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  

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

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  

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

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. 

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  

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  

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

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  

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