Insect Information: Video Series

Butterflies are helpful for pollinating plants and, as caterpillars, for providing food for songbirds and other wildlife. Discover how butterfly caterpillars induce birds to fly up from the tropics and spread out across North America with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

Butterflies reproduce by mating after a courtship procedure, which results in the female laying as many as 200 eggs on the caterpillar food plant. Find out how caterpillar eggs are hatched on a plant that they have evolved to feed on with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

In the adult stage, butterflies will only live about two weeks, but the entire life cycle can last one to two years. Learn how butterflies spend their short lives eating, breeding and laying eggs with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

The silk in the cocoon of a silk moth can reach 300 to 900 meters long when stretched out. It takes a caterpillar about four days to wrap that amount of silk around the pupa. Learn more about silk moths with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on silk moths.

A cocoon can last between seven days and four months, depending on the conditions, temperatures and species of butterfly or moth. Find out how cocoons that have multiple generations through the year can go through the pupa state in a couple of weeks with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on cocoons.

When it rains, butterflies seek shelter under tree branches, in a rock crevice or in a wood pile, often hanging from the strong claws on the bottom of their legs. Learn how butterflies will fold their wings down, to prevent getting wet in the rain, with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

The deadliest insect is either the mosquito or the flea, both of which cause millions of people to contract diseases each year. Protect against insects with potent venom and avoid contracting infectious diseases from mosquitoes with insight from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on insects.

Ladybugs are voracious predators that feed on a lot of pest insects, including aphids, which are a main part of the ladybug's diet. Discover how ladybugs are beneficial for controlling the aphid population with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on ladybugs.

Caterpillars can die in the cocoon stage when certain insects pierce or chew through the cocoon in order to get to the pupa. Caterpillars are also vulnerable when entering and leaving the cocoon stage. Learn more about cocoon safety with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on cocoons.

As a butterfly, tiger swallowtails eat a wide variety of nectar from different plants; as caterpillars, they feed on willows, alders and cottonwood trees. Discover how the tiger swallowtail butterfly does not have a specific diet with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

Get rid of pantry moths by throwing away the food source, cleaning the cabinet with soapy water and storing food in glass, metal or hard plastic containers. For continuous infestations from moths and caterpillars, store specific foods in the freezer using advice from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on moths.

Beetles will eat almost anything, including dead wood, plant material, pollen, nectar, dung, carcasses and food in cabinets. Learn how the only things that beetles will not eat is mineral and metal materials with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on beetles.

Caterpillars are generally only able to feed on one type of plant, depending on the species of the butterfly. Find out how the monarch butterfly caterpillar only eats milkweed plants and how the yellow sulfur butterfly eats legume plants with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on caterpillars.

A cocoon is a pupa with silk around the outside of it, while the naked pupal stage is known as the chrysalis. Discover how moths typically produce a cocoon and butterflies produce a chrysalis with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on cocoons.

To take care of a cocoon, keep it at an appropriate temperature, spritz the cocoon with water occasionally and keep it in a screened enclosure to protect against predators. Provide food for the insect when it emerges from the cocoon using advice from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on cocoons.

When butterflies mate, the male or female will perform courtship movements and release pheromones, the butterflies will turn abdomen to abdomen and then mate for an hour or more. The male butterfly will pass the female a sperm packet that is used for fertilizing eggs. Discover more about how butterflies mate and lay several hundred eggs with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

Butterflies typically stay in the cocoon, or chrysalis, for several weeks, though some species stay in the pupal stage for as little as a week or as long as several months. Find out how moths form cocoons and butterfly form a chrysalis with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

Feed butterflies by providing a wide variety of nectar-rich flowers or by placing a sugar solution on a sponge. Learn how butterflies use a straw-like proboscis to suck up nectar with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

Breed and raise butterflies by providing the specific food plant for the caterpillars, maintaining cleanliness and providing the right moisture and temperature for the development of the life cycle. Enclose butterflies in a green house to get them to mate naturally with advice from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

Feed butterflies indoors by providing a variety of nectar-rich plants near a sunny window or by placing a sugar solution on a sponge. Allow butterflies to detect nectar through sensors on the feet with help from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

Breed butterflies by taking care of the caterpillars, providing fresh food and a clean area to live. Place butterflies in a tent with other butterflies in order to get them to mate with tips from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.

Japanese beetles are about a centimeter in length, with a dark green metallic prothorax and brown wing covers with rose striations. Identify Japanese beetles, often considered pests, with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on beetles.

Aphids are tiny, soft-bodied insects that are typically yellow, green or brown, with sucking mouth parts and cornicles. Identify aphids, which typically form colonies to eat plants, with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on aphids.

Gastropods, which include snails and slugs, feed on any organic material that they crawl over, including plants and decomposing matter. Learn how gastropods have evolved to live off of a variety of materials with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on gastropods.

Butterflies help the environment by pollinating flowers and providing food for nestling songbirds as caterpillars. Discover how critical butterflies are to the pollination of plants with information from an entomologist and insect specialist in this free video on butterflies.