I've just spent ages catching up with the thread, Keyser. You are one patient person, giving us all these links. Some of those are stunningly gorgeous, and I do have a soft spot for bees, I have to say. But even the queen ant was stunning too!

Anyway, thank you so much for the pics and articles. People sometimes forget we need insects to stay alive (especially bees), so they're really under-rated (says the woman who was screaming like a banshee last night after walking into Shelob's web in the dark. )

Thank you very much.

Giant Katydid - I have no idea what species but it is a very impressive insect.

https://41.media.tumblr.com/a4dad839...rhxo1_1280.jpg

Oh. My. God! Where was that found?? It looks like it could run off with one of my cats in tow! (Um. They are herbivores, aren't they? Do tell me they're herbivores. )

Some of them are but a lot of them are voracious carnivores.

A few nice images of the Giant Scoliid Wasp - Megascolia procer.

http://www.minibeast.uk/image/cache/data/21-800x800.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gGiCxfJjNk...0/DSCN4396.JPG

Tarantula Hawk wasps and yes, they do prey on tarantulas, paralyse them and lay their eggs on the unfortunate living spider - which will be slowly devoured whilst alive when they hatch (leaving the vital organs until very last to make sure the meat is a fresh as possible).

All things bright and beautiful my arse.

http://uploads.neatorama.com/images/...11343412-0.jpg

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2572/3...6b5_z.jpg?zz=1

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ZizmkB0I_...ntula_hawk.jpg

The sheer beauty of cockroaches - yes - cockroaches.

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...-are-not-pests

It has only been recently discovered that Jumping spiders at least can hear perfectly well.

Making little eight-legged genius's like Portia even more formidable.

https://news.google.com/news/story?n...TzAN4QqgIIKDAA

wait wait they hear with their LEGS? why? how..?

Evolutionary adaptations are a truly remarkable thing Gleeky.

For all you arachnophobes...

http://www.livescience.com/56525-gol...er-photos.html

Bug life.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...eb-vibrations/

http://phys.org/news/2016-10-giraffe...it-spider.html

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/natura...rate-predators

https://theconversation.com/hidden-h...-spiders-55017

The biggest example of Scolopendra gigantea that I have ever seen.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...d_Specimen.jpg

Meet Charlotte...

https://www.facebook.com/19302013749...type=3&theater

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/in-the...e-in-australia

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entr...b08315783d7f01

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...sman-ever.html

While studying insects in South America earlier this year Japanese entomologist Munetoshi Maruyama came across this very nice example of a Titan beetle (Titanus giganteus).

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CbAn4jcVIAEFIIB.jpg

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/conser...eggs-in-the-us

Not an insect but still an Arthropod and Stomatopods are so cool anyway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm1ChtK9QDU

I bet that could take a finger off. Holy cow that's ridiculous!

Funnily enough their jaws are strong enough to do just that.

Nobody really knows the real maximum size as Titan beetles are so rare - and their larvae have never been captured - but from their boreholes they have been estimated to be over 30 cm long and more than 5 cm wide - that's a hell of a grub!

Bet it tastes delicious!

A Hercules beetle grub gives an idea.

http://www.storyofsize.com/wp-conten...3772070_n.jpeg

The Trilobite beetle.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...-beetle/#close

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/in-the...never-grows-up

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cu4g42Oceg

Not giants but interesting all the same.

A birth at Silkhenge.

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/discov...tch-them-hatch

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2...uador-mystery/

Gryffindor spider.

http://www.earthtouchnews.com/discov...m-harry-potter

http://www.seeker.com/new-spider-spe...143331899.html