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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝

@sifolinia.bsky.social
1K followers 1.9K following 51 posts

Myrmecologist, entomologist and ecologist. Geospatial data specialist. Director @biospatialinsights.bsky.social. Progressive bluegrass fan. Father of two. Wales, UK.

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Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
The Guardian @theguardian.com · 26/02/2026
America lied about the Iraq war. Then they weren’t believed about Ukraine | Moustafa Bayoumi
theguardian.com
America lied about the Iraq war. Then they weren’t believed about Ukraine | Moustafa Bayoumi
Will US intelligence learn its lessons from the Iraq war, and just how badly their legitimacy has been undermined?
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Interesting review of repletism in #ants #Formicidae myrmecologicalnews.org/cms/index.ph... The most disgusting thing I've ever tasted was a Leptomyrmex replete. The composition is apparently unknown, but I'd describe it as rancid fat - not sugary at all. The things we do for science...
myrmecologicalnews.org
Myrmecol. News 36: 39-57
Myrmecological News
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
I think this is probably the best take on this that I've seen.
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 11/01/2026
Yes! 💯 Scatter cushions are also pointless, as surely no one can sleep with them on the bed and they mostly just get chucked on the floor. Please hotels, B&Bs, etc. stop wasting resources and money on this. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The hill I will die on: Decorative cushions and throws on hotel beds should be banned, immediately | Annabel Lee
Why spoil perfectly crisp, clean bedding with dusty old accessories that have been used by hundreds of strangers? Yuck, says writer Annabel Lee
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Helen #FBPE #NHS #ClimateCrisis 🇪🇺🇬🇧🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈💙 @heib20.bsky.social · 10/01/2026
This is truly brilliant!👏👏✨ I wondered why I disliked Trump so much……🤭 londondaily.com/british-writ...
londondaily.com
British Writer Pens The Best Description Of Trump I’ve Read - London Daily
“Why do some British people not like Donald Trump?” Nate White, an articulate and witty writer from England wrote the following response:
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Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
DipteristsForum @dipteristsforum.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Join us for our dipterists.org.uk/events/dipte... Love to see lots of beginner dipterists, so much to learn! Bursary available to help fund email enquiries@dipterists.org.uk deadline extended to 31-3-26. @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @britentsoc.bsky.social @royentsoc.bsky.social #entomology #flies
Image Westhay Moor  Somerset Levels, CopyrightDr Mike Ashworth.
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Reposted by Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
If the Palestine Action hunger strikers die - which they could do at any moment, as they are now very close to the end - it will be the government that killed them. Today’s column explains why. Please share, and write urgently to your MP. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Let’s be clear: if the Palestine Action hunger strikers die, the government will bear moral responsibility | George Monbiot
The three remaining hunger strikers have been convicted of nothing. Yet with astonishing cruelty, ministers refuse to listen to their reasonable demands, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Bob Beaman @bobbeaman.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
actnow.peatfreepartnership.org.uk/end-peat-sal...
actnow.peatfreepartnership.org.uk
Sign the petition to end peat sales!
No more delays: Let's get peat out of gardens once and for all. The time for uncertainty has ended.
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Rupert Read @rupertread.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
If we are to survive what is coming, let alone to flourish, then we desperately need the kind of strategic adaptation that false optimism leaves unfunded or even sneered at. As a small gesture towards such adaptation, please sign and share: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73... Thank You…
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Fund a National Climate Resilience Plan: protect communities from climate impact
From floods to extreme temperatures, climate impacts risk damaging homes, health, businesses, services, and the economy. We want Government to prioritise adaptation; fund a new Resilience Plan that wo...
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Prof Bill McGuire @profbillmcguire.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
This is absolutely vital We are completely unprepared for the climate chaos that is coming Please sign now and share
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Today's column is about the government's huge, unprecedented assault on nature ... and about the eerie, astonishing silence of the big nature groups. The RSPB, National Trust, Wildlife Trusts have 7.5m members between them. A vast force, completely unmobilised. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Wage war on nature to build new homes: that’s Labour’s offer, but it’s a con trick | George Monbiot
The government’s new planning bill is tearing down environmental protections to benefit developers. This nation of nature lovers won’t stand for it, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
When aliens land, expect them to call us "microscopic snails", before stamping us out as they make way for their new housing. Rachel Reeves clears planning blockage amid ‘good relationship’ with developer www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Rachel Reeves clears planning blockage amid ‘good relationship’ with developer
Exclusive: Chancellor says 20,000 homes were being held up due to ‘some snails that are a protected species or something’
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
There's another reason to be pro gender neutral toilets: men might actually wash their hands, properly, if women are watching... One Bladder After Another: why bros are finally having to queue for the loo | Emma Beddington www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
One Bladder After Another: why bros are finally having to queue for the loo | Emma Beddington
There are few things more irritating than waiting outside the Ladies while men sail in and out of their own facilities. A new, very long film has changed all that, writes Guardian columnist Emma Beddi...
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Yellow Dot Studios @yellowdotstudios.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
"0.3 per cent of the world’s land area – yes, just the land – would be needed to meet the current energy demand from solar alone, which is LESS THAN THE CURRENT LAND FOOTPRINT OF FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE."
newscientist.com
Why solar power is the only viable power source in the long run
Not only is solar more than capable of supplying all the world’s energy, in the long term it is the only power source that won’t fry the planet
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Anyone else remember the film Idiocracy? m.imdb.com/title/tt0387... Not a great film, but with more and more people falling for right wing populists and conspiracy fantasists, I'm wondering if it'll turn out to be more prophetic than, say, 1984.
m.imdb.com
Idiocracy (2006) ⭐ 6.5 | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
1h 24m | R
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Fiji ant study provides new evidence of insects’ decline on remote islands www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Fiji ant study provides new evidence of insects’ decline on remote islands
DNA analysis of endemic specimens in museums finds 79% of ant populations in Pacific archipelago are shrinking
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Evelyndroid's Aperture Science and Bugge-Finding 🏳️‍⚧️🕷️ @apsciencebylyn.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
A few days ago I posted a dead yellow jacket which had become a community meal for Paratemnoides social pseudoscorpions, but I hadn't really considered that they are apparently capable of teaming up and catching a live one?? Checked on them later and the unfortunate wasp was deceased. Damn. 🧪
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Maksym Polyakov 🇺🇦🌻 @maksympolyakov.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Reform really is attracting the best of the best... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Nadine Dorries defects to Reform, saying Conservative party ‘is dead’
Former cabinet minister’s move on eve of Reform conference is further boost for party that took almost £1m in donations from ex-Tory donors
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Probably the most bizarre thing I've read about this year. #ants #genetics
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Craig Kaplan @triggerloop.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
Look at this crazy thing! www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature
In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same moth...
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 01/09/2025
"A White House spokesperson told Fox News that the gold – “of the highest quality” – was all paid for by Trump personally." The actions of someone who intends to never leave. share.google/eWvYykcTf1JS...
share.google
Before and after: Trump’s extreme goldening of the Oval Office
An extravagant – and ongoing – makeover of the White House’s decor has taken place during the president’s second term. One colour theme stands out
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Fair Political Coverage - we want to hear from ALL our parties @fairpoliticsnow.bsky.social · 31/08/2025
We’re going up at a rate of 700 signatures an hour currently. In the time it took me to boil the kettle it went up by 50. Keep the message in minds folks. Fair coverage is what we want so we hear from ALL parties not just the narrative of one. Sign and pass on petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
"Unfortunately, we are now living through a dis-Enlightenment. In the US in particular, and increasingly elsewhere, facts don’t matter and can be casually denied. Universities have become subject to bullying as compliance with the requirements of one political faction..."
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
Welcome to the dis-Enlightenment
A new dis-Enlightenment looms: in the US and beyond, facts are denied, science silenced, and the wealthy spread lies over truth
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 31/08/2025
Has Trump succeeded in normalising American autocracy?
theguardian.com
Has Trump succeeded in normalising American autocracy?
People who have experienced the kind of authoritarianism the US used to condemn abroad highlight worrying signs
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 11/08/2025
🧵Here's a thought I've been having about the cost of transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy: It does decarb fans no favors to pretend that there's no cost, or that just because "solar is cheap," that makes depreciating one entire system in favor of another cheap or easy. However!
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Steve Metz @stevemetz.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
As a philosophy major who adored symbolic logic courses, this may be my favorite cartoon ever.
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Met4Cast @met4cast.net · 25/05/2025
This is phenomenal. Sea surface temperatures are >5C above average to the west of the UK and around Iceland. It's the strongest area of anomalous warmth on the planet at the moment. It's the warmest in recorded history for northwest Europe.
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 03/05/2025
My VE Day was nothing like our image of it today. I hope we can honour what it really meant | Sheila Hancock
theguardian.com
My VE Day was nothing like our image of it today. I hope we can honour what it really meant | Sheila Hancock
Our street party tea was a muted celebration, full of uncertainty. Then, as now, we faced a long struggle towards a better world, says actor and writer Sheila Hancock
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Another new micro #fungus for me. Is it possible to confirm this as Protomyces macrosporus on Oenanthe crocata leaves? Also from the #Stackpole Estate in #Pembrokeshire today. #mycology
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
New one for me, though probably quite common. I assume this is the rust #fungus Puccinia primulae on primrose Primula vulgaris at #Stackpole in #Pembrokeshire today. #mycology
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
A good follow up study would be to compare the results with the number of dark-money junktanks in each country. Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
Activate climate’s ‘silent majority’ to supercharge action, experts say
Making concerned people aware their views are far from alone could unlock the change so urgently needed
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
This is not a #honeybee. The picture in the article of a #bumblebee is also not a honeybee. But #bees, and the threats to them, are all the same, right? #entomology #taxonomy search.app/zFAvr
search.app
NI's honey bees: Population at risk due to no bee inspectorate
NI's last full-time bee inspector retired in 2024 and the part-time inspector died shortly after.
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
I wish the #BBC would employ reporters with a basic knowledge of taxonomy. But that aside... Please don't buy #ants as pets. They are never captive bred. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Ant smugglers caught with hundreds of prized insects in Kenya
It is believed the ants were destined for exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia.
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BioSpatial Insights @biospatialinsights.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Deep in biodiversity data analysis, but field recording is just as vital! 🌿🦗 Found a slender ground hopper in a new hectad, plus lots of solitary bees and black oil beetles (Meloe proscarabeus). #Ecology #Invertebrates #Biodiversity #Fieldwork
The slender ground-hopper (Tetrix subulata) on tarmac. This individual is typically grasshopper shaped with long pointed wings. It is patterned grey-brown, with whitish patches on its thorax and legs.
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Peace & Justice Project @peaceandjustice.bsky.social · 27/03/2025
Today we have launched the #DignityDeclaration in response to the Spring Statement. We are calling for an alternative to the government’s enrichment of the few at the expense of the many. 80+ progressive political leaders have signed. ✍️ Add your name: thedignitydeclaration.co.uk
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Stop Trump Coalition @ukstoptrump.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Hey! We've just joined Bluesky. For our first post, we'd like to share this urgent petition: "After Trump’s treatment of Ukraine’s President Zelensky... the tactic of trying to flatter him into doing the right thing has failed. The offer of a state visit should be rescinded." Sign here:
stoptrump.org.uk
Petition: Cancel Trump’s state visit
Stop Trump Coalition
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Bumblebee Conservation Trust @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
It’s official, 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees since records began🚨 The latest findings from #BeeWalk, our national bumblebee monitoring scheme, have revealed bumblebee numbers declined by almost a quarter (22.5%) across Great Britain💔 Read on: www.bumblebeeconservation.org/british-bumb...
A bumblebee dusted in yellow pollen sitting in a greyed-out flower. Text reads: 2024 was the worst year for bumblebees since records began.
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Elizabeth Matos 💙🦋🥅💞🇨🇦 @eoldoula.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
"The supposed strongman fell to his knees and kissed the Russian dictator’s feet before they had even entered the negotiating chamber." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Trump is the world’s greatest showman – and the weakest strongman it has ever seen | Jonathan Freedland
His capitulation to Putin over Ukraine reveals a pattern. He’s the patsy: giving everything away, getting little in return, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
At the end of the day, it's very simple. Trump and his oligarch friends want to cut programs that working class people rely on, and give huge tax breaks to the very rich
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BioSpatial Insights @biospatialinsights.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
Just wrapped up the desk-based review for our project on future invasive plant threats in NW Wales for @northwaleswt.bsky.social! 🌱 Using geospatial analysis, we processed 16,000+ non-native plant records to assess site risk. Next up: field surveys! #Ecology #InvasiveSpecies #Biodiversity #GIS
biospatialinsights.com
Assessing the potential future invasive non-native species in northwest Wales — BioSpatial Insights
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 16/02/2025
As a parent who works from home I can say, without doubt, that getting the kids to school is the only way to be productive. Perhaps the chief of Ofsted needs to learn the difference between correlation and cause? www.theguardian.com/education/20...
theguardian.com
Parents working from home is affecting school attendance, says Ofsted chief
Martyn Oliver says less office-going since pandemic has led to a shift in attitudes among pupils in England
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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
And the cool thing is that this petition is now on 113,000… Crossing the 100K mark only accelerated it. 🚀
northeastbylines.co.uk
Petition to rejoin the EU reaches 100,000 signatures
100,000 signatures - enough to be considered for a debate by MPs in Parliament!
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 11/02/2025
It's Tuesday, and the BBC are going for the big news stories. www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Old Crunchie wrapper found in Cambridge University Library
The pre-1971 wrapper is likely to have been there for more than 50 years, says the library.
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Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme @uk-soldierflies.bsky.social · 08/02/2025
Tension rises as we await the 1st #BeeFlyWatch sighting of 2025! Judging by the weather where I am at the moment it's going to be a while yet ... but as soon as you do start seeing bee-flies please get a photo & add a record - full details + ID guides available at dipterists.org.uk/bee-fly-watch
dipterists.org.uk
Bee-fly Watch | Dipterists forum
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Kristian G. Andersen @kgandersen.bsky.social · 09/02/2025
Weeks ago I highlighted the false balance of “if only scientists could communicate better”. One OpEd writer kindly reached out to me and I want to share my main response to them because I find it remarkable that people still can’t see what we are now all seeing has been under way for years. 🧵👇
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Mike Lush 🐜🪲🪰🐝 @sifolinia.bsky.social · 25/01/2025
He's really not hiding it anymore. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Elon Musk makes surprise appearance at AfD event in eastern Germany
Tycoon tells 4,500 people at campaign event in Halle to be proud of German culture in speech via video link
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BioSpatial Insights @biospatialinsights.bsky.social · 07/01/2025
The portfolio is now live on the our website: tinyurl.com/2fk9ys4k. The featured projects highlight key areas of expertise, including: - Detailed habitat mapping - Modelling species distributions - Site-based invertebrate surveys - Predicting future invasive species Stay tuned for updates!
tinyurl.com
Project portfolio — BioSpatial Insights
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