Insects for Fun!

<p>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 forests at an alarming rate, turning healthy...

<p>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 into their bizarre body plan, their...

<p>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. We dig into why their bite stings so much more...

<p>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 using polarised light, CO2, and ammonia rather...

<p>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 been bouncing off your ceiling for the past...

<p>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 powerful mandibles. This episode covers their...

<p>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 the tiny thread-footed mites of the...

<p>In this episode of Insects for Fun, we investigate species that survive conditions that seem lethal—freezing solid, near-total dehydration, oxygen starvation, and dangerously small, isolated populations. These...

<p>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, seed pods, or broken twigs. You’ll learn...

<p>Learn how passive ventilation, honeycomb geometry, pheromone traffic systems, and other insect strategies inspire human architects and engineers through biomimicry.</p> <p> </p> <p>Patreon ->...

<p>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 category for flies, robber flies would be sitting...

<p>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 amazing predators that not only contend for the...

<p>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 the future Moon base might sound just a little...

<p>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 it cool, and who might be hiding—right...

<p>This week is a listener request from someone over on YouTube, and I'm really glad it came in! Water fleas are incredible and incredibly tiny organisms that have a lot of really quirky tricks and traits. </p> <p> </p>...