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Royal Entomological Society @royentsoc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

🐝 Pollinating, hunting, feeding, courting, nesting... Some of the most memorable insect photos capture behaviour in action. If you've photographed an insect doing something remarkable, it's a perfect time to enter the RES #InsectWeek Photography Competition. ⏰ Deadline: 31 October buff.ly/rdahCIp

buff.ly

Royal Entomological Society Photography Competition - Insect Week

Royal Entomological Society

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Jess Taylor @loadofolbobbins.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Anyone fancy doing a poorly girl with shingles a favour by hitting repost? My @backerkit.com has 8 days left and if we hit £700 I'll be unlocking this fancy holo effect sticker sheet of beautiful bugs.... www.backerkit.com/c/projects/l... #SciArt #BugSky #Insects #ArtSky #Illustration #Procreate

Mock up of a holographic effect a5 sticker sheet filled with illustrations of different insects including woodlice, black firefly, blue carpenter bee, gooden's nomad bee, ruddy darter dragonfly, hoverflies and more.

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HoverflySpotterM.D @hoverflyspotter.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

🦟 The Great Nest Heist 🐝 Some hoverflies wear a chemical cloak to sneak inside a wasp’s nest. #Hoverflies #Flies #Insects #Nature #Knowledge #Biology #Wildlife #Science #BuzzClub #NaturalHistory #Larva #Wasps #Volucella hoverflyspotter.blogspot.com/2026/08/grea...

The Great Nest Heist of the Great Pied (Volucella pellucens)

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Judy Webb @judywebb.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Grapefruit skins & the search for the larvae of one of the rarest flies in the UK - the Barred Green Colonel. Larvae live in wet moss in a rare habitat - a calcareous (lime-rich) alkaline spring-fen in just one site. Great work by the SRT! @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Broke out up my colour pencils for the last day of #Invertefest to illustrate some of the lovely green #shieldbugs of Britain. Highlights of children's bug hunts and very pleasing to the eye with their geometric forms and symmetrical markings. Spot the sneaky tachinid egg..

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Helen Bennett 🌿 @helenbennett.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

A special find this week; a tiny Ladybird balloon-belly fly (Gymnosoma rotundatum)! I've never seen this in our garden before; historically rare, but it is now expanding its range! 📷 🌿 🪰 Happy Friday everyone 🕊️👋 #FlyDay #InverteFest #Nature #Insects #Invert #Scape #ECK #MacroPhotography #BugSky

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Colton the fish squeezer🐟🪴📚🏕️🐝 @fishsqueezer.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Flies are underappreciated and maligned as pollinators, but they really can be quite interesting and beautiful! Watch a beautiful fly with Batesian mimicry go BLEP BLEP BLEP on a blanketflower for day three of #Invertefest #nature 🌱 #nativeplants

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John Walters @johnwalterswildife.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

The Sea Snout cranefly Geranomyia unicolor does high speed push-ups when it feels threatened in an attempt to make itself almost invisible to potential predators such as the local Rock Pipits. East Prawle, Devon

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

Fantastic to have another glowing review of the Flyble from such a big name in ecology and conservation. Thank you @markavery.bsky.social ! Yes I wish I'd had our book for my lockdown 'backyard bioblitz' too!

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

Struggling to sleep in this heat but I've spotted one of my home's nocturnal residents - a Spitting Spider (Scytodes thoracica). Have seen at least 3 in the house this weekend.

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KetrinaDrawsALot @ketrinadrawsalot.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

"Whose Larva Is This?" A quick guide to figure out what you're looking at when you find something that resembles a worm or a Zerg unit crawling around. #insect #bug #education #SciArt

A flow chart to help identify insect larvae

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Is it just me who's really enjoying the British weather lately? I like proper heavy rain to give everything a good soak and make everything glisten, with sunny spells to warm up and draw the insects back out. Maybe I am secretly an amphibian..

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Anime Frogs in Rainy Pond

ALT: Anime Frogs in Rainy Pond

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

All right cockers? I got home for Cockchafer o'clock tonight! Great to see these big, bumbling beetles around. Likely emerging from the neighbour's lawns. You can see where they've been munching the young ash leaves too.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

Rather enamored with the big Banded Damoiselle nymphs that kids caught on our river dips in the Stort today for #HertsRiversWeek Also gratifying to find shedloads of Blue-winged olive mayfly nymphs and several caddis and Bullheads, showing that the water here is still of decent quality.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

My sincerest thanks and condolences to all the staff and volunteers who cleared up Britain's greenspaces today after the heatwave bank holiday madness! Fighting the real, physical, shameless blight on the country. This pic was far from the worst - at least the culprits bothered to find a bin.

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NatureBureau @naturebureau.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

The Green Forest Fly Caliprobola sp;eciosa, a large & rare hoverfly - one of the gems of the New Forest where it can be seen around the base of old trees & stumps. Get into the world of flies with our 'flyble' bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @bbowt.bsky.social @tverc1.bsky.social

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THE FAR SIDE DAILY @bot.cowtools.org · 18/05/2026

“Calm down, Edna. … Yes, it’s some giant, hideous insect … but it could be some giant, hideous insect in need of help.”

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 16/05/2026

Messing about by the river today helping to build up a brash berm in the Stort with the Friends of Castle Park. These features create a more dynamic flow, reduce soil erosion, vegetate into bankside habitat and offer refuge for fish and aquatic invertebrates. All with entirely natural materials.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 12/05/2026

Recently gave a talk to BTO Youth on starting out with identifying insects in Britain and Ireland. Pleased to see how keen young ornithologists are to engage with the world of insects! I'd be happy to give this again if any natural history groups are interested- it was a lot to put together!

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Lovely to find my first nest of the shell-nesting Red-tailed Mason Bee (Osmia bicolor) on a Herts Invertebrate Project outing to Sheethanger Common yesterday. One of a few nice finds on this former golf course near Hemel Hempstead, now owned and managed for nature by the Boxmoor Trust.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

EDIT: Mottled Shieldbug. A first for me! Thanks @sjbknott.bsky.social for the ID.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Decided to take a trip to some North London gardens on my day off. Wasn't expecting many insects in the overcast conditions, so the specialist Large Scissor Bee (Chelostoma florisomne) at Myddelton House and my 1st adult Bronze Shieldbug at Culpeper Community Gardens were nice surprises!

Large Scissor Bee resting on a leaf, photographed side on and facing towards the top of the picture.

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Seppo @sepponet.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

#WildBees and #pollinators need our help. You can help some of them with bee hotels. They also need food, pollen and nectar. So use less #lawnmower, and let #wildflowers bloom in your yard and garden! #bees #bumblebees #wasps #wildlife #backyard #beehotels

Tho wild bees at the beehotel.
A man cuts the lawn in the yard, no flowers.
One bee says: Fantastic! A bee hotel!
Another bee yells: ...But no restaurant!

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Neil @uk-wildlife.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Happy #WorldRobberflyDay Everyone! Hers the video I made about my obsession with the Hornet Robberfly! (I was going to post it today but ended up posting it when I finished editing instead as I wanted to share!) www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gHN...

youtube.com

The Hornet Robberfly - an insect worth obsessing over

YouTube video by UK Wildlife

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Graeme Davis @gremlingraeme.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

The Hornet Robberfly (Asilus crabroniformis) Its World Robberfly day in Fly Week today So to celebrate my fav Robberfly had to be the pic. An amazingly large Robberfly, one of the largest flies in the UK #worldrobberflyday #flyweek #robberfly #asilidae

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Vic Brown @viccbrown.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Two males of the scarce Hornet Grabber (Conops vesicularis) in Gamlingay Wood LNR, S. Cambridgeshire this morning. A sexually dimorphic fly, I've included a photo of a female photographed in my garden earlier this month to illustrate the difference. #Diptera #Flies

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Lukas Large @lukaslarge.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

A hoverfly (Chalcosyrphus nemorum) doing a poo

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

Is this the world's worst photo of a Wasp-banded Combhorn Cranefly (Ctenophora flaveolata)? Quite possibly. Am I dead chuffed to have spotted it way up in a standing dead oak? Absolutely! My first encounter with this striking, scarce species on our Herts Invertebrate Project outing to Hudnall Park.

Photo of a dead tree trunk largely missing its bark save for a patch on the upper right. A yellow and black cranefly is sat on the trunk just at the bottom left edge of the bark.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

I am absolutely made up about this 'Flyble' review in British Wildlife by none other than Brett Westwood! A publication and a naturalist I've had a huge amount of respect for since my uni days. It's really gratifying to see the reception of this book after so much hard work.

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NatureBureau @naturebureau.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Drifts of Ramsons in woodland is unmistakable but look closer & you might spot a male Ramsons Hoverfly Portevinia maculata (top right) basking on a leaf the female (bottom) is often hidden amongst the plants where she lays her eggs @worcswt.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social bit.ly/4dqOI8Z

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

A mindful birding moment with the parents yesterday. There's always time to stop and watch a Little Egret on the river (and to appreciate Mum's homemade jumper!).

A couple standing on a bridge (left), watching a white bird on a river ( just below middle right), with trees and fresh greenery in the background.

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Steve @stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 12/04/2026

#WhatsTheUseOfFlies? No.3 - #pollination! You like flowers? You like eating food? Then you need #flies! Bees are OK, but a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to pollination is actually done by flies. Look at this #hoverfly with its face covered. #diptera #flies #insects

A hoverfly sits on an open flower with its face covered in pollen.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Thrilled to find a gathering of these Mammoth Wasps (Megascolia maculata) in Spain, busily nectaring with males pursuing the massive females. Their bold colours, violet wings and jack o'lantern faces look fantastic! They're Europe's largest wasps, with larvae parasitising chafer grubs.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

An impressive African Giant Mantis (Sphodromantis viridis) near Almeria, Spain. Identifiable by her whitevwing spots. Non-native to Europe but still exciting to see. She'd found a very productive ambush perch amongst Giant Fennel flowers.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 08/04/2026

Staying with a good friend in Almeria and of course enjoying the local insect life. Spanish Festoon and the shell-nesting bee Rhodanthidium sticticum have been highlights.

A Spanish Festoon butterfly resting in vegetation. Its wings have a tesselated black and yellow pattern with red spots. It's body is brownish and hairy.

The bee Rhodanthidium sticticum resting on a white snail shell. It has orange legs and orange spots along the side of the abdomen.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

The Jackdaws are fighting over the chimney pots along my road. Too engrossed to notice the human on the ground floor hanging up their washing.

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

This is an excellent book. I have the previous version and would say if you buy just one guide to wildlife gardening, it should be this one. It's very practically laid out and gives good rep to insects beyond bees and butterflies. Pleased to see it getting a reprint with endorsement from the RHS.

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Dr Jill Whitelock @jillwhitelock.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Someone updated this copy of Thomas Moffet’s ‘Insectorum sive minimorum animalium theatrum’ (1634) with the Linnæan name for the Dark-edged bee-fly, Bombylius major (Linnæus, 1758) and other insects. 🪰💚 Rare books #BeeFlyWatch, M.14.42 @theul.bsky.social. #Diptera

Detail from a book showing an illustration of a Dark-edged bee-fly, annotated by hand as ‘Bombylius Major. L:’

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Biological Recording Company @biologicalrecording.co.uk · 25/03/2026

Fly Research & Conservation Virtual Symposium 2026 Tue 23 Jun 2026 | Online | £30 or pay what you can Explore the latest fly ecology, conservation science & practical case studies. Live Q&A, expert talks & all resources available after the event 🌍 🧪 Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1981718540...

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

One of the great things about authoring a photographic guide is that it can be enjoyed by all ages. My friend sent me these of her friend's daughter pouring #BestFlyBook in the back of the car (like me with bird books on family holidays). Would be lovely if it inspires more young entomologists!

A message thread with photos of a child reading 'A Photographic Guide Flies of Britain and Ireland' in the back seat of a car. The key parts of the messages read: We are learning about flies...she's been naming random flies for about 10mins so far...daggerflies yay! "

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 22/03/2026

Nice to read a review of the 'Flyble' by a dipterist. Encouraging people to look beyond hoverflies was precisely one of the aims of the project. Will be very interested to read more reviews as spring gets under way and people use the book. That's the real mark of an ID guide. Please tag us in.

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NatureBureau @naturebureau.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Cheilosia pagana, a small black hoverfly, is one of our earliest hoverflies to be seen, flying from March-October. The female is identified by its large orange antennae. #BestFlyBook bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @bbowt.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @gailashton.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social

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Andy Musgrove @andymus.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Fantastic news, should be incredibly useful

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Vanna Bartlett @vannabartlett.bsky.social · 15/03/2026

A few solitary bees out in the sunshine yesterday including this stylopised male Andrena (2 female stylops are visible poking out of the penultimate abdominal segment). Parasitized bees like this can exhibit features of both male & female bee (called intersex) which makes identification tricky. 🧵

A solitary mining bee sitting on a green leaf. Towards the end of the bee's dark abdomen there are two pale brown objects poking out from between the segments, these are female stylops, internal parasites of the bee.

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NatureBureau @naturebureau.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Gonia picea (Dark Broadface) is one of the first Tachinid flies to appear in spring - this one spotted in March on the Malvern Hills. Our new guide to #FliesofBritainandIreland features over 1200 species bit.ly/4dqQI8Z @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @georgemcgavin.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

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John Walters @johnwalterswildife.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

Female Common Earwigs Forficula auricularia are very good mothers. After spending the winter guarding her batch of eggs she cares for the nymphs for several weeks and regurgitates food for them. The nymphs will disperse when they are large enough to fend for themselves. Dartmoor, Devon

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Rory Dimond @rdimond.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Have had a very cluttered mind lately. Stopping to appreciate this helped. Hopefully so will a proper day out tomorrow.

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