Show overview
Insects for Fun! has been publishing since 2022, and across the 4 years since has built a catalogue of 169 episodes. That works out to roughly 30 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run under ten minutes — most land between 8 min and 11 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Science show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 3 weeks ago, with 18 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2023, with 53 episodes published. Published by insectsforfun.
From the publisher
An 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: [email protected]
Latest Episodes
View all 169 episodesWhy cucumber beetles aren't welcome in the garden!
The Centipede that became a Millipede! (Edentistoma octosulcatum)
The cutest giant(?) silkmoth. Rosy Maple Moths!
Copepods! And why the world can't cope without them.
Deer Ticks vs Dog/Wood Ticks and what to do when they bite!
Fairies are real! (Fairyflies)
Asian Jumping Worms! (You don't want these in your yard)
Ensign Wasps! (The Roach Hunters)
The invisible menace you've definitely met! (No-See-Ums)
Ep 161Nature'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: [email protected] Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6
Ep 160Myth 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: 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
Ep 159Dragon Headed Katydids!
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
Ep 158The 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: [email protected] Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6 Music By: S N U G
Ep 157Insects 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 Wednesday.
Ep 156Thorn 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: [email protected] Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6
Ep 155Termite 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
Ep 154This 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
Ep 153Huntsman Spiders!
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
Ep 152Bugs in space!
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
Ep 151Plume Moths: Tiny, T-Shaped, and Totally Underrated!
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