Episode notes
Explore the world of dragon-headed katydids (genus Lesina), canopy-dwelling insects that mimic dried leaves and thorny growths with dramatic, dragon-like heads and powerful mandibles. This episode covers their appearance, nocturnal behavior, diet, and unique camouflaging wings and body shapes. 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
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Podcast
Insects for Fun!
insectsforfun · Tech & Science · English
A bite-sized informational podcast covering all things insect and arthropod, hosted by a master in entomology! Join me every week to learn something new, from notable species to broad topics and lore! You can support the show and get extra episodes here: patreon.com/user?u=46499107 Email: Insectsf
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E164 · 15 May 2026 · 15 min
Asian Jumping Worms! (You don't want these in your yard)
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 ->…
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E163 · 5 May 2026 · 11 min
Ensign Wasps! (The Roach Hunters)
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
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E162 · 22 Apr 2026 · 15 min
The invisible menace you've definitely met! (No-See-Ums)
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:…
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E161 · 1 Apr 2026 · 15 min
Nature's most obnoxious vampires! (Horeseflies and Deerflies)
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:…
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E160 · 16 Mar 2026 · 16 min
Myth Busting Craneflies!
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:…
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E158 · 18 Feb 2026 · 13 min
The Monsters Within! Strepsiptera and Tarsonemid Mites (Internal Hosts of Insects)
Explore the eerie world of internal insect dwellers in this episode of Insects for Fun. From the twisted-wing Strepsiptera that spend their entire lives inside hosts to the tiny thread-footed mites of the Tarsinemidae family inhabiting tracheae, reproductive tissues, and hidden body spaces, discover how these organisms blur the line between parasite and roommate. 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:…
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E157 · 9 Feb 2026 · 13 min
Insects That Shouldn’t Exist: Life on the Edge of Survival!
In this episode of Insects for Fun, we investigate species that survive conditions that seem lethal—freezing solid, near-total dehydration, oxygen starvation, and dangerously small, isolated populations. These insects persist through unique physiological tricks and extreme life-history 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 Blue…
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E156 · 2 Feb 2026 · 12 min
Thorn Bugs! Masters of Masquerade
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:…
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E155 · 26 Jan 2026 · 12 min
Termite Skyscrapers & Ant Metropolises: Nature’s Ultimate Architects
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
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E154 · 16 Jan 2026 · 10 min
This fly can eat dragonflies!? (Robberflies)
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
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