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Insects

Find out everything there is to know about insects and stay updated on the latest insect research with the comprehensive articles, interactive features and insect pictures at LiveScience.com. Learn more about these fascinating species as scientists continue to make amazing discoveries about insects.

Related Topics: Biodiversity, Butterfly, Predators, Invasive Species

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Close up of three honeybees crawling on a honeycomb.

Here's all the buzz about honeybees

By Greg Uyeno

There are 20,000 species of bees, but honeybees have a special relationship with people.

An Asian giant hornet (aka "murder hornet") prepares to emerge from a cell in a nest discovered in Washington State.

200 'murder hornet' queens found inside first US nest of this invasive insect

By Stephanie Pappas

There were nearly 200 new queens poised to start their own colonies in a 'murder hornet' nest destroyed by Washington state entomologists.

Wearing protective suits, Washington State Department of Agriculture workers vacuum up a nest of Asian giant hornets on Oct. 24, 2020, in Blaine, Washington. Working in the pre-dawn darkness, the workers are illuminated by red lamps as they search, trap and use dental floss to tie tracking devices to the so-called murder hornets.

1st 'murder hornet' nest in US found and destroyed

By Stephanie Pappas

The invasive wasp is a threat to honeybees.

Crush-resistant elytra — hardened exoskeletal forewings — protect the diabolical ironclad beetle against piercing and crushing predatory strikes.

You can't squish this 'iron' beetle. Now, scientists know why.

By Mindy Weisberger

A tough exoskeleton in ironclad beetles protect them against piercing and crushing, and scientists recently uncovered the unusual interlocking structures that strengthen the insect's hard shell.

This pus caterpillar looks like a harmless little toupee but it's way more dangerous than that.

Weird venomous caterpillars that look like walking toupées are invading Virginia

By Rafi Letzter

Pus caterpillars have among the most venomous stings of any animal in the United States. And they're having a boom year in Virginia.

Neurons in a female mosquito's skin-piercing stylet light up as they detect the taste of blood.

Mosquito 'tongue' neurons ignite like fireworks at taste of human blood

By Mindy Weisberger

The taste of your blood ignites a burst of sensory neuron activity in mosquito mouthparts.

A locust swarm flies through a wheat field.

What are locusts and why do they swarm?

By Greg Uyeno

Locusts are described by their two dramatically different behavior patterns: Either docile and solitary, or active and sociable, forming gigantic, ravenous swarms.

Researchers have documented large population declines in beetles, including carabid beetles, like the one shown here.

Insect apocalypse? Not so fast, at least in North America

By Matthew D. Moran

Recent reports of dramatic declines in insect populations have sparked concern about an 'insect apocalypse.' But a new analysis of data from sites across North America suggests the case isn't proven.

Photomicrograph from top view of the hell ant, Ceratomyrmex ellenbergeri, restraining its prey, an extinct cockroach relative called Caputoraptor elegans, preserved in amber.

Scythelike jaws of Cretaceous 'hell ant' clutch a baby cockroach in an amber tomb

By Mindy Weisberger

The death strike of a Cretaceous "hell ant" from 99 million years ago is preserved in amber, revealing how these demonic-looking ants hunted.

West Virginia University researchers were part of a team that discovered how Massospora, a parasitic fungus, manipulates male cicadas into flicking their wings like females — a mating invitation — to tempt and infect other males.

Mind-controlling fungus makes zombie cicadas lure other cicadas to a zombie fate

By Mindy Weisberger

Not only does the fungus Massospora infect cicadas, eat their bodies and turn them into mind-controlled zombies, it forces them to attract more cicada victims.

A new fly named for Marvel's Deadpool

Ruthless Australian 'assassin flies' named for Thor, Deadpool — and Stan Lee

By Brandon Specktor

Biologists named 5 newly-described species of Australian "assassin flies" after Thor, Loki and other Marvel heroes.

The Australian bees of genus Tetragonula produce strange, spiral nests. Scientists think they know why.

Strange, spiral bee combs look like fantastical crystal palaces. Now we know why.

By Brandon Specktor

The stingless Tetragonula bees build nests in strange, spiral shapes. New research offers a reason why.

A Madagascan marbled praying mantis grabs at a dangling fly.

High-speed video shows every second of a praying mantis's lethal strike

By Mindy Weisberger

Researchers captured slow motion video of praying mantis strikes, revealing what makes these insects such effective predators.

An image shows a murder hornet's distinctive face.

Here's how to tell a 'murder hornet' from other nasty wasps

By Rafi Letzter

A new paper gathers images of invasive Vespa hornet species worldwide, and offers clues to help identify them.

Head of an Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia)

Monstrous 'murder hornets' have reached the US

By Mindy Weisberger

Sightings of Asian giant hornets in the state of Washington raise concerns that the enormous insects may be settling in North America.

A frontal view of the head shows the bilateral split between sexes (female left side of image, male right side).

Rare bee has a body that's half-male, half-female, and split exactly down the middle

By Mindy Weisberger

Gynandromorphy produced a bee with half of its body displaying female features, and the other half of its body showing male traits.

This rare example of "frozen behavior" in the fossil record preserves two mating, long-legged flies in honey-colored amber from Victoria, Australia.

41 million-year-old insect sex romp preserved in amber

By Mindy Weisberger

Amber from Australia holds some of the continent's oldest known specimens of preserved plants and animals, and includes a pair of flies trapped while mating.

One of the ancient cockroaches is pictured preserved in its amber grave.

'Exquisite' dinosaur-age cockroaches discovered preserved in amber

By Rafi Letzter

A pair of 99-million-year-old cave-dwelling cockroaches are rewriting the early history of when bugs first moved into caves.

Scientists found nearly a million wood ants trapped in a bunker formerly used by the Soviets to store nuclear weapons.

Thousands of Ants Trapped in Polish Nuclear Bunker Turn to Cannibalism to Survive

By Mindy Weisberger

After a group of worker ants became trapped in a sealed nuclear bunker in Poland, they formed a queen-free "colony" that survived through cannibalism.

Yellow jacket super nest

Yellow Jacket 'Super Nests' the Size of Cars Are Popping Up in Alabama

By Laura Geggel

Yellow jackets in Alabama may be in the midst of a colossal craze; they're making humongous "super nests" that can house 15,000 worker wasps, according to an entomologist there.