Take a really close look! The Microcosm of Insects

Microscopes give us an entirely new perspective on insects. Beetles, bugs, wasps, and flies—whether large or tiny—under the microscope, we can see all their delicate beauty, their compound eyes, antennae, and mouthparts. But we can also use a fluorescence microscope to visualize their microscopic bacterial helpers—their symbionts or symbiotic bacteria. In addition, we explain the role these symbionts play in the insects’ survival.