Awesome Insects

Despite their size, insects feature some incredibly sophisticated organic engineering. Using high-speed macro photography, Ant Lab shows off the way that eight different types of bugs take to the air. That plume moth looks a little drunk when it takes off.

Kurzgesagt introduces us to the oecophylla weaver ant. These long-legged insects dwell in tropical jungles, building incredible colonies that spread upwards and sideways between trees. They’re not only incredibly industrious, they’re fierce warriors and defenders of their kingdoms.

Before his passing in 2019, scientist and photographer Andreas Kay captured some amazing imagery of the diverse lifeforms in Ecuador. We especially enjoyed this slow motion, macro footage of a tortoise beetle as it opens its wings and lifts off. He also rigged up a spherical treadmill to shoot footage of insects as they walk.

After introducing us to the charming little globular springtail, biologist Dr. Adrian Smith AntLab wanted to capture slow-motion footage of other jumping insects. In this fascinating video, you’ll see how leafhoppers, treehoppers, planthoppers, and froghoppers spring up off of the ground and take flight.

In case you missed it, one of the many threats facing humanity (and the insect world) is the Vespa Mandarinia aka “Asian Giant Hornet” aka “Murder Hornet.” Revoltech’s RevoGeo line is offering an incredibly lifelike 7″ long plastic figure that captures every detail of the terrifying flying killer, complete with posable body parts.

Every time we see a firefly, childhood memories come flooding back of warm Summer nights in our backyard. Discover Life in America (DLiA) and photographer Radim Schreiber teamed up to educate us about these luminescent beetles, then wow us with soothing imagery from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Not only does the Globular Springtail have an awesome name, it also has the ability to perform crazy fast spins as it jumps into the air. Its rotational speed has been clocked at over 22,000 RPM, or about 374 flips per second. AntLab’s Dr. Adrian Smith captured slow motion footage of the little guy in action.

Scientist Steve Mould introduces us to one of the strangest insects we’ve seen. Like other caterpillars, the uraba lugens aka gum leaf skeletoniser gradually sheds its exoskeleton as it grows, but it keeps a stack of its old head shells stacked on its head like a crazy hat. And nobody seems to know why it does this.

If you’ve ever seen a beehive up close, you know how its made up of hundreds of nearly perfect hexagonal cells. Why is that, and how do bees know how to make such perfect geometry? TED-Ed provides a brief explanation of this strange intersection of evolutionary biology and architecture.

Petrick Animation Studio presents a very short film inspired by “real events” that happened at their Moscow, Russia office. Along the way, you’ll meet a fly guy named Fly, and follow him through his brief, but magical journey through life.

We all know that bees make a buzzing sound when they fly about. But electronic musician Bioni Samp knows there’s way more subtlety to the sounds they produce. To create his music, he records and processes these bee sounds, along with others made from the resistive properties of their honey. From Great Big Story.

A fun book for science geeks and anyone who enjoys biology, Believe It or Snot: The Definitive Field Guide to Earth’s Slimy Creatures catalogs snails, bugs, lizards, mammals, and other critters, and explores just how much goo, slime, and mucus they leave in their wake. From the authors of Does It Fart? and True or Poo?

It might take us just a second to chomp down a single slice of banana, but it takes quite a bit longer for ants to dine on such a treat. In this clip from Temponaut Timelapse, see how an army of ants gradually dismantles a bit of banana over the course of two days. Look away if you’re squeamish about bugs.

Wildlife photographer David Weiller introduces us to one of nature’s many strange and wonderful creations. This alien-looking spiny devil katydid (panacanthus cuspidatus) is both intimidating and adorable as it does a kung fu pose and stares us down with its beady magenta eyeballs.

Nature show host Ze Frank takes on some of the most varied and strange looking bugs out there. These planthoppers like to hang around on leaves and branches, sometimes mimicking other insects, other times standing out like a sore thumb. Most of the incredible macro images featured are by Dr. Andreas Kay.

Have you ever wondered why insects, birds, fish, and bats gather together into huge and coordinated groups? TED-Ed’s Maria R. D’Orsogna explores the fascinating science behind this behavior, which drives many species as a method of survival and group productivity.

Kurzgesagt already taught us how ants thrive on war. But it turns out that one particular ant species has used their fighting and strategic skills (with a little help from humans) to build a truly global empire. We wouldn’t doubt if their numbers were actually in the trillions.

Nature show host Zefrank1 is here to educate us on the Deinopis, also known as the “ogre-faced” spider. This creepy crawler has big beady eyes that see better than your best camera lens, and creates a stretchy net she holds between her legs to ensnare and cocoon her prey.

If you’re like most of us, you don’t want to go anywhere near a wasp nest. The guys at Stinger Creations, on the other hand, are more than up to the challenge. In this crazy clip, go inside of an old Chevy Malibu that has become a massive haven for thousands of nasty yellow jackets.

Think that humans fight and kill a lot? Kurzgesagt aims its magnifying glass at the tiny world of ant colonies, where billions of the bugs violently battle against other kinds of ants and insects every single day of their lives. From decapitations to cannibalism, life as an ant can be brutal.

National Geographic photographer Anand Varma captured this incredible macro time-lapse footage of the early stages of life a bee goes through in its hive, from a worm-like white larva to a fuzzy, flying insect. More here.

Illustrated by artist Immy Smith, these beautifully hand-drawn poker deck imagining a symbiotic relationship between insects and card players. There are bugs on each and every card. Available in two back and box variants, along with uncut sheets for framing.

This robot kit from Japanese toymaker Tamiya lets you build a creepy crawly insect inspired by real-life giant centipedes. This 15″ long critter isn’t quite as indimidating as the real deal thanks to its blue body, but anything with this many legs creeps us out.