These wondrous, peaceful insects have been the subject of art, philosophy and poetry across the world for thousands of years, from the Shang Dynasty to Homer. That’ll come as no surprise to anyone who has spent a hot summer or ten in climes where their...

Thaumetopoea pityocampa is a moth species that is highly destructive to pines and cedars from North Africa to Central Asia. Their numerous white nests high in the pines are a common sight as short winters transition to spring.

Passer domesticus are often described as dull-coloured, stubby beaked and annoyingly noisy – the poor things! Nevertheless, house sparrows are among the most common birds in the world, having spread alongside Homo sapiens to almost every corner of Eart...

Ixodes scapularis, over the course of its two to three-year life, goes through four life stages. At each stage it must drink a blood meal to transition to the next, though it can go many months between feeds.

Like most Mexican Palestinian British Americans, when I ponder the complex relationships between Mutillidae, Sphecius speciosus, and the Cicadoidea, I think about the crucial role of forgiveness in transcending cycles of injustice and hatred.

Though Vespula vugaris, the so-called common wasp, does not make honey (according to some), there are numerous species of wasps that do. That said, honey-making wasps tend to only produce in small amounts, insufficient for human cultivation.

The nuptial flights of the common black ant, Lasius niger, occur in Europe during the summer months of July and August. After mating, the males soon die, and the queens discard their wings, dig out chambers and begin laying eggs.

Carparachne aureoflava is a huntsman spider found in the Namib Desert. Like most Sparassidae, they do not use silk to capture prey. However, they do use it for other purposes, as we’ll see. To escape predators,

Most of the 5,000 and counting species of Scarabaeinae, the ‘true dung beetles’, feed exclusively on dung. They are born in a turd, and they live, work and die in faeces. They’re not the only ones.