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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 27/06/2025

A nice range of species seen in the western Mourne Mountains in Co. Down recently, including Andrena tarsata, Lasioglossum rufitarse and Dasysyrphus pinastri, which was a new one for me.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Ciarán Byrne @kiwibyrne.bsky.social · 04/06/2025

Hoverfly Epistrophe nitidicollis, a female egg laying around Aphis sambuci colony on Elder in Kildavin, Co. Carlow over the weekend. Only the 12th Irish record and first for Carlow.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Margaret Cahill @margaretcahillbsky.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Always interrupt a phone call with your mother to investigate a black dot gliding down a downpipe. One day, it'll be something worth getting excited about that has you running for the camera. Saw my first ever Kidney-spot Ladybird tonight. It's just the second record of one for Limerick.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Ciarán Byrne @kiwibyrne.bsky.social · 04/05/2025

Couple of beetles from the dunes at The Raven, Co. Wexford today. Phylan gibbus (Tenebrionidae), Melanimon tibialis (Tenebrionidae) & Charagmus griseus (Curculionidae).

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Dean Mac Cú Uladh @dmac00.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Join me on behalf of Buglife for City Nature Challenge 2025 in Belfast for hoverfly surveying Lagan Meadows, 25th April, 12-2pm I will be joined by Jen Farrar from BSBI who will be discussing all things trees! @bsbiireland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social www.buglife.org.uk/events/surve...

buglife.org.uk

Buglife Events ~ Surveying for hoverflies and trees with Buglife NI

Find out more about our upcoming events related to invertebrates, insects and bugs.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Carlos M Herrera @cmhmaliani.bsky.social · 13/04/2025

This pic from a Cheilosia hoverfly unknown to me is from 14 May 2019. Sent the specimen to a specialist, who found to be an undescribed species. Ever since then I've named it 'Cheilosia new.sp'. Finally, I'm happy to learn that it has been already named for science (can't reveal the name so far) .

Dark small fly sitting on a yellow flower of Potentilla reptans

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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

Large Sallow Mining Bee (Andrena apicata) female and male seen along the river Barrow in Carlow recently. An underrecorded species in Ireland, but the populations in this area seem to be quite strong and it was the most abundant mining bee during my visit. It's a willow specialist, peaking in April.

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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

A nice surprise this week was finding Andrena praecox locally in Co. Armagh. This is the second NI record of this early spring species, which is generally very scarce north of Dublin. It's probably underrecorded due to its early flight period and habit of foraging high up in willows.

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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Two female Cheilosia grossa seen in Dublin and Wicklow recently. An attractive yet overlooked hoverfly which flies in March and April. The larvae mine thistles, so it's worth having a look on dandelions or willows growing close to thistle rosettes: species.biodiversityireland.ie/profile.php?...

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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 20/03/2025

Andrena apicata, Andrena praecox and Andrena clarkella males observed in Cos. Armagh, Dublin and Wicklow over the past week. The females shouldn't be too far behind, especially now that the pollen source of these three species, willow catkins, are starting to appear en masse.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Ian Beavis @ianbeavis.bsky.social · 10/03/2025

If they're in a sunny spot, root plates can offer great nesting sites for solitary bees (and wasps later in the season) because they're equivalent to the bare ground of a vertical bank.

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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Three bumblebee species, Bombus lucorum, Bombus terrestris and the most notable one, Bombus hypnorum, enjoying the winter heather in Armagh today. This species only arrived in Ireland around 10 years ago, but is now quite common in the northeast in particular.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Ireland's Incredible Invertebrates! @microwild.bsky.social · 15/02/2025

Make sure to grab your ticket for my upcoming online talk, Irish Bees for Beginners. Or maybe you can get one as a late Valentine's Day gift for someone who loves bees, insects or invertebrates! If you're not in, you can't win.* *Knowledge is the prize. 🙂 bit.ly/irish-bees-2...

bit.ly

Irish Bees for Beginners

Come learn the real buzz about Irish bees! Join us for a beginner-friendly event on Ireland's native bee fauna.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Carlos M Herrera @cmhmaliani.bsky.social · 05/02/2025

Anthophora hispanica es mi especie favorita de ese género. Tamaño de abejorro y velocidad de avión. Con suerte la podréis ver por estas fechas alredededor de plantas de Erophaca baetica. Aquí un macho repostando un instante, sin parar el motor. Lo mejor de mi día de abejeo.

Una abeja de color rojizo frente a unas flores blancas

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Carlos M Herrera @cmhmaliani.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Empezando la diversión. Un pequeño muestrario de abejas que ya están volando estos días en el bajo valle del Guadalquivir: macho de Eucera nigrilabris y hembras de Andrena florentina, A. trimmerana y A. antigana.

Una abeja agarrada entre la punta de dos dedos

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Joan Díaz-Calafat @jdiazcalafat.bsky.social · 06/06/2024

Velvet ants (Mutillidae and Myrmosidae) are pretty cool creatures! Despite their name, they are actually wasps, and not ants. (Most) males are winged, and females do not have wings.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Nick Royle @royleresearch.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

One week to go before the closing date on this ansum PhD. Like rainforests? Like Beetles? Like Devon and Cornwall? Then resolve to apply now!

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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 01/01/2025

A summary of the most interesting observations from my field trip to southern and central Spain in May 2024, including new records and floral preferences of some rare mining bees (Andrena) and blunthorn bees (Melitta): www.researchgate.net/publication/...

researchgate.net

(PDF) New records and ecological notes on six little-known Iberian Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

PDF | New sites and ecological information are presented for six little-known bees in Spain. Andrena nilotica, Flavipanurgus granadensis, Melitta... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ...

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Tim Worfolk @timworfolk.bsky.social · 13/12/2024

2024 Highlights #5. One of the best wasp-mimics I've ever seen: Temnostoma vespiforme, a spectacular hoverfly I found in Brittany, France while cycling along the Nantes-Brest canal. It's got all the right markings and even waves its front legs to look like long wasp antennae. #Diptera #Hoverfly

Temnostoma vespiforme (Syrphidae) 17 June 2024 Brittany, France. A spectacularly good wasp-mimic.

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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

Spruce Cone Bug (Gastrodes abietum) seen in Loughgall, Co Armagh. This species was first found in Ireland by @joshecology.bsky.social earlier this year and has since been found at three sites. It lives on the cones of Norway Spruce, so it's probably more widespread than current records suggest.

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Reposted by Owen Beckett

Phil Stevenson @philstevenson.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Digging below the surface: Hidden risks for ground-nesting bees such as bumble bee queens & the hoary squash bee, are commonly exposed to pesticide residues in soil which can lead to lethal & sublethal impacts on behavior & brood prodn. #SabrinaRondeau in #sciencemag www.science.org/doi/full/10....

science.org

Digging below the surface: Hidden risks for ground-nesting bees

Hidden risks for ground-nesting bees

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Owen Beckett @obeckett98.bsky.social · 13/11/2024

It's hard not to get dragged down by the negativity on Twitter, so thought I'd give this a go. Here's a lovely Heather Mining Bee (Andrena fuscipes) from the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down last year.

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