The Adventures of a Doodlebug | A Real Bug's Life | National Geographic

less than 1m read

·Nov 10, 2024

After three years devouring roots in the soil, the doodlebug's terrible transformation is complete. From greedy grub to beastly beetle. Aw, he's kinda cute now. But don't be fooled. He only has one thing on his mind: making more crop-destroying doodlebugs. Yep, he's out looking for love.

And those adorable antennae give him his pickup superpower. Mm-hmm, he's feeling the feminine pheromones. They're lifting him higher. Even though he's never flown before, thanks to millions of years of evolution, somehow, he instinctively—

Yo, doodle! Get off your back. The clock's ticking. A female! Gotta make a good first impression. Nice landing. Now, let's just hope she likes him. Oh. Oh, okay. I guess she likes him.

And our little Casanova even has a few moves. Hey, this is a family show. The female will go lay their 80 eggs in the soil. More little root-munchers, ready for next year. But now, this little lover wants more. Classic doodlebug.

Oh, well. Once he's back on his feet, he can mate every night of his short life and become a real player on the pest scene. Or, maybe not.

The True Cost Of "Success"

Ratios for recipes

View All

How Metric Paper Works & The Whole of the Universe

This is not just a sheet of paper; it is an invitation to everything that exists. For this paper is metric, which has a special property other pages don’t—dividing into each twain is half the whole. Uh, obviously, I guess, but each half is also the same s…

The Psychology of "Inside Out"

[Music] What does a child’s mind look like? You have memories of being a child, but that’s not really an accurate representation. It’s an older you reflecting on the past. Your childhood memories are likely different now from the experiences that formed t…

See How Termites Inspired a Building That Can Cool Itself | Decoder

In 1991, architect Mick Pearce had a problem. An investment group in Harare, Zimbabwe, hired him to design the largest office and retail building in the country. But they didn’t want to pay for the expensive air conditioning needed to cool such a large bu…

Ali Partovi - Startup Investor School Day 3

Ali is the founder and CEO of neo, which he can explain what that is. It’s a very cool new organization, but he’s also an entrepreneur, a social entrepreneur whom I admire a ton for the things he’s done. We met, like I said, too many years ago when he and…

Ion–dipole forces | Intermolecular forces and properties | AP Chemistry | Khan Academy

Let’s talk a little bit about ion-dipole forces. Before we think about how ions and dipoles might interact, let’s just remind ourselves what the difference is between ions and dipoles. I encourage you to pause this video and try to refresh your own memory…

Uncover Antarctica - BTS | National Geographic | OPPO

Antarctica is a land of extremes, and it’s got an incredible grand scale. So it’s very difficult to try and capture it with images. Being a National Geographic photographer creates an opportunity for me to document the world, and you don’t know what you’r…

The Adventures of a Doodlebug | A Real Bug's Life | National Geographic

More Articles