Skip to content

Category: Amazing Insects

Amazing insect stories, insects in pop culture, and answers to common bug questions

closeup view of two white wasp larvae in an opened tube nest; one larva is curled and feeding on the other larva

Why Larvae of One Wasp Species Often Eat Their Siblings

Sibling rivalry takes a grim turn in the parasitoid wasp species Isodontia harmandi, as larvae commonly cannibalize their nest mates. A new study suggests the stronger larvae eat their siblings both to grab an easy meal and to reduce competition for the food provided by their mother.  

mosquito larva strikes

Harpoon Heads, Sweeping Tails: How Predatory Mosquito Larvae Capture Prey

With striking high-speed video footage, scientists have for the first time detailed how predatory mosquito larvae attack and capture prey in aquatic habitats. Published this week in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America, this new research sheds light on behavior that has long proven too small and too fast to study, until now.