Olaf Stapledon incorporates insectoids in his 1937 Star Maker novel. In the pulp fiction novels, insectoid creatures were frequently used as the antagonists threatening the damsel in distress. Notable later depictions of hostile insect aliens include the antagonistic "Arachnids", or "Bugs", in Robert A. Heinlein's novel Starship Troopers (1959) and  the "buggers" in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series (from 1985).
The use of insectoids as antagonistic forces in science fiction is a recurring theme, often depicted as threats to humanity or civilization.