Think discovering a new species is rare? Think again. UCR entomologist and show co-host Doug Yanega reveals why naming a new insect might be easier than spotting a squirrel — and how deserts, microhabitats, and UV lights make all the difference. Come for the science. Stay for the midnight bug trapping in the mountains.

What can a fly tell us about a crime scene? In this episode, UC Riverside entomologist Alec Gerry explains how insects can help investigators reconstruct what really happened when a person or an animal has died under suspicious circumstances. Learn how forensic entomology turns life cycles into timelines — and maggots into expert witnesses.

Not all villains wear capes—some have wings and a taste for cows. We talk to a fly expert who’s taking the bite out of barnyard pests.

Only two kinds of insects are known to invade living human bodies: the mites that cause scabies, and lice. Despite this, there are people convinced their skin is infested with all manner of small insects. And the impacts of their imagined infestations are very real. Discussing this condition on today's episode is University of Georgia entomology professor Nancy Hinkle.

The massive California fruit fly infestation of 2023 has been effectively shut down. UCR entomologist Bodil Cass joins the podcast to tell us how they did it, why it was such a problem in the first place, and how each of us can help prevent it from coming back.

Subterranean Formosan termites do over $1 billion in damage every year, just in the U.S. alone. UCR entomology professor Chow-Yang Lee, an expert on termites, joins us this episode to educate us about what makes Formosan termites unique and how we can get rid of them if they show up.

With Valentine's this month, naturally, we're focused on kissing bugs. These insects feed on your blood, poop on you, and then potentially, infect you with a pathogen that will make you really sick. Christiane Weirauch, UCR entomology professor, and kissing bug expert, is our guest.

Five years ago, news breathlessly reported the arrival of gigantic, invasive murder hornets in the USA. This month, the same news triumphantly declared them eradicated. How much of a threat were they in the first place? What did the media get right, and what did they miss in this story? Tune in and find out.

After you've taken the stockings down and put away your roast beast feast, who's still celebrating? Roaches, that's who. Jun-Yin Lum, a UCR doctoral candidate in urban entomology, joins us to talk kitchen pests and how to beat them.

Peruvian authorities recently stopped a man with 300 tarantulas and other bugs strapped to his body. What are the ethics of starting your own bug collection? What are the laws? Tune in and find out.