Insects Are Making Global News Every Day. Are You Following It?

Spotted lanternfly spreading into new states. A parasitic wasp turning up as an unlikely crop ally. Firefly populations mapped for the first time at a continental scale. This is the kind of news breaking in the insect world on a regular basis — and most people never hear about it.The Six-Legged Narrative podcast logo.

The Six-Legged Narrative podcast, produced at Reiman Gardens in Ames, covers insect and invertebrate news from around the globe, six days a week. Each episode brings you six stories that cover the latest research, discoveries, and conservation developments — the science desk for the world's most overlooked beat. Pick an episode, take a 10-minute walk, and come back knowing something you didn't before.

For anyone who enjoys watching what's happening with the insects in their garden, it turns out a lot more is happening beyond it. 

Find it on Spotify: The Six-Legged Narrative Podcast, or browse all episodes from reimangardens.com/insects.

Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Yard and Garden, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on May 1, 2026. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.