Insects 101
By Debbie Hadley, About.com Guide
Insects grow, changes, eat, mate, and defend themselves in interesting ways. Start here to learn the basics of insects, spiders, and other arthropods.
Insect Bodies
Most people know that insects have three body regions, but what's inside? Learn more about the insect body and how it works.
- What Are Insects?
- Internal Anatomy of Insects - Color Diagrams
- Parts of a Caterpillar
- How Insects Hear
- How Insects Smell
- How Insects Taste
- How Do Insects Breathe?
- All About Insect Poop
- Why Ants (and Other Bugs) Are So Strong
Mating & Reproduction
Once an insect reaches adulthood, its main purpose is to produce the next generation of its species.
- The Art of Insect Seduction
- Love at First Sight? How Bugs Find Mates
- How Insects Mate
- Aphids, the Amazons of the Insect World
- Periodical Cicada Brood Maps
- Do Praying Mantis Females Really Eat Their Lovers?
- The Giant Jewel Beetle That Mates with Beer Bottles
Growth & Metamorphosis
Insects grow and change in dramatic ways. Many insects look entirely different in each stage of their life cycles.
- Molting - How Insects Shed Their Skin
- Types of Insect Metamorphosis
- The Life Cycle of Butterflies and Moths
Bug Behavior
Insect behavior teaches us how bugs adapt and evolve in a changing environment.
- Where Do Bugs Go in the Winter?
- Cunning Killers - How Assassin Bugs Hunt
- How to Fool a Cockroach With a Vacuum
- How Insects Recognize Their Host Plants
Bug Communication
Like most animals, insects need to communicate with each other to survive. Insects "talk" using pheromones, light signals, songs, and dances.
- Dance of the Honey Bees
- How Fireflies Produce Light
- Chirping Crickets
- The Loudest Insect of All?
- Grasshopper Songs
Insect World Records
Which bugs are the biggest, the loudest, or the most deadly? These insects would make Guinness proud.