INSECTS

John Robert McPherson, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

World's Heaviest Moth Makes Rare Appearance at Australian School

The giant wood moth dies a few days after reaching adulthood, and females are so heavy they have trouble flying.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is looking for its next snack.

What Would Happen to The Very Hungry Caterpillar If It Really Ate All That Stuff?

There are few children’s books more beloved than Eric Carle’s 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar,' even if it's real-life ending would be much more gruesome.

Vincent van Gogh painted Olive Trees in 1889 perhaps without realizing it contained a dead grasshopper.

The Reason a Grasshopper Wound Up Stuck in Vincent van Gogh's Painting Olive Trees

The 1889 painting of the olive groves outside an asylum Van Gogh was staying in has been hiding a secret for years—a dead grasshopper stuck in the paint.

Can Honey Go Bad?

Honey can spend years in a pantry without spoiling because bees are very diligent when it comes to food safety.

Microscopic Wasps Will Help Stamp Out a Moth Infestation at Anne Boleyn’s Ancestral Home

It’s the ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ of the insect world, featuring a cameo by Anne Boleyn’s headless ghost.

Billions of Brood X Cicadas Are Ready to Emerge After 17 Years Underground

In the summer of 2021, the cicadas of Brood X will emerge by the billions for the first time in 17 years.

Who wouldn't be screaming in this situation?

Why Are Humans Afraid of Bugs?

Our ancestors may have predisposed us to fear spiders, insects, and other many-legged creatures, but there's a lot more to it.

Mike Lewinski, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

Warning: A ‘Robust' Explosion Of Stink Bugs Could Be Headed Your Way

Due to an unusually warm winter and summer, a 'robust' stink bug population is expected to invade homes in the Mid-Atlantic region when temperatures drop.

How to Remove a Tick Safely and Effectively

If you find a tick on your body, don't panic—removing it the right way fast drastically reduces your chances of contracting any diseases it might be carrying.

A Typo Put a Giant Mosquito in the Running to Become Mississippi’s New State Flag Symbol

The new Mississippi flag design, featuring a mosquito silhouette surrounded by a ring of stars, has become a surprise hit with the public.

Veronique de Viguerie/Stringer/Getty Images

Lead from the 2019 Notre-Dame Cathedral Fire Detected in Paris’s Beehives

Honey from hives downwind from the Notre-Dame fire contained 3.5 times as much lead as Parisian honey collected before April 2019.

The mug shot of Washington's smallest (but still much too large) criminal.

Washington Officials Just Caught Their First ‘Murder Hornet’—Now They Have Less Than Two Months to Find Its Nest

A murder hornet’s stinger can do some serious damage to humans, but what its pincers do to bees is arguably worse.

Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

Joshua Tree National Park Closes Two Campgrounds Due to ‘Aggressive’ Honey Bees

Aggressive honey bees (not to be confused with murder hornets) have invaded Joshua Tree National Park.

A pile of genetically-related Argentine ants

10 Facts About Argentine Ants

Invasive Argentine ants have built a 560-mile-long supercolony underneath California, making them virtually impossible to eradicate.

How to Watch the Great Smoky Mountains' Synchronous Fireflies From Home

You won't be able to see the Great Smoky Mountains' synchronous fireflies in person this year, but a nonprofit has made the light show easy to view from home.

10 Tips for Watching Backyard Wildlife

You don't need to climb mountains to find nature. Get to know your local animals with these 10 tips for backyard wildlife watching.

The Cicadas Are Coming! 1.5 Million Cicadas Are Ready to Emerge After Nearly 20 Years Underground

There are roughly 1.5 million cicadas in Brood IX, and in the summer of 2020 they will make their first appearance in 17 years.

Bees are dying at an alarming rate, and murder hornets could make it even worse.

Murder Hornets: 5 Things We Know So Far

These giant hornets of Japan and other parts of Asia have been spotted in North America—and that's bad news for bees.

The wacky Kaikaia gaga is fashionably just designed to be rad.

This New Insect Species Was Named After Lady Gaga for Its 'Wacky Fashion Sense'

There are a million reasons why we should be paying more attention to treehoppers, entomology student Brendan Morris says.

Insect butter could bake the world by swarm.

Belgian Waf-flies: Researchers in Belgium Have Developed ‘Insect Butter’

This dairy butter substitute involves mashing black soldier fly larvae into an appetizing, buttery grease.

Fireflies Could Be Headed Toward Extinction

Firefly populations are dwindling around the world, and a new study says light pollution is largely to blame.

Tatiana Adrianova/iStock via Getty Images

What Happens to Mosquitoes in the Winter?

These nuisance creatures have a system for braving the cold so they can emerge in the spring and get back to the business of slurping up your blood.

7 Animals Named After Theodore Roosevelt

From big cats to tiny fish, the collection of animals named for Theodore Roosevelt is eclectic—just like our adventurous 26th president.

Journey to the Monarch Mosh Pit

Each fall, millions of migrating monarchs return to Mexico to wait out winter. The gathering makes Woodstock look like a business conference. Here’s how they get there.

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