Insects for Fun!

This week, we have a listener submission for the stick insect species Heteropteryx dilatata. The species is widespread across zoos, insectariums, and exotic insect hobbyists because it's not only the heaviest stick insect, but they also have a very broad range of host plants. Keeping them, and especially raising them, is not for the impatient, though...

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Music by Shingo sekiguchi

This week we look at an infamous pest in gardens throughout North America, and why you should probably be proactive in keeping them off your gourds. This pest would be cucumber beetles: Acalymma vittatum and Diabrotica undecimpunctata.

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Music by Yuhei Miura

This week was a listener request about a very interesting centipede. This specific species Edentistoma octosulcatum is quite literally a wolf in sheep's clothing because of how it hunts. So much so that even the first people who discovered it got confused. Learn all about this fascinating centipede and a couple other arthropods that have also cracked the code to eating Millipede each in a unique way.

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Music by Kei Kawaguchi

This week, we look at one of the most famous giant silkmoths, known as the rosy maple moth. You'll learn about the origins of their name, their life cycle, how to raise them as pets, and more!

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Copepods are some of the most abundant crustaceans on earth, but that's not what makes them special. Learn about how these animals are not only micro cows of the sea, but also make huge impacts on carbon reductions.

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This week we break down the differences between deer ticks and wood ticks, also known as dog ticks, and what happens when they bite. I'll, of course, cover the life cycles, including how Lyme disease is transmitted, and what to do if you end up getting infected.

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This week, we are going to look into the smallest known insects on earth and what it takes to have a fully functioning system in a body so small that they're quite literally invisible to the naked eye.

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This week we're covering Asian jumping worms — and yes, they actually jump. These invasive earthworms from East Asia are tearing through the leaf litter of North American forests at an alarming rate, turning healthy soil into something that looks like used coffee grounds and leaving nothing behind for native plants to grow in. We cover how to identify them, why the Northeast is especially vulnerable, how one worm can start an entire infestation on its own, and what you can actually do about it. Check your garden before you listen. Actually, check it after too.

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Music by Takada Fu

This week we're covering ensign wasps — the tiny black insects you've probably seen pacing along your walls, bobbing that little flag-like abdomen up and down. We'll look into their bizarre body plan, their 150-million-year history, and why the correct response to finding one is to leave it alone and say thank you.

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This week we're covering no-see-ums — the tiny biting flies you can't see, can't stop, and can't keep out of your house because they fly straight through window screens. We dig into why their bite stings so much more than a mosquito's, how they've been at this since the Cretaceous, and the one thing most people don't know: a close cousin of the insect that just ruined your beach trip is personally responsible for most of the world's chocolate.

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This week we're diving into the family Tabanidae — better known as horseflies and deerflies, the scissor-mouthed bullies of the insect world. We cover how they find you using polarised light, CO2, and ammonia rather than body heat, and why their bite hurts so much more than a mosquito's. Also! what zebra stripes actually do, and why your dark shirt is working against you.

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This week we're tackling one of the most misunderstood insects in the world — the cranefly. You probably know them as daddy longlegs, mosquito hawks, or that thing that's been bouncing off your ceiling for the past twenty minutes, but almost everything you think you know about them is probably wrong. We'll bust the big myths, dig into the surprisingly fascinating life happening beneath your lawn, and meet the one man who spent 71 years naming most of the 15,700 known species.

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Music by Sea-no

Explore the world of dragon-headed katydids (genus Lesina), canopy-dwelling insects that mimic dried leaves and thorny growths with dramatic, dragon-like heads and powerful mandibles. This episode covers their appearance, nocturnal behavior, diet, and unique camouflaging wings and body shapes.

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Explore the eerie world of internal insect dwellers in this episode of Insects for Fun. From the twisted-wing Strepsiptera that spend their entire lives inside hosts to the tiny thread-footed mites of the Tarsinemidae family inhabiting tracheae, reproductive tissues, and hidden body spaces, discover how these organisms blur the line between parasite and roommate.

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Music By: S N U G

In this episode of Insects for Fun, we investigate species that survive conditions that seem lethal—freezing solid, near-total dehydration, oxygen starvation, and dangerously small, isolated populations. These insects persist through unique physiological tricks and extreme life-history strategies.

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Music by Blue Wednesday.

This episode explores thorn bugs (treehoppers), tiny true bugs that mimic plant parts with exaggerated pronotums—spines, horns, and crests—that make them look like thorns, seed pods, or broken twigs. You’ll learn about their unusual anatomy, incomplete metamorphosis, communal nymphs, maternal care, and mutualisms with ants that protect them in exchange for honeydew.

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Learn how passive ventilation, honeycomb geometry, pheromone traffic systems, and other insect strategies inspire human architects and engineers through biomimicry.

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Robber flies don’t chase crumbs or nectar. They hunt other insects in midair, inject them with venom, and drain them like juice boxes. If there were an apex predator category for flies, robber flies would be sitting comfortably at the top.

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Music by Leo Iwamura

Today we’re heading back into spider territory, specifically, the ones responsible for at least 50% of all “NOPE” reactions in Australian garages. Huntsman spiders are amazing predators that not only contend for the largest spiders in the world but are also incredibly fast. But what happens when they enter your home?

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Today we’re talking about insects (and two spiders) in space: how bugs became the first astronauts, what happens to a spider web when there’s no “up” or “down,” and why the future Moon base might sound just a little bit… buzzy.

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Music by Leo Iwamura