INSECTS

P. Landmann, Willott, et al. in PLOS ONE

Desert Ants’ Shiny Silver Hair Keeps Them Cool

Saharan silver ants can withstand blistering temperatures thanks to their super shiny hair.

City Moths Have Learned to Avoid Light, According to Study

Scientists think the adaptation could have an unexpected—and possibly negative—impact on their ecosystem.

6 Spectacular Praying Mantises

These insects come in an amazing variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.

Do Wasps Sting in Revenge?

They’re likely motivated more by self-defense than vengeance.

Drones Are Dropping Sterilized Flies Over Ethiopia to Fight Disease

Drones Against Tsetse aims to diminish the next generation of disease-bearing insects.

Researchers Have Identified a Potentially New Alaskan Butterfly Species

The delicate, copper-winged insect is the first new butterfly discovered in Alaska in 28 years.

10,000 Ceramic Insects Swarm English Manor

Artist Anna Collette Hunt’s “Stirring the Swarm” is a gorgeous, unsettling, and immersive fairy tale.

Scorpion vs. Mouse (Spoiler: Mouse Wins!)

The Southern grasshopper mouse is shockingly tough.

Male beetles tussling in their flour-floored gladiator arena. Matthew Silk

Male Beetles Mount Other Males to Establish Dominance, Study Finds

Same-sex behavior may be a shortcut to avoiding fights.

Muhammad Mahdi Karim via Wikimedia Commons

This Tiny Dragonfly Routinely Travels a Record-Breaking 4400 Miles

"Wandering gliders" fly thousands of miles to mate.

Shenrich91 via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Black Widows’ Hourglass Markings Deter Potential Predators

Bugs, however, can’t see the warning signs.

First In-Human Trial of Malaria Vaccine Shows Some Promise

It didn't prevent the disease, but it did delay parasitemia and produced a "robust immune response.”

How Stick Bugs Move, A Motion-Capture Study

The six-legged insects help researchers build creepier (ahem BETTER) robots.

Where to See the Monarch Butterflies Wintering in California Before They Leave

Thousands of orange and black butterflies are clustering for warmth amidst stunning scenery.

Tom Libby, Kaushik Jayaram and Pauline Jennings. Courtesy of Poly-PEDAL Lab UC Berkeley.

Cockroach Un-Squashability Inspires Robots That Can Squeeze Through Cracks

The bug-shaped robots may be helpful in search-and-rescue missions.

Scientists Decode Bedbug Genome, and It Explains Why They’re So Hard to Kill

Pesticide resistance, efficient food processing, and self-defense are built right into the pest’s genes.

7 Questions About the Zika Virus, Answered

What is it, and why has it exploded now?

The 1899 Kissing Bug Epidemic That (Probably) Wasn't

The Average American Home Has About 100 Different Bug Species

The average house surveyed was home to about 100 species of insects, arachnids, and other bugs, most of which are completely harmless.

Brewer's Yeast Creates Love Nests in Wasps' Digestive Tracts

Yeast breeds best in insect intestines, a new study finds.

11 Diseases and Pests That are Catastrophic to Plants

These plant diseases and crop-killing critters cause many millions of dollars in damage, and mean very hard work for those that're trying to stop them.

12 Cool Species Discovered in 2015

The millipede Tasmaniosoma anubis was named after the jackal-headed Egyptian god Anubis because its genitals resemble the god’s ears and snout.

Sticky Plants Protect Themselves with a Deadly 'Siren Song'

The plant's chemical signal lures insect tourists, who get stuck and die—then their delicious corpses draw predators who scare off insects that might munch the plant.

Rare European Dung Beetle Found Living in Cow Poop

Aphodius affinis beetles inhabit cow pies on the island of Jersey.

PREV NEXT