Insects for Fun!

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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 
Music By: S N U G

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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 
Music by Blue Wednesday. 

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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 

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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 

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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 
Music by Leo Iwamura
 

Huntsman Spiders! (you might want to keep these around)

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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 

Bugs 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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 
Music by Leo Iwamura

Plume 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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 
Music by Leo Iwamura

The weird world of water fleas!

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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 
Music by: Kei Kawaguchi and Masaki Tomiyama

Insect plagues and how they start! (NOT the black plague)

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: Insectsfordummies@gmail.com 
Discord -> https://discord.gg/pDJH3CYcG6  
 
Music by: Toshiki Hayashi