INSECTS

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.

Andrew Neild, Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.

Rare Butterfly Species Named for David Attenborough

Researchers say they were “influenced and inspired” by Attenborough’s documentaries.

How the Zoological Society of London Helps People Overcome Arachnophobia

The Friendly Spider Program combines cognitive behavioral therapy, group hypnosis, and playtime with actual spiders.

Out of Bug Spray? Try Victoria’s Secret Perfume

A new study suggests that Victoria’s Secret Bombshell perfume can repel mosquitoes.

Itsy-Bitsy Arachnids Use Bats as Airplanes

Scientists spotted tiny pseudoscorpions stowing away in bat fur in New Zealand.

Brett Forsyth via Wikipedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

Future of a Central American Space Program Rides on the Wings of One Shiny Beetle

A Costa Rican jewel scarab may soon visit space—and spark the development of Central America's only space program.

Drägüs, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.O

How Bugs From Australia Settled African Islands

Stick bugs arrived on the Mascerene Islands 22 million years ago from a surprising place: Australia.

You Can Bid to Name a New Moth Species on eBay

Hurry up, insect lovers—the auction ends Oct. 23.

Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility // Public Domain

These Caterpillars Trick Plants With Their Poop

You may have heard the saying “don’t s**t where you eat,” but fall armyworms certainly haven’t.

Male Crickets Bribe Their Mates With 'Gummy Bears'

The chewy nuptial gifts have no nutritional value.

Mealworms Make Styrofoam Biodegradable By Digesting It

Two new studies have huge environmental implications.

Firefly Park Is Illuminated By 10,000 Lightning Bugs

For plenty of people, a park populated by thousands of flying insects sounds more like a nightmare than a fun day out. But the concept becomes more appealing when it’s revealed that those bugs are all fireflies, whose bioluminescent properties make for a

Why Some Food Coloring is Made of Bugs

The cochineal bug uses its red dye to repel insects—we use it to color food and makeup.

Illustration by Rebecca O'Connell // Ant head via Smithsonian FB page, Roosevelt thorax via Public Domain

15 Bugs Named After Politicians

If you can't get an airport named after you, a slime-mold beetle is a pretty decent consolation prize.

The Flesh-Eating Beetles that Work at Natural History Museums

Scientists put these bugs to work in museums doing exactly what they do in nature.

Serotonin is Known as the 'Joy Chemical,' but It's Also Found in Animal Venom

In the stomach, serotonin regulates digestion, but injected into the skin, it can turn deadly

Alfred Kinsey's Massive Gall Wasp Collection

Before he was a sexologist, Kinsey's traveled the country on a hunt for gall wasps.

Could a Seed Bank Be Called Into Action to Save Florida’s Orange Trees?

A fast-spreading bacterial disease might someday destroy the citrus industry.

Study Shows Some Worker Ants Don’t Work At All

A research team has taken the famously industrious ant down a peg, showing that many ants don’t do their fair share of work—or any work at all.

How Do Honey Bees Survive the Winter?

As hard as bees toil during their peak seasons, you’d think the colder months would bring some kind of hibernation or rest, even if it means snowy death.

Vladimir Nabokov's Karner Blue Butterfly Makes a Comeback

It's not the resurrection of the waxwing slain by the false azure in the windowpane, but it's pretty close.

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