A severed ant head. A fly wing. A beetle abdomen. These body parts ripped from devoured insects festoon a newfound caterpillar’s protective coat. Dubbed the “bone collector,” this caterpillar species ...

This Hawaiian caterpillar raids spiderwebs camouflaged in insect prey’s body parts, and it’s not above cannibalism in a pinch. Credit: Rubinoff lab/University of Hawaii, Manoa. We think of moths and ...

John E. Woodmansee Photo: Tobacco hornworm on a tomato plant that has been attacked by a parasitic Braconid wasp. The white capsules on its back are the pupal stage of the tiny wasp. Braconid larvae ...

They’re nutritious, affordable, and always in demand. Learn how staffers prepare and deliver thousands of bugs each week to the animals living at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation ...

(Beyond Pesticides, June 20, 2025) A study in Conservation Genetics, entitled “Organic farming fosters arthropod diversity of specific insect guilds – evidence from metabarcoding,” showcases the ...

The number of insect species is mind-boggling — and they are a critical part of the environment. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.