Why don’t female crickets chirp?

Only male crickets have wing structures that produce sound, but females are very good at following the signal.

Floyd W. Shockley, Entomologist and Collections Manager, Smithsonian Institution • conversation
April 22, 2024 ~6 min

Billions of cicadas are about to emerge from underground in a rare double-brood convergence

The last time that these two groups of cicadas emerged from underground together, Thomas Jefferson was president.

Chris Simon, Senior Research Scientist of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut • conversation
April 18, 2024 ~11 min


Female mosquitoes rely on one another to choose the best breeding sites − and with the arrival of spring, they’re already on the hunt

Female mosquitoes don’t want to lay their eggs alone, but they don’t want sites that are too crowded either. Understanding what guides their choice could inform new control strategies.

Matthew DeGennaro, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, Florida International University • conversation
March 19, 2024 ~8 min

The surprising reason why insects circle lights at night: They lose track of the sky

A new study shows how artificial light at night scrambles insects’ normal flight patterns, pulling them off course into orbit around the light.

Yash Sondhi, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Entomology, Mcguire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida • conversation
Jan. 30, 2024 ~9 min

How do flies find every stinky garbage dumpster? A biologist explains their sensory superpower

Flies often beat out competitors for food because of their specialized sensing organs called antennae.

Christine Picard, Associate Professor of Biology, Indiana University • conversation
Sept. 4, 2023 ~6 min

Biting flies are attracted to blue traps – we used AI to work out why

New research on what attracts blood-feasting flies to blue objects could help minimise the impacts of those insects on people and animals.

Roger Santer, Lecturer in Zoology, Aberystwyth University • conversation
July 4, 2023 ~6 min

Bees can learn, remember, think and make decisions – here's a look at how they navigate the world

Scientists are learning amazing things about bees’ sensory perception and mental capabilities.

Stephen Buchmann, Adjunct Professor of Entomology and of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona • conversation
May 17, 2023 ~9 min

Insects are vanishing worldwide – now it's making it harder to grow food

New research from China shows how the loss of insects is destabilising food webs.

Stuart Reynolds, Emeritus Professor of Biology, University of Bath • conversation
Feb. 15, 2023 ~8 min


How do you vaccinate a honeybee? 6 questions answered about a new tool for protecting pollinators

A vaccine for bees may evoke images of teeny hypodermic needles, but this product works in a sophisticated way that reflects the social structure of honeybee colonies.

Jennie L. Durant, Research Affiliate in Human Ecology, University of California, Davis • conversation
Jan. 20, 2023 ~7 min

Ants – with their wise farming practices and efficient navigation techniques – could inspire solutions for some human problems

Over hundreds of million years of evolution, ants have come up with some pretty smart solutions to problems of agriculture, navigation and architecture. People could learn a thing or two.

Scott Solomon, Associate Teaching Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University • conversation
Nov. 15, 2022 ~9 min

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