The bulloak jewel (Hypochrysops piceatus )
Michael Braby
There’s still a very good chance of recovery for most of these species, but only with new targeted conservation effort.
Red mason bee just hatched out of its cocoon.
Hazet/Wikimedia Commons
First ever feeding experiments reveal that solitary bees need to carb-load – and can be picky when it comes to dieting.
Chris R Reid
A type of structure called a ‘scaffold’ acts like a safety net for ants when they go foraging, preventing them from slipping on steep surfaces.
Lukas Koch / AAP
If you find your house overrun by bugs after the floods, go easy on them. Here’s what you can do instead of using pesticides.
An insect-friendly wildflower swath at California State University, Fullerton’s arboretum.
TDLucas5000/Flickr
Looking for a new gardening challenge? Turning your yard into an insect-friendly oasis could mean less work and more nature to enjoy.
A hornfaced bee on a catkin.
Bildagentur Zoonar GmbH/Shutterstock
A diverse pollinator community is a reliable one.
Periodical cicada in Washington, D.C., May 2017.
Katha Schulz/Flickr
One of the largest groups of 17-year cicadas, Brood X, last emerged from underground in 2004. The next generation will arrive starting in April.
A female squash bee.
Charles Melton/Alamy Stock Photo
EU-banned pesticides could not only threaten wild bees where they eat, but where they sleep too.
James Dorey
The last time a specimen was collected was in 1923.
Only 10%-20% of cacao flowers are pollinated.
carlosgaw/E+ via Getty Images
Entomologists wonder if the insects currently pollinating farmed cacao are the right ones for the task.
A volunteer looks for waterbirds at Point Reyes National Seashore in California during the National Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count.
Kerry W/Flickr
COVID-19 kept many scientists from doing field research in 2020, which means that important records will have data gaps. But volunteers are helping to plug some of those holes.
Deicing salts keep winter roads passable but do a lot of harm in the process.
Gregory Rec/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images
De-icing salts help us get around in winter, but they corrode cars, crack roads and contaminate rivers and lakes. Scientists are working to develop better options by imitating natural antifreezes.
Sleeping on the job?
Maciej Olszewski/Shutterstock
Chemicals banned in the EU were recently granted an exemption for limited use in the UK.
Multiple queens ensure colonies have a steady output of workers.
Ryan Reihart
The spread of tawny crazy ants may be driven, in part, by their need for calcium. The calcium-rich limestone bedrock of the lower U.S. Midwest may provide ideal conditions for populations to explode.
A coat of sand makes an effective armor.
Eric LoPresti
For some sand-dwelling plants, stickiness is a defense tactic that keeps predators at bay.
Shutterstock
Summer can bring out the bugs. Here’s what to do if you miss a spot when applying insect repellent.
A cockroach.
Dawn Photos/Shutterstock
The reality TV show I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here is under fire for using non-native insects while filming in the Welsh countryside.
Insects are an inexpensive and effective way to teach children about science.
Ariel Skelley/DigitalVision via Getty Images Plus
Insects are plentiful and inexpensive. Even when children aren’t attending school in person, they can learn from the encounters they have with insects outside.
The process of turning a newly dead animal into a bony skeleton relies on an explosion of life that ushers in decomposition.
(Shutterstock)
Nutrients and energy contained within dead animals are repurposed and repackaged into living, breathing insects.
The most effective means of controlling locusts is to prevent the swarms from forming.
shutterstock
Locust outbreaks are driven by unusual climatic conditions.