Insect news, features and articles
 
The insect family tree goes back more than 450 million years. In that time, bugs have evolved all kinds of awesome adaptations — from the sharpshooter insect that flings pee with a butt catapult to the Jurassic insect that wore eggs on its legs.
Our expert writers and editors bring you the most interesting insect research news, fact pages and galleries, as well as answer essential bug questions like, "are insects edible?" and "do bugs poop?", so there's always news, articles and features about insects to read.
Discover more about insects
—Insects: Facts about the creepy-crawlies that make up more than half of the world's animal species
Latest about Insects
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 Are there any countries with no mosquitoes?By Clarissa Brincat Last updated 
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 'Almost like science fiction': European ant is the first known animal to clone members of another speciesBy Sophie Berdugo Published 
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 Creepy new giant insect may be the heaviest ever recorded in AustraliaBy Patrick Pester Published 
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 Insects: Facts about the creepy-crawlies that make up more than half of the world's animal speciesBy Sascha Pare Published 
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 Invasive Asian needle ants are surging in US Southeast — and their bite can trigger anaphylaxisBy Sascha Pare Published 
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 Bone collector caterpillar: The very hungry caterpillar of your nightmaresBy Jesse Steinmetz Published 
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 'A relationship that could horrify Darwin': Mindy Weisberger on the skin-crawling reality of insect zombificationBy Sascha Pare Published 
 
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Explore Insects
Ants
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 'Almost like science fiction': European ant is the first known animal to clone members of another speciesBy Sophie Berdugo Published 
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 Invasive Asian needle ants are surging in US Southeast — and their bite can trigger anaphylaxisBy Sascha Pare Published 
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 Watch 5,000 fire ants create raft with their bodies to save colony and queen from death by swimming poolBy Elise Poore Published 
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 Soldier ants turned into foragers by scientists reprogramming their brainsBy Sneha Khedkar Published 
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 World's most painful ant sting targets nerves in the same way scorpion venom doesBy Sascha Pare Published 
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 'Supergene' mutation turned ants into parasitic wannabe queensBy Sascha Pare Published 
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 Horrifying close-up photo of an ant is the stuff of nightmaresBy Jennifer Nalewicki Last updated 
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 These ant queens live 500% longer than workers. Now we know why.By Nicoletta Lanese Published 
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  Trap-jaw ants' lightning-fast bite should rip their heads apart. Here's why it doesn't.By Nicoletta Lanese Published 
 
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Bees & Wasps
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 'Murder hornets' eradicated, but officials say they'll keep 'an eye out' for moreBy Patrick Pester Published 
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 Parasitic 'horror' wasp that bursts from a fly's abdomen like an 'Alien' xenomorph discovered in Mississippi backyardBy Patrick Pester Published 
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 3,000-year-old mummified bees are so well preserved, scientists can see the flowers the insects ateBy Ethan Freedman Published 
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 Invasive yellow-legged hornets spotted in US for 1st time, one nest eradicatedBy Megan Shersby Last updated 
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 Where do honey bees come from? New study 'turns the standard picture on its head'By Carissa Wong Published 
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 Reference ReferenceHow do bees make honey? From the hive to the potBy Ailsa Harvey Last updated 
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 Wild queen bees attempt to invade commercial hives, but get slaughtered by rival workersBy Harry Baker Published 
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 Do bees have knees?By JoAnna Wendel Published 
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  This wasp uses its prickly penis to escape certain deathBy Nicoletta Lanese Published 
 
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Beetles
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 American burying beetle: The meat-eating insect that buries bodies for its babies to feast onBy Megan Shersby Published 
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 Tortoise beetle larvae use their telescopic anuses to build shields from shed skin and poopBy Richard Pallardy Published 
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 Beetles suck water into their butts to stay hydrated, and now scientists know howBy Jennifer Nalewicki Published 
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 Beetles Decimate Canadian ForestsBy Stéphan Reebs Last updated 
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  3D scans reveal that beetles have secret pockets on their backsBy JoAnna Wendel Published 
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 49 million-year-old beetle looks like it was squashed yesterdayBy Mindy Weisberger Published 
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  This beetle can walk upside down on the underside of a pool of water (VIDEO)By Ben Turner Published 
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 Perfectly-preserved 'bog beetles' nearly as old as Egypt's pyramidsBy Laura Geggel Published 
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 Weirdo ancient beetle looks like a scrub brushBy Nicoletta Lanese Published 
 
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Butterflies
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 Butterflies cross Atlantic ocean on 2,600-mile non-stop flight never recorded in any insect beforeBy Ben Turner Published 
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 All butterflies evolved from ancient moths in North America 100 million years agoBy Soumya Sagar Published 
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 Monarch butterflies teetering ‘on the edge of collapse,’ added to endangered species listBy Stephanie Pappas Published 
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 What's the difference between a moth and a butterfly?By Tia Ghose Published 
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  New video reveals how 'caterpillar soup' transforms into shimmering butterfly wingsBy Nicoletta Lanese Published 
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 'Russian doll' set of stomach-bursting parasites released inside butterfly on remote Finnish islandBy Ben Turner Published 
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 Milkweed butterflies tear open caterpillars and drink them aliveBy Mindy Weisberger Published 
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 Monarch butterfly: Facts about the iconic migratory insectsBy Erin Banks Rusby Published 
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 Butterflies Sip Turtle Tears in Stunning VideoBy Mindy Weisberger Published 
 
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Cockroaches
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 Creepy, big-eyed cockroach discovered trapped in amber from 100 million years agoBy Cameron Duke Published 
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 Cockroach 'Superbugs' Becoming Near-Impossible to KillBy Mindy Weisberger Published 
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 A Cockroach Crawled Inside a Woman's Ear, and It Can Happen to YouBy Yasemin Saplakoglu Published 
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 Here's Why Cockroaches Can Survive Just About AnythingBy Stephanie Pappas Published 
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 Female Cockroaches Sync Up Their Virgin BirthsBy Stephanie Pappas Published 
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 Eww! Live Cockroach Pulled from Woman's Nose in Rare CaseBy Rachael Rettner Published 
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 'Lover' Cockroaches Grow Bigger Testicles to Woo MatesBy Kacey Deamer Published 
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 Flying Cockroaches! Heat Sends Your Favorite Pests SoaringBy Taylor Kubota Published 
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 Cockroaches Use Their Own Internal GPS to Get AroundBy Kacey Deamer Published 
 
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Cockroaches
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 Creepy, big-eyed cockroach discovered trapped in amber from 100 million years agoBy Cameron Duke Published 
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 Cockroach 'Superbugs' Becoming Near-Impossible to KillBy Mindy Weisberger Published 
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 A Cockroach Crawled Inside a Woman's Ear, and It Can Happen to YouBy Yasemin Saplakoglu Published 
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 Here's Why Cockroaches Can Survive Just About AnythingBy Stephanie Pappas Published 
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 Female Cockroaches Sync Up Their Virgin BirthsBy Stephanie Pappas Published 
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 Eww! Live Cockroach Pulled from Woman's Nose in Rare CaseBy Rachael Rettner Published 
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 'Lover' Cockroaches Grow Bigger Testicles to Woo MatesBy Kacey Deamer Published 
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 Flying Cockroaches! Heat Sends Your Favorite Pests SoaringBy Taylor Kubota Published 
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 Cockroaches Use Their Own Internal GPS to Get AroundBy Kacey Deamer Published 
 
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Mosquitos
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 Are there any countries with no mosquitoes?By Clarissa Brincat Last updated 
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 New invasive mosquitoes descend on Florida, raising concerns of diseaseBy Nicoletta Lanese Published 
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 Animal Sex: How Mosquitoes Do ItBy Joseph Castro Last updated 
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  Mosquito larvae launch their heads like tiny harpoons to nab prey, video revealsBy Mindy Weisberger Last updated 
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 How do mosquitoes sniff out humans to bite?By Nicoletta Lanese Published 
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 Should we kill every mosquito on Earth?By Joe Phelan Published 
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 Why do mosquitoes buzz in our ears?By Stacy Kish Published 
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  Mosquito 'tongue' neurons ignite like fireworks at taste of human bloodBy Mindy Weisberger Published 
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 Why Do Some People Always Get Bitten by Mosquitoes, While Others Don't?By Grant Currin Published 
 
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Moths
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 Hummingbird hawk-moth: The bird-like insect with a giant sucking mouthpartBy Rohini Subrahmanyam Published 
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 More than 1,000 species live in and around an ordinary suburban house, survey in Australia shows.By Matthew H. Holden Published 
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 Gum leaf skeletonizer: The venomous 'Mad Hatterpillar' that wears its old heads like a crownBy Megan Shersby Published 
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 Caterpillars evolved their weird chubby little 'prolegs' from ancient crustaceansBy Richard Pallardy Published 
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 Fuzzy caterpillar has sting 'like being hit with a baseball bat," and now we know whyBy Sascha Pare Published 
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 Interview InterviewEcologist Tim Blackburn: 'Moths pollinate a wider range of species than bees'By Sascha Pare Published 
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 Rarely seen supersized moth with 10-inch wingspan found at Australian schoolBy Harry Baker Published 
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 Watch a 'Godzilla' wasp dominate Mothra in this eerie lab videoBy Nicoletta Lanese Published 
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 Here's Why These Creepy Little Moths Have Noisy, Clicking WingsBy Rafi Letzter Published 
 
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More about Insects
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 'A relationship that could horrify Darwin': Mindy Weisberger on the skin-crawling reality of insect zombificationBy Sascha Pare Published 
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 'The parasite was in the driver's seat': The zombie ants that die gruesome deaths fit for a horror movieBy Mindy Weisberger Published 
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 How many species of insects are there on Earth?By Nicholas Green Published 
 
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