Insects and Arachnids

If you're snacking on fig bars, make sure to check the nutritional content for wasps. Wasps risk their lives to provide enough figs to satisfy every fruit- and cake-related craving.

By Robert Lamb

Swat it, smash it, spray it. It's tough to get rid of the world's most annoying roommate: the housefly. But at least the housefly won't steal your food -- whoops, never mind.

By Robert Lamb

A caterpillar spends its life eating -- foliage, some animals like ants and snails, and even its own skin it previously shed. What do caterpillars do with all of this stored up food? And why do they use their waste as projectiles?

By Tracy V. Wilson

The difference between butterflies and moths is a lot like the difference between frogs and toads. There are some rules of thumb you can follow to tell them apart, but there are also exceptions to those rules. So how do you tell the difference?

By Tracy V. Wilson

If you have ever been out in the woods or an open field in spring, summer or fall, you may have gotten chiggers around your waistband or on your ankles. They leave red, itchy bumps on your skin. Learn more about these arachnids.

The brilliantly colored orange wings of a monarch butterfly are as recognizable as the plumes of a peacock. Why are butterfly colors some of the best and brightest in nature?

By Jennifer Horton

If you've seen a butterfly in your lifetime, you probably noticed their colorful wings, or saw one basking in the sunlight. But I bet you didn't realize that it would soon die. Why are their life spans so short, and are they nearly extinct?

By Tracy V. Wilson

Wasps and bees are different, yes. But how can we distinguish? Here's a hint: The bee's the one near the flowers. The wasp's the one buzzing around your turkey sandwich.

By Jennifer Horton

Cicada singing is often heard during the hot summer months. The distinctive high-pitched noise often fills the air. What's the purpose of that noise?

By Robert Valdes

Chiggers are tiny arachnids that are known for delivering bites that itch intensely. Find out how chiggers work and learn about the chigger reproduction cycle.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Termites have existed for 50 million years and can be found throughout the world. Learn about termites and find out how termite colonies are structured.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of their hosts -- human or otherwise -- and are known for carrying diseases. Learn all about ticks, including how to remove them.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Fleas are essentially freeloaders that live off the blood off the blood of us and our pets. So how can you get rid of these nasty parasites?

By Tracy V. Wilson & Wendy Bowman

Bees exhibit many traits found in stories and myths -- traits that have led many cultures to view them with reverence or awe. Explore how bees make honey and examine the potential causes and effects of Colony Collapse Disorder.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Entomologists estimate that there are between 5 and 10 million species of insects on Earth. But if asked which insect they hate the most, many people would have no trouble choosing just one -- the cockroach.

By Tracy V. Wilson

Love 'em or hate 'em, you've got to admit that spiders are some pretty impressive animals. Movies like "Arachnophobia", "Spider-Man" and "Eight Legged Freaks" even spin their stories around spiders. Check out the real-life web-slinging, wall-crawling, venom-injecting inspiration.

By Tom Harris

I always see moths circling around and landing on my porch light. Why do they do this? Is it somehow advantageous to them?

In 2005, there were 3,000 verified cases of West Nile Virus in the U.S. alone, and we can probably expect even more this year. This mosquito-borne disease keeps popping up. Find out all about mosquitoes.

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D. & Mack Hayden

Insect respiration is very different from that of a human. Insects do not have lungs that deliver oxygen to all of the cells in their body. So how exactly do flies and other insects breathe then? Find out the answer to that question in this article.

When flickering fireflies light up the summer night, they're not showing off - they're talking to each other. How do these insects make their abdomens glow?