Cicadas are nature's weirdos. They pee stronger than us and an STD can turn them into zombies

The periodical cicadas that are about to infest two parts of the United States aren't just plentiful, they're downright weird. These insects are the strongest urinators in the animal kingdom with flows that put humans and elephants to shame. They have pumps in their heads that pull...

Vermont House passes a bill to restrict a pesticide that is toxic to bees

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — Vermont's House of Representatives on Friday passed a bill to severely restrict a type of pesticide that's toxic to bees and other pollinators. The bill will now go to the Senate. Representatives said Vermont was home to more than 300 native bee species and...

With organic fields next door, conventional farms dial up the pesticide use, study finds

Champions of organic farming have long portrayed it as friendlier to humans and the earth. But a new study in a California county found a surprising effect as their acreage grew: Nearby conventional farms applied more pesticides, likely to stay on top of an increased insect threat to their crops,...

Students lobby to dethrone Connecticut's state insect, the voraciously predatory praying mantis

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — When it comes to state insects, most states honor beloved and benign bugs, like butterflies, honey bees and ladybugs. Connecticut has designated a voracious predator as its bug-to-be-most-proud-of for decades, but its reign could soon come to an end. The...

Republican Caroleene Dobson advances to primary runoff election in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Caroleene Dobson advances to primary runoff election in Alabama's 2nd Congressional District.

A New York collector pleads guilty to smuggling rare birdwing butterflies

NEW YORK (AP) — A Long Island man has pleaded guilty to illegally trafficking birdwing butterflies and other rare insects, according to a plea deal filed in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday. Charles Limmer, 75, of Commack, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to smuggle wildlife...

Brazil's health agents scour junkyards and roofs for mosquitos to fight dengue epidemic

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The small team of state public health workers slalomed between auto parts strewn across a Rio de Janeiro junkyard, looking for standing water where mosquitoes might have laid their eggs. They were part of nationwide efforts to curtail a surge in Brazil of the...

Are insects drawn to light? New research shows it's confusion, not fatal attraction

WASHINGTON (AP) — Like a moth to flame, many scientists and poets have long assumed that flying insects were simply, inexorably drawn to bright lights. But that's not exactly what's going on, a new study suggests. Rather than being attracted to light, researchers...