The curious world of insects, explained
Clear, well-researched guides to insect identification, behavior, anatomy, and pest control. Everything you wanted to know about the six-legged world.
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CategoryBrowse →BeetlesBeetles are the most diverse group of animals on Earth, from horned rhinoceros beetles that wrestle for mates to click beetles that snap themselves into the air. These guides cover beetle identification, life cycles, diet, and behavior.
CategoryBrowse →ButterfliesButterflies, from the migrating monarch to the shimmering blue morpho, are among the most beloved insects. These guides cover their life cycles, feeding, identification, and the remarkable journeys some of them make.
CategoryBrowse →Bees & WaspsBees and wasps range from gentle pollinators to fiercely defensive nest-builders. These guides cover honey bees, bumblebees, hornets, yellowjackets, and paper wasps, their behavior, nests, and how to stay safe around them.
CategoryBrowse →Anatomy & IdentificationHow insect bodies work and how to tell species apart, from the chitin exoskeleton and compound eyes to the key wing, leg, and antennae features that make field identification possible.
CategoryBrowse →Natural Pest ControlEvidence-based guides to natural, low-toxicity pest control, from peppermint oil sprays to what actually keeps insects away and, just as important, what doesn't.
CategoryBrowse →Flies & MosquitoesFlies and mosquitoes are among the most consequential insects for the home and for human health. These guides cover mosquitoes, houseflies, and fruit flies, their biology, the risks they carry, and how to control them.
Fresh from the field
Identification guides, behavior deep-dives, and pest control that actually works.
- Natural Pest ControlRead article →Peppermint Oil for Garden Plants: Protecting Plants from Pests
If you are seeing leaf damage, sticky residue, or pests clustering on your favorite plants, peppermint oil for garden plants is one of the milder tools you can reach for while you
- Bees & WaspsRead article →Top 10 Facts About Hornets: Stings, Nests, and Colonies
Top 10 Facts About Hornets starts with a correction: only one true hornet lives in the United States, and the insect most people call a "hornet" in their own backyard usually isn't
- Flies & MosquitoesRead article →What Is the Life Cycle of Fruit Flies? Egg to Adult in 8 Days
What Is the Life Cycle of Fruit Flies? Drosophila melanogaster moves from egg to breeding adult in as little as 8 days at 25°C, one of the fastest life cycles of any insect. That s
- ButterfliesRead article →Top 10 Facts About Swallowtail Butterflies: Tails, Mimicry
Top 10 Facts About Swallowtail Butterflies starts with the family itself: Papilionidae holds roughly 560 species worldwide , found on every continent except Antarctica. Their hindw
- BeetlesRead article →How Do Dung Beetles Contribute to the Ecosystem?
How do dung beetles contribute to the ecosystem? Mostly by moving other animals' waste underground fast enough that its nutrients, water, and hitchhiking seeds get put to use inste
Grasshoppers, Crickets & LocustsRead article →How Do Locusts Contribute to the Ecosystem? Frass, Prey, SoilHow do locusts contribute to the ecosystem, given that a single swarm can strip a field bare in hours? Outside of plague years, locust species spend most of their lives in a solita
LadybugsRead article →Where Do Ladybugs Live? Aphid-Rich Habitats ExplainedWhere do ladybugs live? Mostly wherever aphids are: gardens, crop fields, forest edges, and grasslands, since Coccinellidae (the beetle family ladybugs belong to) track their prey
Behavior & Pest ControlRead article →How Temperature Affects Insect Activity Levels in Every SeasonHow temperature affects insect activity levels comes down to one basic fact: insects are ectotherms, so their body temperature tracks the air around them instead of staying fixed l
Habitats & EcologyRead article →Understanding Microhabitats: From Leaf Litter to Rock CrevicesUnderstanding microhabitats starts with looking at the few square inches most people walk past: the underside of a leaf, a crack in a rock, three inches of decaying log. These smal
- Anatomy & IdentificationRead article →Understanding Insect Muscles: Stretch-Activated Flight
Understanding insect muscles starts with a split most people never learn in school: insects run on two distinct kinds of muscle fiber, synchronous and asynchronous, and the second
Culture & MythologyRead article →The Significance of Butterflies in Global MythologiesThe Significance of Butterflies in Global Mythologies comes down to one biological fact: a caterpillar liquefies inside its chrysalis and reassembles into a winged adult. No other
FirefliesRead article →How to Identify Fireflies by Flash Pattern and ColorHow to identify fireflies starts with knowing what you're looking at: fireflies, or lightning bugs, are beetles in the family Lampyridae, not true flies or true bugs. More than 2,0