INSECTS

2017 Might be a Bad Year for Lyme Disease

Warmer temperatures have led to an increase in the tick population. Here's how to avoid them.

Oliver Koemmerling via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Why Lady Mantises Eat Their Mates

Genetically speaking, getting eaten could be the best thing to ever happen to a male mantis.

13 Secrets of Forensic Entomologists

4. They rarely go to crime scenes.

The Most Rat- and Roach-Infested Cities in the U.S.

One city reported vermin in 2 out of 5 households.

Paul Ventner via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

15 Facts About Maggots

Maggot therapy is making a comeback.

John Tann via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

15 Fascinating Facts About Fruit Flies

Drosophila melanogaster may seem like nothing more than a nuisance when your fruit gets too ripe, but medical research owes a great deal to this tiny little menace.

Ants Communicate by Swapping Spit

Scientists say the mouth-to-mouth exchanges transmit hormones and other important chemical information.

Richard Bartz via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.5

Light Therapy Could Help Bees Recover From Pesticides

Red light helped honeybees bounce back after exposure to a neonicotinoid pesticide.

Watch These Peruvian Tree-Protecting Ants in Ultra HD

These ants help local trees...until they're bribed by crafty caterpillars.

James D. Gathany, the Public Health Image Library via Wikimedia Commons // Public Domain

The Next Step in Malaria Prevention May Be to Make People Taste Bad

Scientists say the brains of malaria-carrying mosquitoes combine smell and taste when considering who to bite.

Watch: Red Ants vs. Black Ants...Who Wins?

People keep fire ants as pets. And they make videos about it.

Scientists Experiment With Turning Mealworms Into Margarine

Look on the bright side: They're sustainable, and solid mealworm fat is low in saturated fat.

A Praying Mantis Has Become the Kansas City Royals' Good Luck Charm

Rally Mantis Jr. has turned the team's slump into a streak.

Fig Pollination Is Incredible (And Probably Results In You Eating Mummified Wasps)

The fruit and its wasp have been evolving together for millions of years.

Why Do Fleas, Ticks, and Mosquitoes Show Individual Preferences?

Whether it’s that guy at the barbecue who never gets bitten, or the dog who never gets ticks, what is the chemistry behind being personally unattractive to biting insects?

The Fly That Acts Like a Hermit Crab

Caddisfly larvae build armor out of pebbles.

16 Buggy Ways to Say Mosquito

You might be one of a lucky type who rarely attract bites, or you might be someone skeeters love to feast on—in which case, you’ll want plenty of ammunition for name-calling. Here are a few choice terms for mosquitoes courtesy of the Dictionary of America