iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Adrian Smith

Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

We're looking for a plant pathologist 🌱 🍄 to join our department (cals.ncsu.edu/entomology-a...)! The position is fairly broad/open to different disciplines in plant pathology, but heavy in teaching. Please go to the following link for more info & to apply. jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/233...

A serviceberry twig with leaves and fruit, one of the fruit infested by a rust fungus

a purple flowered clover with whitish powdery mildew growth on the leaves

A shiny dark green magnolia leaf with lichenized algal leaf spot on it.

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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Check out @dradriansmith.bsky.social's new paper!! #SciComm

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John P. Friel, Ph.D. @friel.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

New publication from @dradriansmith.bsky.social on media-based storytelling becoming a prominent application for natural history museum research.

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Travis McEnery @travismcenery.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

This was more complicated than even I thought when I set out to make the video, but I'm glad I did! It was a lot of fun, and the reality of this is really cool. youtu.be/djfoUWZbLn8?...

youtu.be

How Spiders REALLY Eat their Prey (and it isn't by just sucking blood)

YouTube video by Travis McEnery

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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Not feeling it this morning? Watch this beautiful stick insect fly. (And if you keep watching, there is caterpillar poop flinging. As a treat) www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTXA...

youtube.com

Giant Stick Insect & Flying Caterpillar Frass - Slow Mo

YouTube video by Ant Lab

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

🚨 Lifer alert! 🚨 Check out this deer bot #fly that @dradriansmith.bsky.social found while we were hunting bugs - my first time getting pics of a wild adult of this family! It's a convincing bee mimic, whose babies live in the sinuses & throats of deer 😋 👀 #Oestridae: #Cephenemyia phobifer NC, USA

A large bodied, fuzzy yellow fly, looking like a bumble bee, sits on a leaf, viewed from above.

A large bodied, fuzzy yellow fly, looking like a bumble bee, sits on white background, viewed from the side facing right.

A large bodied, fuzzy yellow fly, looking like a bumble bee, sits on white background, viewed from above next to a US dime.

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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

It's 3pm slump time, so how about something to perk you up? Did you know fleas have complete metamorphosis? This is a larval cat flea. @dradriansmith.bsky.social's filming and rearing story will definitely bring you to alertness 😀 (1/2) www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bsG...

youtube.com

I've never seen a FLEA move like this!

YouTube video by Ant Lab

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Increasing interest in entomology 1 cat at a time

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

New Ant Lab video today about pincer wasps and a new research project. This one has some really cool, newly-filmed insect behavior in it! youtu.be/9osTBzQ0zbk

youtu.be

Spring-Loaded Claws on a Wasp – Parasitoid Pincer Wasps

YouTube video by Ant Lab

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Gwen Pearson @bug-gwen.bsky.social · 09/12/2025

Did you consume too much depressing news on your timeline? Here's your palate cleanser from @dradriansmith.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJNa...

youtube.com

Caterpillars Are THE BEST! Here’s why.

YouTube video by Ant Lab

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Ksepka Lab @ksepkalab.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

Ants: Tiny Creatures, Big Lives is officially open at the Bruce Museum! Enter the tunnel and you will meet "Buckley", our five foot long scaled-up Dinoponera ant. Buckley is named after her creator, the great Dan Buckley. The smaller ant is my daughter, dressed as an alate queen for the opener.

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

Still looking for horror now that Halloween's over? Fortunately/unfortunately it's all around! 💀 A parasitoid laid a few eggs in a moth egg. As the caterpillar hatched & grew, wasp embryos multiplied inside to 100s of larvae that ate the entire host, eventually killing & turning it into a husk 😳 🤢

A pale yellow caterpillar husk, filled with rice-like wasp larvae, sits doubled on itself inside a silken cocoon. the caterpillar was almost certainly a looper (Noctuidae: Plusiinae) and the parasitoids are encyrtid wasps (Encyrtidae: Copidosoma). Brought to me by a generous and curious client.

Close up of the pale yellow caterpillar husk, filled with rice-like wasp larvae. The caterpillar was almost certainly a looper (Noctuidae: Plusiinae) and the parasitoids are encyrtid wasps (Encyrtidae: Copidosoma). Brought to me by a generous and curious client.

Close up of the pale yellow caterpillar husk, now filled with dark wasps waiting to emerge. The caterpillar was almost certainly a looper (Noctuidae: Plusiinae) and the parasitoids are encyrtid wasps (Encyrtidae: Copidosoma). Brought to me by a generous and curious client.

A composite plate of tiny parasitoid wasps on a white background. The top has two views of the small wasp, showing the meallic green and purple body, while the bottom shows the wasp dwarfed by a US quarter coin. Brought to me by a generous and curious client.

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Aeon Magazine @aeon.co · 01/11/2025

In this video, the biologist Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social provides close-ups of a diverse array of caterpillars and shows how they support healthy ecosystems, employ a range of strategies to protect themselves from predators and transform into seemingly entirely different creatures

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Close-ups reveal how caterpillars live long enough to cocoon | Aeon Videos

From poison spikes to fake snake eyes, caterpillars employ many clever strategies to survive to their dazzling adulthoods

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

🚨 Spicy gummy worm alert! 🚨 🐛 Though it may look delicious, the bright colors warn of its ability to sting. Kinda looks like it's wearing pajamas... Thanks to @dradriansmith.bsky.social for hosting the specimen. stinging rose #caterpillar #Limacodidae: #Parasa indetermina NC, USA

A squishy-looking caterpillar sits on a leaf. It has four thin black lines alternating with white running down its back, with alternating orangish-red and yellow stripes down the sides. Along its body are a few tentacle-like protuberances covered in stinging spines. There are smaller round, evenly spaced warts covered in spines along the body as well.

The squishy head region of a caterpillar can be seen curling around the edge of the leaf, its spiky protuberances can also be seen cresting the edge of the leaf.

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The Kid Should See This @tksst.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

🐜⚡ These Indian jumping ants don't just jump for show – they use powerful leaps to pounce on prey like crickets. Researcher @dradriansmith.bsky.social 's slow-motion footage shows how these predatory ants hunt with the agility of much larger predators. #science #nature 👉 Learn more: zurl.co/kyQs1

A reddish-brown Indian jumping ant (Harpegnathos saltator) with large dark eyes grasps a pale yellow cricket with its mandibles and front legs on a white surface.

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SciAnts Media @sciantsmedia.com · 15/09/2025

From fire ants in Florida to filming batflies in North Carolina, our latest interview is with @dradriansmith.bsky.social, who has built a career at the intersection of insect science and storytelling. 🐜🎥 #scicomm #science #sciants #stem #YouTube #twitch youtu.be/xEXwFel5DEY

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

New video today! Megaloptera, owlflies, bioluminescent click beetles, and MORE! youtu.be/lD8sKzA_FZU

youtu.be

Bizarre Bugs in Flight! Slow Motion - 14 species

YouTube video by Ant Lab

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Reposted by Adrian Smith

Bhamla Lab @ Georgia Tech @bhamlalab.bsky.social · 23/08/2025

How do tiny ripple bugs surf raging rivers? Check out our new work in @science.org Work led by Victor Ortega-Jimenez, Dongjin Kim, Sunny Kumar, Changhwan Kim, Je-Sung Koh, and Saad Bhamla - a collaboration between UC Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and Ajou University. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

science.org

Ultrafast elastocapillary fans control agile maneuvering in ripple bugs and robots

Rhagovelia ripple bugs use specialized middle-leg fans with a flat-ribbon architecture to navigate the surfaces of fast-moving streams. We show that the fan’s directional stiffness enables fast, passi...

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Reposted by Adrian Smith

Mark Simmons @toysdream.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

I don't think I've ever posted this here on Bluesky, so have some bug-drawing tutorials... (1/3)

Let's Discuss: Bug Basics! Intro to insect body anatomy.

Let's Investigate: Insect Legs! In which we detour for some reason into talking about human hands.

Insect leg pattern 1: Bees, ants, and flies.

Insect leg patterns 2 and 3: Beetles and dragonflies.

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Digital Naturalism Laboratories @dinalab.bsky.social · 01/08/2025

Here's a super cool documentary about the Mothbox! Learn about the development and use of this fun #openscience #opensource tool for DIY biodiversity monitoring! youtu.be/1LGz3aWpeVE?...

youtu.be

Mothbox - Wildlabs Award 2024

YouTube video by Digital Naturalism Laboratories (Andrew Quitmeyer)

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Gil Wizen @wizentrop.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

This is such a good video by @dradriansmith.bsky.social. Not only does it show cool Harpegnathus jumping and stinging action, but it also features Gigantiops, one of my favorite ants, for a quick comparison! www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hBX...

youtube.com

These Are the Best Ants. Seriously. (Harpegnathos saltator)

YouTube video by Ant Lab

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

New video today on one of the coolest ants, Harpegnathos! youtu.be/-hBXOAJ7l1I

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Fluffy. Sparkly. Adorable. These are not the things you usually say about a fly, but here we are. Let this little creature warm your heart 🥰 #Psychodidae #Setomima nitida North Carolina, USA (w/ @dradriansmith.bsky.social)

A small fly sits on a green leaf. It looks like a moth, with a very fluffy head and thorax to the right, and dark, fluffy wings held roof-like behind it. The wings are adorned with scattered, small, icy blue scales.

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social is at BugShot Arizona, explaining how to tell stories.

Photo of a tall guy in a white t-shirt and jeans in front of a PowerPoint slide.

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

New Ant Lab video out today: Ants mating and flying at the same time! youtu.be/bG9I9u-aM8g

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SciAnts Media @sciantsmedia.com · 30/05/2025

We will be live tonight with a special SciAnts Thursday! We will be interviewing @dradriansmith.bsky.social, insect scientist and behavior expert, on his scientific journey, his incredible YT videos, and more! 9pm EDT #scicomm #sciants #science #stem #twitch www.twitch.tv/sciants_stre...

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The Kid Should See This @tksst.bsky.social · 27/05/2025

🪲✈️ Slow-motion footage of 23 flying #insects by @dradriansmith.bsky.social explains the wide variety of flight mechanics out there. From beetles to stoneflies, each species developed different strategies. 👉 Learn more: zurl.co/OclZV

Two insects are shown in flight against a purple background with yellow text reading "INSECT FLIGHT" and black text reading "23 SPECIES!" - one appears to be a yellow-bodied flying insect on the left and a green beetle-like insect on the right.

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Finally checked off "rove beetle wing folding" from my need to film list. New video up now: youtu.be/uvXxiUjw-xY

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

Quote tweeting myself because I ❤️ MAKING THIS VIDEO!!!

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

"What's the Point of Natural History Collections?" is out today on the YouTube/AntLab check it out and long live basic research!!!!!!!!!! youtu.be/dxUbTn7d6Fw

youtu.be

What's the Point of Natural History Collections?

YouTube video by Ant Lab

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Jen C Mars @jencmars.bsky.social · 27/04/2025

My favorite 🪲 lump Acrylic ink & pencils on 3x4" hotpress #InverteFest

Painting of a black and very rectangular warty leaf beetle. The beetle's exoskeleton is riddled with divots and lumps, with reddish-orange tint on its legs, face, mouthparts and antennae. It's somewhat stylized, and the rendering is very soft. The background is a light wash of brown

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Emily Graslie @ehmee.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

Losing the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) would be an act of monumental neglect. I made a video about what’s at risk, and how orgs like @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social and the American Alliance of Museums need us to help advocate for these critical places. youtu.be/fYLC-KWy-Ks?...

youtu.be

Trump is gutting museums and libraries.

YouTube video by thebrainscoop

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 05/04/2025

Monkey slug? Hag moth caterpillar? Both phenomenal names. But I ❤️ the genus name most: Phobetron. Sounds like a malevolent transformer or a giant alien space television. These caterpillars have fleshy deciduous appendages (this one lost a few) & stinging hairs. Watch out! ☣️☠️ North Carolina, USA

A light brown caterpillar with a few random large, fuzzy, fleshy, tentacle-like projections coming out of the body, sits on a green leaf on a black background.

A light brown caterpillar with a few random large, fuzzy, fleshy, tentacle-like projections coming out of the body, sits on a green leaf.

A light brown caterpillar with a few random large, fuzzy, fleshy, tentacle-like projections coming out of the body, sits on a green leaf. This is a side view showing spiny tubercles containing stinging hairs.

A shot of this slug moth caterpillar showing the slug-like underside. The large brown fleshy protuberances can be seen above, but the underside is bright yellow and slimy looking. You can also see the amber colored head at one end.

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🍁 Alex Smith 🍁 @alexsmithants.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

🐜 #ant nest architecture came up in a lab meeting today and so we were obviously sharing photos of Walter Tschinkel's work - so beautiful! Also so beautiful is the video that @dradriansmith.bsky.social made with Walt of the process and the history of the method! Enjoy! youtu.be/1LDja40tLAM?...

youtu.be

The Invention of Ant Nest Architecture

YouTube video by Ant Lab

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Neil @uk-wildlife.bsky.social · 16/03/2025

Just posted a new video on my Pond Lab channel, all about a special worm that lives on pond snails, and helps stop it getting infected with parasites, including those that can go on to parasitise mammals like us! You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHsy... #bugsky #pondlife #ukwildlife

youtube.com

The Worm that lives on a Snail - Chaetogaster limnaei

YouTube video by Pond Lab

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

New video! Flight footage from 23 species across 7 insect orders! youtu.be/gDI5g3rd0Ls

Thumbnail cover image for a YouTube video showing a stonefly and a green june beetle flying, text reads "insect flight - 23 species!"

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Ze Frank @zefrank.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

True Facts: Fireflies Need Your Help! youtu.be/czt_io0h-CA

youtu.be

True Facts: Fireflies Need Your Help!

YouTube video by Ze Frank

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 16/02/2025

How small can moths get? 🔎 Very. shield bearer #moth at UV light #Heliozelidae: #Coptodisca Raleigh, NC, USA @dradriansmith.bsky.social finger for scale

A small pearlescent moth with dark and yellow markings near the tip of the wing. It's resting on a white sheet, and it's so magnified you can see the weave. The moth is about 2mm long.

A finger pointing at a small pearlescent moth with dark and yellow markings near the tip of the wing. It's resting on a white sheet, and it's so magnified you can see the weave. The moth is about 2mm long.

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Matt Bertone @bertonemyia.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

Never know what you're going to find in the NCSU Insect Collection! 🔎 This very charismatic #beetle was among many interesting specimens in unsorted drawers. 🔬 Anyone want to guess the family? #Coleoptera

Dorsal view of a reddish brown beetle whose body has a purely oval outline. It has short silky hairs on the body and crescent-shaped eyes showing through the top of the head. It is about 3mm long.

Ventral view of a reddish brown beetle whose body has a purely oval outline. It has little "cheeks" where the antennae hide. It has short legs and is about 3mm long.

Side view of a reddish brown beetle whose body is very flat. It has short legs and is about 3mm long.

Label info says: India, Maharashtra, Pune July 1995 K. Ketkar Ex soil and litter

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Adrian Smith @dradriansmith.bsky.social · 12/02/2025

Finally got an opportunity to use my interests in comics & entomology at the same time!

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Nancy 🪲SciBugs🪲 Miorelli @scibugs.bsky.social · 09/02/2025

Here's a weird horsefly (Fidena sp) I found in the EC Amazon. Those with a long proboscis can both blood feed and feed on nectar. Some horse flies are important pollinators. This one is female (likely) because her eyes don't meet in the middle. Often male horse flies have two large eyes that touch.

large brown horsefly with striking emerald eyes and a long proboscis ... almost as long as its body

A photo looking up/under a large horsefly. Its white "beard" is prominent against its black underside. It has two large striking emerald eyes and a long proboscis almost as long as its body

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Alex Wild @alexwild.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

We've opened registration for our annual BugShot insect photography workshop! This summer we'll be in Portal, Arizona for the start of the monsoon. And for the first time, slo-motion video guy @dradriansmith.bsky.social is on board as an instructor. www.bugshot.net/bugshot-port...

bugshot.net

BugShot Portal Arizona — BugShot

4 days in Portal, Arizona photographing cool bugs with Adrian Smith, Alex Wild, and John Abbott!

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Nathan Harness @nathanharness.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

A lichen katydid eating the same lichen it has evolved to mimic and live on. Look at those Maxillae- like little mouth fingers

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