Plants and insects can thrive on the surface of these Green Charcoal bio-bricks, engineered as an alternative to concrete by researchers at the Indian School of Design and Innovation in Mumbai. More
IKEA worked with UK artists and designers to create this series of animal habitats, repurposed from the company's used furniture. More
Dutch designer Matilde Boelhouwer has designed a series of artificial flowers that turn rain into sugar water, to serve as emergency food sources for city-dwelling insect pollinators. More
Mexico-based creative studio MaliArts has designed a series of three structures for solitary bees living in built-up areas to help welcome nature into urban environments. More
The world's first edible insect farms have gone into production after a successful Kickstarter campaign by Katharina Unger and her company Livin Farms. More
These "biobots" developed by a research team at North Carolina State University could map out areas or collapsed buildings in the wake of a disaster. More
A group of engineers and scientists has come up with a way to remotely control insects, which they believe could provide an "improved alternative to remote-controlled drones". More
The "world's first edible insect desktop hive" will allow owners to cultivate and harvest mealworms in their kitchens for use in a variety of recipes. More
American artist Jennifer Angus has used an intricate pattern of insects to decorate a vivid pink room at the Renwick Gallery in Washington DC, set to reopen next month following renovation work (+ slideshow). More
A team of Icelandic designers has launched chocolate protein bars made from powdered crickets. More
Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: French designer Marlène Huissoud explains how she produced a range of "glass" and "leather" objects using resin collected from beehives and silkworm cocoons in this movie from Eindhoven. More
Norwegian architecture studio Snøhetta has designed a series of wooden hives for the roof of an Oslo food court to encourage bees to take up residence in the city (+ slideshow). More
Writer Geoff Manaugh and designer John Becker have imagined a scenario in which genetically modified bees could be trained to print detailed concrete structures rather than produce honey (+ interview). More
Graduate designer Marlène Huissoud has used materials made by bees and silkworms to craft a series of vessels and furniture (+ movie). More
Design graduate Bettina Madita Böhm has created a cylindrical concrete beehive for urban beekeepers to use on the roofs of city buildings. More
Icelandic product design graduate Búi Bjarmar Aðalsteinsson has created a Fly Factory that breeds insect larvae for human consumption (+ slideshow). More
News: a team of researchers from Harvard University has developed a team of robots that can build architectural structures based on the behaviour of termites. More
A Dublin-based graphic designer has developed a digital resource encouraging people to eat insects. More
Dutch Design Week 2013: Portuguese designer Susana Soares has developed a device for detecting cancer and other serious diseases using trained bees ( + slideshow). More
Dezeen and MINI World Tour: in our next movie from Eindhoven, design graduates Aagje Hoekstra and Evelien Crooy show us the bioplastic and ink made from insects that they presented at this year's Dutch Design Week. More