Insect news, features and articles
Explore Insects
Latest about Insects
![A Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa Cardui) perching on a flower.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ue9vJd9gvT24sDyZwjBPjB-320-80.jpg)
Butterflies cross Atlantic ocean on 2,600-mile non-stop flight never recorded in any insect before
By Ben Turner published
Painted lady butterflies discovered in French Guiana — thousands of miles from their usual habitats — got there through a Herculean transoceanic flight.
![Purple wildflowers growing on termite mounds](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GHe4eqqdDwQ6eNC42LHtrM-320-80.jpg)
Scientists discovered the oldest termite mounds on Earth — and they're 34,000 years old
By Kristel Tjandra published
The world's oldest termite mounds have been collecting carbon from the atmosphere for thousands of years.
![A periodical cicada, a member of Brood X, hangs upside down after emerging from its shell.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WmyBHE4p28PSRu3KN3SBk3-320-80.jpg)
Cicada double brood event: What to expect as trillions of bugs emerge in Eastern US
By Carys Matthews last updated
When and where will the double cicada brood emerge? Here's what to expect from this rare phenomenon, which occurs only once every 221 years.
![A close-up picture of a blue-eyed cicada and 4-year-old Jack Bailey crouching and holding cicadas.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qCumFosk5Ya9iu6iWJZB9P-320-80.jpg)
Mutant blue-eyed cicadas discovered outside Chicago during rare double brood event
By Sascha Pare published
Most of the periodical cicadas emerging across the eastern U.S. in this year's rare dual emergence event have blood-red eyes, but sightings of blue-eyed variants have recently been reported.
![cicadas on a tree with green leaves](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/umTHFgd3wX8CiynQAhrzW8-320-80.jpg)
Double cicada bloom 2024: Google Doodle celebrates once-in-221-year event with band of bugs
By Hannah Osborne published
The "cicada-geddon" is the result of the co-emergence of Brood XIII and Brood XIX, with billions of bugs crawling out of the ground across parts of Eastern U.S.
![A long-exposure shot of specks of light from fireflies in the forest](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/m5pUHcdJuj5YibB3r6RSCJ-320-80.jpg)
How do fireflies light up?
By Freda Kreier published
Fireflies use a glowing chemical reaction to signal to one another in the dark of dusk and night.
![Adult giant water bug.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4zDZKJVQQ3ncJrTwzdNnHM-320-80.jpg)
Giant 'toe biter' water bugs discovered in Cyprus for the 1st time
By Patrick Pester published
Scientists believe toe-biting giant water bugs have arrived in Cyprus from the mainland, but they're not sure why or how.
![termites inside a fungus in a death spiral](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/h2hxwHdAwyZ75ghcN7hDgm-320-80.jpg)
Watch bizarre video of termites trapped in 'death spiral'
By Lydia Smith published
Footage shows termites trapped inside a fungus in a death spiral, where they march until they die from exhaustion.
![A Hummingbird hawkmoth captured midflight feeding on a purple flower with its long proboscis.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Tv4GnBaNMvqtmKTLTaNhEi-320-80.jpg)
Hummingbird hawk-moth: The bird-like insect with a giant sucking mouthpart
By Rohini Subrahmanyam published
Just as humans rely on their eyes to make precise movements with their hands, hummingbird hawk-moths use continuous visual feedback to precisely position their proboscis in the center of flowers.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.