insects

A spotted lanternfly creeps on the ground during a baseball game in Pittsburgh in 2021.

What a pest! Spotted lanternflies are spreading in the U.S.

5:00am August 18, 2022

by Jaclyn Diaz

State officials are calling on residents to get involved and kill these bugs at all costs. The spotted lanternfly isn't dangerous to humans or pets but could cost the country's agricultural industry.

A bee sucks nectar from a flower in Berlin, Germany. Bee populations are in decline in industrialized nations across the globe.

The world's insect population is in decline — and that's bad news for humans

1:19pm February 24, 2022

by Dave Davies

Environmental writer Oliver Milman says habitat loss, pesticides and climate change are killing off insects worldwide, which, in turn, threatens humans. His new book is The Insect Crisis.

Environment

The fate of North Carolina's climate and what it means for those who live here

6:00am December 29, 2021

by David Ford

The last decade in North Carolina has been the warmest on record. If nothing is done to slow down global warming the trend lines are not promising.

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The leggiest animal on the planet, Eumillipes persephone, from Australia. (A) female with 330 segments and 1,306 legs (paratype specimen, T147124). (B) ventral view of legs (male holotype, T147101). (C) dorsal view of head and ventral view of gonopods (ma

Science

A millipede with 1,300 legs has been found in Australia. It's a new record by far

11:52am December 17, 2021

by Scott Neuman

Entomologists discovered a new species far underground. Despite millipede meaning "a thousand feet," it's the first to have more than 750.

Men crowd over a cricket fight in Beijing in September. Competitive cricket fights are believed to have been held for more than 1,000 years in China.

Inside the jaw-clenching world of cricket fighting in China

7:00am October 23, 2021

by Emily Feng

It's cricket fighting season in China, so NPR went ringside to learn about the centuries-old sport. Turns out, the bugs are really high maintenance, big money's involved and big mandibles matter.

View from above (dorsal view) of the new soldier fly named after RuPaul, Opaluma rupaul.

Science

A Shimmering Rainbow Fly Has Been Named In Honor Of RuPaul

3:20pm September 15, 2021

by Sharon Pruitt-Young

The colorful, iridescent soldier fly in question has "legs for days," Australian researcher Bryan Lessard said. He hopes that pop culture names will help attract attention for vulnerable species.

Adult Spotted Lanternflies outside the Berks County Services Building in Reading, PA Monday afternoon. The Spoted Lanternfly is an invasive species from Asia.

Agriculture Officials Really Want Those Spotted Lanternflies Gone, Gone, Gone

12:50pm August 24, 2021

by Jonathan Franklin

Pennsylvania officials are giving the following advice to those who encounter the pesky invasive insects: "Kill it! Squash it, smash it ... just get rid of it."

Josh Pulliam and other researchers from Jake Socha's lab at Virginia Tech drove from Blacksburg, Va., to the northern part of the state and spent days collecting and studying Brood X cicadas.

Brood X Cicadas Are Busy And So Are The Scientists Who Study Them

6:43am May 26, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

When a critter spends 17 years underground, it's not easy to study. So as Brood X cicadas break out, they're followed closely by researchers who must cram a lot of work in about six weeks.

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Researchers have shown that the Indian jumping ant can shrink and regrow its brain.

Science

The Incredible Shrinking And Growing Brains Of Indian Jumping Ants

7:58am April 18, 2021

A new study of Indian jumping ants shows they have the ability to shrink and expand their brains — a first for any insect.

Black soldier fly larvae will be one of the animal protein alternatives found in Nestle's line of 'eco-friendly' dog and cat foods.

Flies For Dinner: Purina To Offer Bug Based Dog and Cat Food

11:42pm November 06, 2020

by Jaclyn Diaz

Nestlé, one of the largest food groups in the world, announced this week plans to introduce insect-based dog and cat food in Switzerland. U.S. options to come next year.