Insects represent about 75% of described animal species. With such diversity, they have contributed to our understanding of the evolution of animal development and physiology. Insects, in general, have body sizes and life cycles that are suitable for laboratory culturing. Along with their convenience for laboratory use, insect models have also seen recent advances in technologies such as sequencing and genome editing. Such advances also promoted the emergence of non-traditional insect models, including species with ancestral characters that have not been extensively utilized in genetic studies. The expansion of available models coupled with the advances in genetic tools drives a comprehensive understanding on the evolutionary history of the development and physiology of animals. The aim of this methods collection is to catalog techniques in emerging insect models such as maintenance of laboratory culture, staining, and genome editing. Practical introductions to these methods from a variety of taxa facilitate broader use of these novel models and unexplored species.