Lead author Auke-Florian Hiemstra holds the oldest known caddisfly casing containing microplastic, dating to 1971. Photo: Liselotte Rambonnet.

A caddisfly casing with pieces of blue microplastic, dating 1986. Photo: Auke-Florian Hiemstra

NEW PAPER, JUST OUT! 👀

Insects from the '70s and '80s were already collecting microplastic, decades before the term microplastic even existed. 🤯

A thread on the surprising history of this pollutant and the incredible insect larvae that helped us uncover it. 🐛

Let's dive in! 🧵👇 1/x

It’s the last few days of Soil at Somerset House! If you haven’t been, you really should. Wonderful exhibition, and thank you to the talented @jopearlceramics.bsky.social for the guided tour. These are her ceramics www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/soil

It will be good to know how long the caterpillar stays alive! Do you know the caterpillar ID?

Yes, a lovely Tromatobia lineatoria. The first generation emerged in the spring so the sunny weather has probably speeded up development.

Cocoons of a braconid wasp, subfamily Microgastrinae. Maybe Microplitis? I’ll look up a potential name later!

Bees exhibition at World Museum Liverpool is beautiful! Wonderful perspectives on pollination and the lives of bees. Go and see it. After all, bees are furry, vegetarian wasps. I wish it could visit us at NHM London.

White Admiral Watch: Life Cycle YouTube video by Dom Greves

Here's a longer video showing the full life cycle of the White Admiral butterfly. Filmed over 2 years in Sussex woodland. Guest starring several parasitic wasps! 🎥🦋🐝

@ukbutterflies.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @europebutterfly.bsky.social @gavinbroad.bsky.social

youtu.be/SJjjYmyjzoM

A cold and breezy trip to lovely Hilbre island. Always good to see Purple Sandpipers. Very obliging of this Shag, to stand next to a Cormorant. @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social

Episode 3 (imaging): Don't just sort. Also image, from multiple perspectives! Insect levitation with ultrasound: capturing 360° views to automate measurements and create 3D models. More here: www.techrxiv.org/users/813834...

It's tonight! Link to tonight's Brad Ashby lecture is up on the members area of the website benhs.org.uk/members-area/

Orchesella flavescens, one of the UK's largest springtails. It's an elongate springtail, with long antennae, often with a differing number of segments on each antenna (but with a maximum of six). It can be identified by the pattern consisting of parallel longitudinal dark lines running the length of the abdomen, contrasting against a paler ground colour. This is a relatively scarce woodland species.

Send me records: I am excited to be taking on the role of national springtail recorder. I have huge shoes to fill, but I hope to continue the progress Peter Shaw made in understanding the taxonomy and biology of the UK's #springtails.

www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/colle...

I'm very excited to give this talk in January! It's free to attend via zoom if you're interested! :)

Join us for our Annual Virtual Meeting Saturday 15th of February 2-4pm to discuss society matters and hear 'A beginner's guide to sawflies' by Andrew Halstead (photo credit). We'll be meeting over Zoom, link to be posted on the website Members' Area and emailed to membership.

The Netelia paper is creeping ever closer to being submitted! February?

Could well be Ephialtes manifestator, which attacks solitary aculeate nests, but I can’t be certain from the photos (many lookalikes)

@ionace.bsky.social and I identified and databased 6,600 UK ichneumonoids light-trapped by an amazing crew of moth trappers in 2024. Wonderful dataset. Recent highlights: first Rogas luteus for over 100 years and Enicospilus myricae, haven’t seen since I described it in 2016.

This is WILD. Cave invertebrates are supposed to be short-range endemics, especially the ones that don’t use water systems for dispersal, ESPECIALLY the ones that don’t fly, and then here’s this one spider in particular

If I empty my (slightly out of control) sent emails folder, will future historians curse me? Probably not.

Probably one of the many Pteromalidae. And female!

Key through Townes (1970). There are three recognised subgenera, mainly SE Asia.

Pretty sure this is Nematopodius. I’ve not seen any African specimens so this is a nice find!

Image of wildflowers growing with houses in the background

The Prime Minister was wrong to blame nature protection & regulators for stopping development🏡

Leading nature groups have written to Keir Starmer calling for an urgent meeting to discuss how nature & sustainable development can go hand-in-hand👇

wcl.org.uk/docs/2024/le...

📷Cassie Crocker

Join us! Should be a great talk on January 23rd

The perfect gift under the Christmas tree has come early: "Wasps of the World" by @gavinbroad.bsky.social. I urge all to purchase this exquisite read, filled with facts/illustrations of a highly diverse group of #insects. Make sure not to place Megastigmus strobilobius too close to the tree!! 🎄

Coming very soon in #BirdStudy, a special issue on HPAI: highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds.

Some papers already published (among other early view articles): www.tandfonline.com/action/showA... #ornithology #seabirds #conservation

#waspday at @NHM London!! look this amazing Polybia nest!!! thanks @gavinbroad.bsky.social with @waspwoman.bsky.social @femi-benny.bsky.social @ionace.bsky.social

A lot of Darwin Tree of Life barcodes and a lot of genomes (1500). Which means a lot of cake.

It’s #WaspDay at NHM London today! Can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday!
With some lovely waspy people!
@gavinbroad.bsky.social @cintiaoi.bsky.social @ionace.bsky.social @femi-benny.bsky.social
@uclcber.bsky.social
#WaspLove

I can prove I have a desk at work. More difficult to prove output but I can buy you a beer.

Maybe I’ll make the list one day!