Insects for Fun!

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.

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 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.

 

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

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.

 

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

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.

 

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

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. 

 

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 Sea-no