Insect

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.

Filter by Type

Your Selection All Articles Countdowns Image Albums Infographics Quizzes References Wallpapers Videos

Blink and You'll Miss It: Trap-Jaw Ant's Strike Is Swift, Deadly, Unique

August 31, 2017 | Article

X-ray scanners and high-speed video captured views of trap-jaw ants' jaws in action — inside and out.
Read More
Eat, Pray, Fossilize? Praying Mantis Fossil Is 110 Million Years Old

August 03, 2017 | Article

A Cretaceous mantis fossil is helping scientists piece together how these insects evolved their prey-nabbing adaptations.
Read More
Lunch on the Wing: Mantises Snack on Birds (Photos)

July 06, 2017 | Image Album

Praying mantises primarily hunt insects and spiders, but a new study found that for many large mantises, birds are also on the menu.
Read More
Bug vs. Bird: Praying Mantises Feast on Feathered Prey

July 06, 2017 | Article

For a dozen species of praying mantises, birds aren't the predators — they're the prey.
Read More
Cicadas Are Coming! Brood VI Returns After 17 Years

June 12, 2017 | Article

This spring, Brood VI periodical cicadas make their first appearance in 17 years.
Read More
Why Are Thousands of Clay Caterpillars Swarming the Globe?

May 18, 2017 | Article

Scientific discovery takes patience, determination, focus and perseverance. And sometimes it also takes 2,879 Plasticine caterpillars.
Read More
Female Dragonflies Play Dead to Escape Stalking Males

May 01, 2017 | Article

Female dragonflies say no to sex by faking their deaths, new research has found.
Read More
Crystal-Haired 'Radiohead' Ant Discovered

April 24, 2017 | Article

A new species of ant, named after the band Radiohead, is dusted with crystalline white hairs and grows its own food.
Read More
Love Bugs: Couple Donates 'World-Class' $10M Insect Collection

March 28, 2017 | Article

More than a million insect specimens will be added to the Arizona State University entomology collection.
Read More
Entomologist Couple Donated $10M Bug Collection to University | Video

March 27, 2017 | Video

Amassed over 60 years of field work, the donation is considered one of the world’s largest and most important private insect collections.
Read More