and Heiko Kabutz, PhD student, mechanical engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder
Technology

This small, squishy robot is cuter than its cockroach inspiration

By Andrew Paul

An artistic reconstruction of Kylinxia, a relative of present day insects and crustaceans. It has two extended forelimbs, a round and segmented body, and three eyes on its head.
Environment

A three-eyed organism roamed the seas half a billion years ago

By Laura Baisas

Illustration of two elephants on one side and an ant holding up other ants on the other side.
Environment

Is bigger better? Not when it comes to the world’s strongest animals.

By Annie Roth

Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) on a flower in Markham, Ontario, Canada, on August 27, 2022.
Environment

These invasive bugs are a nightmare for Washington’s cherries and hops

By Natalia Mesa/High Country News

taxidermied two-headed goat kid
Science

Life after death never looked so beautiful

By Ted Cavanaugh, Sara Kiley Watson

A Heliconius butterfly with black, orange, and white on its wings.
Environment

Butterflies can remember specific flower foraging routes

By Laura Baisas

A moth called a tobacco budworm on a green leaf. Moths like the tobacco budworm use pheromone signaling to find mates.
Environment

How male tobacco budworm moths found their perfect cologne

By Laura Baisas

A bee on a peach rose. Understanding how flowering plants and bees evolved together can help inform conservation efforts for pollinators and how to keep their populations healthy.
Environment

The world’s earliest bees may have called Gondwana home

By Laura Baisas

parasitic horsehair worm
Science

‘Brainwashing’ parasites inherit a strange genetic gap

By Maddi Langweil

single fruit fly
Technology

What’s life like for a fruit fly? AI offers a peek.

By Maddi Langweil

A honey bee pollinates a yellow flower against a bright blue sky.
Science

Bee brains could teach robots to make split-second decisions

By Laura Baisas

Jars of animal and plant specimen.
Science

Why preserving museum specimens is so vital for science

By Darren Incorvaia/Undark

wall of taxidermy animals and skeletons
Environment

Humans are dangerous predators because we love collecting weird animals

By Emily Harwitz / Hakai Magazine

The miller moth is hard to love, but it deserves our respect
Environment

The miller moth is hard to love, but it deserves our respect

By Samuel Shaw/High Country News

Robotic gripper holding pillbug that is gripping piece of cotton
Technology

This weird robot uses living bugs as gripping tools

By Andrew Paul

A mosquito sitting on a bright green leaf.
Health

Rare homegrown malaria cases in the US force health advisory, but don’t panic yet

By Laura Baisas

A close-up of a katydid, an insect with six long and lean legs.
Environment

A 50-million-year-old insect testicle is one lucky find

By Laura Baisas

Two small huts near clear, turquoise tropical waters in Tobacco Caye, Belize. he Central American country is the third nation this year to be certified malaria-free.
Health

After a 70-year battle, the WHO declares Belize malaria-free

By Laura Baisas

Monarch butterfly during migration perched on leaf with wings spread out
Environment

Monarch butterflies’ signature color patterns could inspire better drone design

By Zayna Syed

Bumblebee pollinator over red and orange flowers
Environment

Microscopic worms use electricity to ride bumblebees like EVs

By Laura Baisas

The sustainable secret to raising tastier crabs
Environment

The sustainable secret to raising tastier crabs

By Sofia Quaglia/Hakai Magazine

A glow-worm on a leaf.
Environment

Bright white lights are a buzzkill for glow-worm romance

By Laura Baisas

Two ants facing one another. Ants release a pheromone that helps other ants sense danger.
Environment

Ants brains are surprisingly good at communicating danger to others

By Laura Baisas

single fruit fly
Environment

Flies age faster once they’ve seen death

By Sara Kiley Watson

Fire ants moving across ground
Technology

Robot dog sniffs out fire ants without the painful sting

By Andrew Paul

A moth with wings extended outward lands on a flower.
Environment

This massively underrated pollinator needs your help

By Laura Baisas

These species were discovered in museum collections. They might already be extinct.
Science

These species were discovered in museum collections. They might already be extinct.

By Katarina Zimmer / Undark

Honeybee with medical sensor attached to back
Technology

This bee’s tiny backpack could one day monitor human hearts

By Andrew Paul

A robot inspired by centipedes has no trouble finding its footing
Technology

A robot inspired by centipedes has no trouble finding its footing

By Andrew Paul

Large termite mound in the African Savannah
Technology

Termite mounds may one day inspire ‘living, breathing’ architecture

By Andrew Paul

The weevil Anchylorhynchus trapezicollis is the main pollinator of South American palm Syagrus coronata. Here, the weevil is seen on a female flower, touching the receptive parts and leaving pollen grains in the process.
Environment

Move over, bees: The lowly weevil is a power pollinator

By Laura Baisas

Silver Y moth feeding on long fuschia flowers
Environment

How migration makes life more resilient

By Tim Blackburn

A blue butterfly on a pink flowering plant.
Environment

A ‘butterfly tree of life’ reveals the origins of these beautiful insects

By Laura Baisas

Pink clover meadow and blue sky.
Technology

This lawn-mowing robot can save part of your yard for pollinators

By Andrew Paul

A mosquito hanging upside down on a leaf.
Environment

Can scented soap make you less of a mosquito buffet?

By Laura Baisas

A new butterfly species with orange wings and black spots next to the eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings films.
Environment

Lord of the Rings villain Sauron inspires the name of new butterfly genus

By Laura Baisas

A honeybee pollenating a yellow flower.
Environment

What busy bees’ brains can teach us about human evolution

By Laura Baisas

A carnivorous Sarracenia plant growing in the wild.
Environment

Carnivorous pitcher plants may use tempting aromas to lure prey to their death

By Laura Baisas

Madagascar hissing cockroach balanced on human finger against green backdrop
Technology

Cyborg cockroaches could one day scurry to your rescue

By Andrew Paul

Luna moth resting on a tree.
Science

The alluring tail of the Luna moth is surprisingly useless for finding a mate

By Jamie Dickman

A carpenter bee on a white flower. If you're trying to figure out how to get rid of carpenter bees, it's best not to kill these crucial pollinators.
Environment

Easy ways to stop carpenter bees from remodeling your home

By Julia Rittenberg

Scientists are finally getting into the rhythm of sea creatures’ lunar cycle
Science

Scientists are finally getting into the rhythm of sea creatures’ lunar cycle

By Virat Markandeya/Knowable Magazine

Japanese beekeepers holding honeycomb up at the top of a Tokyo skyscraper
Environment

Beehives are the honeypot for a city’s microbial secrets

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

Desert daisy tricks male flies with sexy evolutionary deception
Environment

Desert daisy tricks male flies with sexy evolutionary deception

By Laura Baisas

A bug on a green leaf feeding on a caterpillar.
Environment

Save caterpillars by turning off your outdoor lights

By Laura Baisas

Small flying robot perched atop cactus
Technology

This bumblebee-inspired bot can bounce back after injuring a wing

By Andrew Paul

A mosquito biting a human arm.
Environment

How can we control mosquitos? Deactivate their sperm.

By Laura Baisas

Four male common fruit flies in a chain trying to mate with each other after being exposed to ozone air pollution
Science

Horny male fruit flies plunge into chaos when exposed to air pollution

By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira

Fungus gnat on a white flower petal
Environment

Flies evolved before dinosaurs—and survived an apocalyptic world after the Permian extinction

By Sara Kiley Watson

A warm of bees on a honeycomb.
Environment

Older bees teach younger bees the ‘waggle dance’

By Laura Baisas

Butterfly cutouts painted with plasmonic paint hues against grass background
Technology

Butterfly-inspired ‘plasmonic paint’ could be brilliant for energy-efficient buildings

By Andrew Paul

Three honeybees fly near a crocus in a field.
Environment

Like the first flying humans, honeybees use linear landmarks to navigate

By Laura Baisas

Meadow grasshopper sitting on blade of grass
Technology

Leaping robots take physics lessons from grasshoppers

By Andrew Paul

A giant lacewing as seen under a microscope. The insect is a moth relative with large wings.
Environment

A bug expert went shopping at Walmart—and made a historic insect discovery

By Laura Baisas

A glassy-winged sharpshooter rests on a leaf.
Environment

Watch these tiny bugs catapult urine with their butts

By Laura Baisas

Several European spruce bark beetles on a dry piece of wood.
Environment

These beetles sniff out fungus-infected trees to find their next target

By Laura Baisas

Singapore’s new plan to fight mosquito-borne diseases: bug-infecting bacteria
Science

Singapore’s new plan to fight mosquito-borne diseases: bug-infecting bacteria

By Marta Zaraska / Undark