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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.    Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6    

Learn how passive ventilation, honeycomb geometry, pheromone traffic systems, and other insect strategies inspire human architects and engineers through biomimicry.   Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6    

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.     Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6     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?    Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6    

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.   Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6     Music by Leo Iwamura

On this episode of Insects for Fun, we’re going to explore a tiny creature whose wings are divided like fans, who stands in a perfect T-pose long before video games made it cool, and who might be hiding—right now—somewhere in your garden or even in your house.   Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6     Music by Leo Iwamura

This week is a listener request from someone over on YouTube, and I'm really glad it came in! Water fleas are incredible and incredibly tiny organisms that have a lot of really quirky tricks and traits.    Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6     Music by: Kei Kawaguchi and Masaki Tomiyama

This week, we dive into some plague insects and talk about how regular insects can turn into natural disasters.    Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6     Music by: Toshiki Hayashi  

This week's topic was chosen from Patreon, and it's a fun one! Learn all about hummingbird moths and how they compare to the real birds. We go into the physics of hovering flight, the art of mimicry, and the strange evolutionary story that led a humble moth to master the sky like a bird.    Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6     Music by: Toshiki Hayashi

Today we turn our attention to Honeypot Ants, specifically those in the genera Myrmecocystus and Camponotus. These ants in particular are famous for their incredible resilience to desert climates and strange survival strategies.    Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6     Music by: Lofi Geek

The Old World Swallowtail is scientifically known as Papilio machaon. And yes this the butterfly on all those classic field guide covers”. The yellow wings with black veins and those elegant little tails make them iconic in the world of butterflies, but it’s not just a pretty face — it’s a survivor, an actor in myths, and a worldwide traveler that’s been gliding through history for thousands of years.   Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6     Music by: Brillion  

Today we're talking about an insect artist, a wasp with an incredible ability to produce sculptures not too unlike what human potters make. Potter wasps belong to the family Vespidae, but they're very unique for many reasons.    Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6    Music by HM Surf. 

Have you ever picked up an empty snail shell and wondered who might have been clever enough to crack it? Enter the snail-eating beetle, a specialist predator that has evolved tools as precise as a locksmith’s to get at one of nature’s most well protected animals.   Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6    Music Sudare

This week we’re focusing on all things terrariums. We’re gonna look at the different types, what they’re used for, how they started and how to make them! So let’s get into it. This may be something we revisit later, as the topic is incredibly broad.    Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InsectsforFun  IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6    Music: Sea-no      

We’re looking at one of the most alien-looking arachnids you’ll ever meet. Despite their fearsome appearance, whip spiders are harmless to people. They don’t have venom, they don’t spin webs, and they don’t sting. But in the micro-world of the forest floors and caves, they are master hunters with fascinating behaviors.   Patreon -> https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46499107 IG: https://www.instagram.com/insects4fun/ FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085443614825 Email: [email protected]  Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6    Music: Kazuya Morita