insects

Environment

Carolina Curious: Where are all the cicadas?

5:53am June 27, 2024

Bill McIlwain of Winston-Salem had a question about what's going on with cicadas this year in North Carolina. In the latest edition of Carolina Curious, WFDD’s Paul Garber tackles this buzz-worthy topic.

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Harlan Gough holds a recently collected tiger beetle on a tether.

Science

To escape hungry bats, these flying beetles create an ultrasound 'illusion'

6:00am May 22, 2024

by Ari Daniel

A study of tiger beetles has found a possible explanation for why they produce ultrasound noises right before an echolocating bat swoops in for the kill.

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Scientists have found that artificial light can interfere with many insects' ability to position themselves relative to the sky.

Science

'Like moths to a flame'? Here's what's going on with insects and porch lights

4:43pm January 30, 2024

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Those insects you see flying in crazed circles are trying to keep their backs towards the light because they think that direction is up, new research suggests.

Alie Ward (left) says Lila Higgins has caused an exponential effect in her life.

National

An unexpected invitation from a stranger changed her life trajectory

10:55am September 19, 2023

by Autumn Barnes

In 2013, Alie was having one of the hardest years of her life. Then she got a Facebook message from a generous stranger.

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Three insect specimens are stored in a U.S. Geological Survey research lab in Kansas. They are part of the agency's Lepidoptera Research Collection. USGS is asking residents in six states to send in dead butterflies, moths and skippers so scientists can test them for contaminants.

Environment

Scientists want you to mail dead butterflies for research if you live in these states

10:47am August 04, 2023

by Ayana Archie

The USGS wants to test if butterflies and other insects are being hurt by contaminants, such as those in pesticides. It's seeking specimens from Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas.

The white spots on a monarch butterfly's wings may help it migrate, according to a new study.

Monarch butterflies' white spots may help them fly farther, scientists say

4:38pm June 21, 2023

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

Monarch butterflies with more white spots on their mostly orange-and-black wings are more successful at long-distance migration. Some scientists think the spots may affect airflow around their wings.

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A blue morpho butterfly sits on a leaf. A new study finds that butterflies likely originated somewhere in western North America or Central America around 100 million years ago.

Butterflies originated in North America after splitting from moths, new study suggests

9:03am May 16, 2023

by Ari Daniel

Butterflies likely split from nocturnal moths around 100 million years ago in present-day western North America or Central America, a new study of the winged insects finds.

Environment

Catawba, Davidson team up to study how climate change impacts insects

11:16am April 25, 2023

by Neal Charnoff

It’s been said that in the event of an apocalypse, cockroaches will outlast us all. But how resilient overall are creepy-crawlies?

In an experiment conducted by researchers at Queen Mary University of London, bees could make their way through an unobstructed path to a feeding area or opt for a detour into a chamber with wooden balls (toys). Many took the detour.

Science

If bumblebees can play, does it mean they have feelings? This study suggests yes

6:00am November 05, 2022

by Vanessa Romo

Scientists wanted to learn whether bees, like humans and other mammals, had any interest in playing for fun's sake. They say they have evidence that bees do, and that could change how we view insects.

In this photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, yellow crazy ants are seen in a bait testing efficacy trial at the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in December, 2015. An invasive species known as the yellow crazy ant has been eradicated from the remote U.S. atoll in the Pacific.

Environment

The number of ants on Earth has a mass greater than all birds and mammals combined

12:51pm September 21, 2022

by Ayana Archie

Researchers compiled hundreds of studies of tree-dwelling and ground-dwelling ants to make their estimate of 2.5 million ants for every human.