How to avoid deer fly bites, according to science
27 May 2023
An experiment with a sticky fly trap in a Canadian forest suggests you will get more deer fly bites if you walk around than if you sit still
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Premium
Ancient mass extinction may have driven millipedes to eat meat
21 May 2023
The mass extinction at the end of the Permian Period wiped out many plants. Fossils of millipedes from that era have been found alongside carcasses of mammal ancestors, suggesting that mass plant die-off may have driven them to be carnivorous
Insects are thriving in England's rivers after fall in metal pollution
19 May 2023
An analysis of 30 years of monitoring data shows an upward trend in the population of insects and other invertebrates in English rivers, which may be linked to lower levels of zinc and copper
Butterflies evolved 100 million years ago in North America
15 May 2023
Many researchers thought butterflies first evolved in Asia, but a global genetic analysis suggests they arose in North America, well before the non-avian dinosaurs went extinct
Electromagnetic fields from power lines are messing with honeybees
12 May 2023
Transmission towers emit electromagnetic fields that can disrupt honeybees’ ability to pollinate nearby plants, which could reduce biodiversity in these areas
Bigger butterflies may cope better with climate change
11 May 2023
Butterflies with larger wingspans may be more likely to expand their range at high latitudes because they can fly to new habitats as temperatures rise
See a prize-winning photograph of mating golden-tabbed robber flies
10 May 2023
Pete Burford, who only took up macro photography two years ago, has won the Insect Week Photography Competition 2022 for this stunning close-up shot
Locusts produce an odour to try to put other locusts off eating them
4 May 2023
The crop-devastating swarms that locusts form are driven in part by the insects' tricks to avoid being cannibalised – they move around and produce a pheromone to deter other locusts from eating them
Assassin bugs cover themselves in sticky plant resin to trap prey
25 April 2023
By covering themselves in resin from spinifex grass, Australian assassin bugs improve their chances of catching flies and ants, in a rare case of tool use in insects
Slow motion footage reveals why insects are attracted to lights
24 April 2023
To find out why insects gather around artificial lights, researchers filmed insects with a high-speed camera and used motion capture in an enclosure to trace their precise movements
