Insects for Fun!

Why cucumber beetles aren't welcome in the garden!

This week we look at an infamous pest in gardens throughout North America, and why you should probably be proactive in keeping them off your gourds. This pest would be cu

The Centipede that became a Millipede! (Edentistoma octosulcatum)

This week was a listener request about a very interesting centipede. This specific species Edentistoma octosulcatum is quite literally a wolf in sheep's clothing because

The cutest giant(?) silkmoth. Rosy Maple Moths!

This week, we look at one of the most famous giant silkmoths, known as the rosy maple moth. You'll learn about the origins of their name, their life cycle, how to raise t

Copepods! And why the world can't cope without them.

Copepods are some of the most abundant crustaceans on earth, but that's not what makes them special. Learn about how these animals are not only micro cows of the sea, but

Deer Ticks vs Dog/Wood Ticks and what to do when they bite!

This week we break down the differences between deer ticks and wood ticks, also known as dog ticks, and what happens when they bite. I'll, of course, cover the life cycle

Fairies are real! (Fairyflies, the tiniest insects in the world)

This week, we are going to look into the smallest known insects on earth and what it takes to have a fully functioning system in a body so small that they're quite litera

Asian Jumping Worms! (You don't want these in your yard)

This week we're covering Asian jumping worms — and yes, they actually jump. These invasive earthworms from East Asia are tearing through the leaf litter of North American

Ensign Wasps! (The Roach Hunters)

This week we're covering ensign wasps — the tiny black insects you've probably seen pacing along your walls, bobbing that little flag-like abdomen up and down. We'll look

The invisible menace you've definitely met! (No-See-Ums)

This week we're covering no-see-ums — the tiny biting flies you can't see, can't stop, and can't keep out of your house because they fly straight through window screens.

Nature's most obnoxious vampires! (Horeseflies and Deerflies)

This week we're diving into the family Tabanidae — better known as horseflies and deerflies, the scissor-mouthed bullies of the insect world. We cover how they find you u

Myth Busting Craneflies!

This week we're tackling one of the most misunderstood insects in the world — the cranefly. You probably know them as daddy longlegs, mosquito hawks, or that thing that's

Dragon Headed Katydids!

Explore the world of dragon-headed katydids (genus Lesina), canopy-dwelling insects that mimic dried leaves and thorny growths with dramatic, dragon-like heads and powerf

The Monsters Within! Strepsiptera and Tarsonemid Mites (Internal Hosts of Insects)

Explore the eerie world of internal insect dwellers in this episode of Insects for Fun. From the twisted-wing Strepsiptera that spend their entire lives inside hosts to t

Insects That Shouldn’t Exist: Life on the Edge of Survival!

In this episode of Insects for Fun, we investigate species that survive conditions that seem lethal—freezing solid, near-total dehydration, oxygen starvation, and dangero

Thorn Bugs! Masters of Masquerade

This episode explores thorn bugs (treehoppers), tiny true bugs that mimic plant parts with exaggerated pronotums—spines, horns, and crests—that make them look like thorns

Termite Skyscrapers & Ant Metropolises: Nature’s Ultimate Architects

Learn how passive ventilation, honeycomb geometry, pheromone traffic systems, and other insect strategies inspire human architects and engineers through biomimicry.   P

This fly can eat dragonflies!? (Robberflies)

Robber flies don’t chase crumbs or nectar. They hunt other insects in midair, inject them with venom, and drain them like juice boxes. If there were an apex predator cate

Huntsman Spiders! (you might want to keep these around)

Today we’re heading back into spider territory, specifically, the ones responsible for at least 50% of all “NOPE” reactions in Australian garages. Huntsman spiders are am

Bugs in space!

Today we’re talking about insects (and two spiders) in space: how bugs became the first astronauts, what happens to a spider web when there’s no “up” or “down,” and why t

Plume Moths: Tiny, T-Shaped, and Totally Underrated!

On this episode of Insects for Fun, we’re going to explore a tiny creature whose wings are divided like fans, who stands in a perfect T-pose long before video games made