Think your yearly wardrobe purge is intense?
Insects take it to the next level with molting—a natural process that’s all about growing, repairing, and staying stealthy in the wild, sometimes with a little glow-up thrown in.
Here are the insect stars of molting…
1. Crickets – The Silent Shedders
Crickets molt to grow, and their new skin starts out so transparent and so soft you could squish them like a soap bubble.
During this vulnerable stage, they hide from predators until their new exoskeleton hardens.
But they’re quick to harden up as the stakes are high—being so soft makes them an easy lunch.
2. Praying Mantises – Graceful Hunters, Until They’re Not
Praying mantises might look serene, but molting turns them into ruthless giants.
As they shed their exoskeletons, they often double in size, growing into even more formidable hunters.
3. Cicadas – Masters of Drama
Cicadas crawl out of the ground after up to 17 years of living in the dirt, shed their skins to reveal new wings, and head straight to karaoke.
Their shed skins cling to trees like ghostly reminders of this transformation, marking the start of their brief, noisy lives above ground.
4. Cockroaches – The Gross Glamor Kings
Before cockroaches are the shiny brown terrors we love to loathe, they’re pearly white and ghostlike post-molt.
Cute? No.
Creepy? Absolutely.
5. Ants – The Divas of Molting
Baby ants (or larvae, if we’re being proper) shed their skin multiple times before becoming the hardworking adults we love to stomp on.
And guess what… Their molted skins help feed their colony.
When they’re done? Leftovers get taken out to the local rubbish dump by worker ants (here are all the weird things ants carry far away from their nest).
6. Dragonflies – The Gut-Wrenching Molt
Dragonflies don’t just molt—they explode into their new form.
As nymphs, they crawl out of the water, latch onto a plant or rock, and their skin splits apart like an overstuffed sausage.
Inside, their guts twist and stretch, rearranging to fit their sleek adult bodies.
Wings unfurl, legs extend, and all that’s left behind is a hollow shell.
7. Stick Insects – The Escape Artists
Stick insects have turned molting into a superpower.
Lost a leg? No problem.
During their next molt, they’ll regrow it. It’s the insect version of a Marvel superhero.
8. Beetles – Nature’s Shape-Shifters
Beetle larvae might as well be from another planet—they look nothing like their adult forms, thanks to molting.
Each shed brings a transformation, sometimes revealing entirely new features like legs, wing covers, or hardened body segments.
And some beetles molt up to 30 times before their final form, changing so drastically along the way you won’t recognize them.
From squishy grubs to armored tanks, a beetle’s makeover game is unmatched.
So next time you spot an insect acting strange, don’t panic. It’s probably just mid-makeover!
