Insects

Healthy little brown bats in Mt. Aeolus cave in Vermont in 2012

The Surprising Link Between Bats Dying and Human Infant Mortality

A new study finds that when bats in U.S. counties were decimated by the deadly white-nose syndrome, human deaths followed closely behind

A mother manatee and her calf in Florida's Crystal River amid eelgrass, which is crucial for supporting the large mammals.

See 13 Captivating Images From the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest

The highly commended shots provide a preview of the 60th annual competition, which spotlights astounding animal behaviors and the conservation issues they face

Health officials say there is an elevated risk for Eastern equine encephalitis infections in New England this year. Wearing insect repellant, covering skin outdoors and staying indoors between dusk and dawn can help prevent infection.

New Hampshire Resident Dies From Rare but Serious Mosquito-Borne Illness

It's one of four cases of Eastern equine encephalitis reported in the U.S. so far this year—and the state's first since 2014

An unidentified fly from the order Diptera, which has more than 125,000 species and is one of the largest insect orders

These Stunning Portraits of Insects Reveal the Intricacies of an Amazing World

Photographer Thorben Danke combines hundreds of shots to create breathtaking images of the tiny creatures

An orb-weaver spider wraps a male firefly in silk while it flashes from its lanterns. Male fireflies typically signal with multiple pulses using two lanterns, while females emit single pulses from one lantern.

These Spiders Use Captured Fireflies as Flashing Lures to Snare More Prey

A new study suggests orb-weaver spiders manipulate trapped male fireflies to emit female-like signals, which in turn draws more males into the web

A rusty patched bumblebee, the first bumblebee species to be listed as endangered in the United States, clings to a flower.

Can the Endangered Rusty Patched Bumblebee Survive?

A new genetic study reveals secrets about the creature, which may help researchers make decisions to conserve the species

The European ant species Lasius emarginatus arrived to Manhattan around 2011 and has since become one of the most dominant ant species in the city.

Invasive 'ManhattAnts' Are Taking Over New York City and Spreading Quickly

Since appearing on Manhattan in 2011, the species has become one of the island's most dominant ants, and scientists formally identified it this year

PaleoScan operates at Plácido Cidade Nuvens Museum of Paleontology (known by the Portuguese abbreviation MPPCN) in Brazil. For a typical procedure, multiple fossils are placed together on the calibration board to be scanned simultaneously.

This Innovative Device Allows South American Paleontologists to Share Fossils With the World

PaleoScan offers scientists at far-flung institutions a less expensive way to digitize their collections and preserve at-risk specimens of fish, turtles, pterosaurs and more

Previous research has looked at the static electricity of bees, but the study authors write that the charges of butterflies hadn't been measured before.

Static Electricity May Help Butterflies and Moths Pick Up Pollen

A new study measured the insects' electrostatic charges and used computer simulations to show that the charges were strong enough to lift pollen

A damselfly covered with drops of dew sits on a leaf in this close-up photo.

See Ten Creepy-Crawly Portraits From the Insect Week Photography Contest

The Royal Entomological Society’s Photography Competition highlights the wonder and diversity of the six-legged creatures that crawl, swim and fly across the planet

Crickets, beetles and moths are just some of the insects recently approved for human consumption by the Singapore government.

Singapore Approves 16 Insect Species for Human Consumption

The move comes amid broader efforts to improve food security and diversify food sources

For some animals, romance goes more smoothly when it comes with gifts.

When It Comes to Romantic Gift-Giving, Humans Aren’t Alone. Snails, Birds and Flies All Woo Each Other With Presents

Throughout the animal kingdom, sweethearts bestow offerings with their amorous advances

In a still from a video, an ant at the bottom of the image bites off the leg of a wounded ant with a purple marker on its back.

Carpenter Ants Perform Life-Saving Amputations to Treat Leg Injuries

A new study provides the first evidence of non-human animals performing amputations on others to improve their odds of survival

Honeybees have a very good sense of smell.

Honeybees Can Sniff Out Lung Cancer, Scientists Suggest

New research opens the door for doctors to one day use bees as a living diagnostic tool

Painted ladies are known for making long migrations over land.

These Stunning Butterflies Flew 2,600 Miles Across the Atlantic Ocean Without Stopping

Researchers combined several lines of evidence to solve the mystery of why a group of painted ladies, which do not live in South America, were found fluttering on a beach in French Guiana

The male Morrison bumblebee relies on its enlarged compound eyes to spot—and then pursue—desirable queens to mate with.

These Cute, Fuzzy Bumblebees Are Precision-Engineered Pollinators

As numbers of these key pollinators decline, conservationists are eyeing new federal protections for one vulnerable species

A female Anopheles mosquito, the type that transmits malaria.

Ancient DNA Illuminates the History of Malaria, One of the World's Deadliest Diseases

Researchers extracted parasitic DNA from preserved teeth and bones, revealing how malaria spread across the globe in a new study

Monarchs, some frogs and other animals feed on toxic plants or bugs for protection

A Poisonous Diet Gives These Animals Their Own Toxic Defense

From monarchs to sea slugs, various creatures consume chemicals that keep predators at bay

A blue-eyed cicada that's on exhibit at the Field Musum in Chicago. Four-year-old Jack Bailey found the bug in his yard, and his family donated it to the museum.

People Are Spotting Rare, Blue-Eyed Cicadas Around Illinois

As two broods of periodical cicadas emerge across the U.S. this spring, people have discovered a few of the bugs that don’t have their trademark red eyes

The Black Death killed tens of millions of people in the mid-1300s, but scientists and historians are still trying to figure out how it spread.

Did Body Lice Spread Bubonic Plague? Research Suggests the Parasites Are Better Vectors Than Thought

These blood-sucking insects are capable of transmitting the bacteria that caused the Black Death, according to a laboratory study

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