Singing Insects of North America Most of us have heard these little fellas performing their serenades of a summer evening. Some of their songs have a sort of lilting syncopation, others sound more like heavy metal of the industrial revolution variety. (.wav files) Check out the greatest hits list. Some are pretty. Some are ugly. Some are pretty ugly Some are bona fide coneheads. Anyway, there are lots of them to check out! (Related Mefi links here and here.)
posted by trip and a half on Aug 21, 2005 - 9 comments

Cicadaville. We all know cicadas are on their way above ground this summer, but "Most of the information about cicadas in the media is false. Only at Cicadaville.com can you learn the real truth." Protect your children!
posted by adamms222 on May 18, 2004 - 8 comments

If a young worker attempts to reproduce, she is spreadeagled by her fellows and kept immobilized for hours or even days. At the end of her sentence, the best she can hope for is a reduction in rank and loss of reproductive capability. Often she is mutilated or killed.

Fascinating article about police-state behavior in insects, complete with information on mutant anarchist worker bees, ant-led coups, and parasitic self-cloning bees. (via BoingBoing.)
posted by Vidiot on Aug 6, 2003 - 5 comments

The Twisted Path of Stick Insect Evolution Challenges the Theory of Evolution
Sort of... In an article on the cover of today's Nature, research on the evolution of stick insects is announced. But depending on the news source, this is either a strong challenge to the theory of evolution, or a mild revision. So who's right?
posted by rschram on Jan 16, 2003 - 48 comments

ICKY!
Sometimes I think I made the right Career move. People complain about having to write papers, study, and do too much home work, but, how would you like to hold your hand in a cage full of mosquitoes to determine if they are ready to feed in order to get your degree (in entomology)?
Don't worry, the mosquitoes used in the tests are raised in captivity and do carry not any diseases suchas the West Nile Virus.
If you're like me, you asked yourself, What do entomologists do?
posted by Blake on Aug 9, 2002 - 6 comments

A 3,600 mile long ant colony was discovered last week in Europe. An amazing feat of cooperative living.
posted by pinto on Apr 21, 2002 - 15 comments

Mantophasmatodea! No, it's not some new sex position, it's a new order of insect life, the first one thus defined since 1914.
posted by WolfDaddy on Apr 19, 2002 - 10 comments

We're finding new fauna in some of the most heavily-populated areas on earth. It sort of makes you wonder what how many species we never even know about as we slash and burn great hunks of the rain forests, wooded areas, and other biodiverse areas of the world. (And good grief, those bugs are huge!)
posted by mrmanley on Apr 5, 2002 - 9 comments

Interview with the certified forensic entomologist. In other words she examines insects in dead bodies for criminal investigations. Its good to know that there are dedicated professionals doing this just in case I happen to wash up on the shores of Lake Michigan. Hey, it could happen to any of us.
posted by skallas on Jan 9, 2002 - 5 comments

Bug Dicks.
posted by brownpau on Nov 2, 2001 - 11 comments

I used to raise lepidoptera as a kid. Other people still do, and some even sell livestock.
posted by plinth on Jun 2, 2000 - 0 comments

An insect a day keeps the doctor away. Yuck.
posted by mathowie on Jan 21, 2000 - 0 comments