Cool and Unusual Insects and Other Arthropods

The Odd Relationship Between Ants and Aphids
Ants and aphids have a mutualistic relationship. Ants feed on the honeydew excreted by the aphids, and in exchange, they protect the aphids. Some ants take their jobs as aphid caretakers pretty seriously.

Miraculous Mosquito Legs
Mosquitoes walk on water better than water striders, cling to smooth ceilings and walls as tightly as geckos, and clutch the skin of their victims with annoying tenacity in search of blood.

35 Weird and Amazing Facts about Bugs
Do you know which spider is more venomous than a rattlesnake? How about how many teeth a mosquito has or which insect is born pregnant? You can find the answers here, as well as some other amazing facts that you might not have known about insects and spiders.

Gallmaking Insects and Mites
Galls are abnormal growths of plant tissue. While some galls form due to microorganisms or mechanical injury to a plant, insects or mites cause most galls. Gallmaking insects may feed or lay eggs on a tree, shrub, or other plant, triggering rapid cell division in the meristematic tissue. The resulting gall provides food and shelter to the...

Which Is the Biggest Living Insect?
Which insect holds the record for being the biggest living insect? That all depends on how you define "bigness."

University of Florida - Book of Insect Records
The University of Florida Book of Insect Records names insect champions and documents their achievements. Read about these unusual insects here.

What Are Galls?
You can see evidence of insects everywhere, especially on plants. Galls on leaves, twigs, buds, stems, and roots are most often the result of insect activity. What, exaclty, are galls?

Urban Legends: Insect Infestations
Did a bug really lay eggs in someone's ear, and unleash hundreds of brain-eating babies? Find out the truth about this and other legendary insect infestations.