Colin Wright is a world class loser

German wasp vs male sweat bee. When males hunt for mates, the ground nesting bee community becomes more obvious to predators. The males won't contribute to the nest, and the females don't waste time hovering. This community will be fine. @zoologyotago.bsky.social youtu.be/ymdlevx43nY?...

Tarantula Hawks are very handsome. New World Tarantula-hawk Wasp (Pepsis sp.) on horsetail milkweed. #inverts Southwestern Research Station, Portal, AZ

For Pride Month, I created bumble bee and #WaspLove Progress Flags from photos I've taken over the years.

A link to our #JandtLab website and to our "Is it a Bee?" pamphlet are now prominently featured on an Otago Regional Council site dedicated to Bees in Otago!!! @zoologyotago.bsky.social www.orc.govt.nz/environment/...

But wait... there's more... Zoology Department, University of Otago is hiring a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology too! @zoologyotago.bsky.social otago.taleo.net/careersectio...

Get your CVs updated. Zoology Department, University of Otago is hiring a Lecturer in Evolutionary Ecology! @zoologyotago.bsky.social otago.taleo.net/careersectio...

Also see: the absolutely ridiculous flappy fairy wings of Olixon banksii

Our recent publication on bumble bees was highlighted on RNZ today, and I was asked to give a short interview about it (~15 min). The publication is open access - so anyone can access it: link.springer.com/article/10.1... @zoologyotago.bsky.social www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

🎨 Tie-Dye Your Lab Coat! Join the Zoology Rainbow Committee for an explosion of color, creativity and snacks! Bring something cotton to dye, something plastic to carry it home, and wear mess-friendly clothes. 🗓️ 28 April 2025, 5:30 PM 📍 Benham Garage, Zoology

Not only a great opportunity to work at a stellar Uni, but it's only a 38 min drive to the Shire.

Ok - I am not a fan of taking photos of dead things, much less posting them to socials. But I've successfully identified female (left images) and male (right images) Lasioglossum sordidum - New Zealand Sweat Bees - under a scope using a proper taxonomic key. @zoologyotago.bsky.social

Few things better than when your butterfly student knocks on your door and proudly presents a cup full of tiny wasps that emerged from her butterfly pupa. What's in there? We need to slow them down & ID under the microscope. Today, we admire so many living in one pupa! @zoologyotago.bsky.social

#BugoftheYear2025 is now getting international media coverage! edition.cnn.com/2025/02/20/t...

Congrats to Team Velvet Worm! #bugoftheyear2025

Re my love for bugs: "You have to look for them. But once you start looking, the world becomes this bigger, more magical place.” I'm so happy she used this quote! Bug Day 2025 made it to The Guardian! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

It's the LAST DAY to vote for Bug of the Year 2025! We are 370 votes away from reaching 10,000 voters this year! Can we reach the goal in the next 7 hours?!? Learn more about the nominees here - and don't forget to vote! bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz #BugoftheYear2025

Happy Valentine's Day! Learn more about the Exquisite Owlet here. bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-... #bugoftheyear2025 The Entomological Society of New Zealand

Happy Valentine's Day! Learn more about the Giant Springtail here: bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-... #bugoftheyear2025

Happy Valentine's Day! Still haven't voted for Bug of the Year yet? Consider the Gravel Maggot - named after Smeagol (Smeagol climoi). Click the link to learn more about this nominee! bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-...

Happy Valentine's Day! Our study (6yrs to develop, 2yrs to carry out) is published! We show that by adding additional flowers (here, borage) to a protected monocrop (here, tomatoes) increases bumble bee colony health AND fruit output. @zoologyotago.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Check out our latest study - led by Greer Sanger and co-supervised by Janice Lord - on the Kahukura | NZ Red Admiral preference and performance on Ongaonga | Stinging Nettle (its host plant). Congratulations Greer! newzealandecology.org/nzje/3581 @zoologyotago.bsky.social

Sometimes, the nest entrance gets blocked with dirt while Momma is out foraging. If you watch in the upper right corner at the start of the video, another Momma flies right into her nest - no problem. But the Leioproctus fulvescens on the bottom - she's gotta dig first. @zoologyotago.bsky.social

If you know anyone who might be interested in working as a technician before a PhD, I'm looking for someone to work with me to generate some amazing data to understand the genetics of behavior, sex differences, and reproduction in an evolutionary context. Bonus? Amazing and supportive department!

Where do male solitary bees go when it rains? These little Hylaeus (masked bees) were trying to burrow into the dandelions. @zoologyotago.bsky.social

Travel awards (up to $5,000) are available to support the study of collections in the United States National Herbarium. Applications are due on 15 January: naturalhistory.si.edu/research/bot...

Hylaeus relegatus visiting the hebe I planted next to my veggie bed. #MyYarden

My therapist reminded me that it doesn’t make me a bad person to have moments of joy even as the world is burning down. In fact, it’s necessary. I don’t know who else needs to be reminded of that.

2025 New Zealand Native Bee Calendars Now Available! We worked with participants of all ages to create 16 beautiful collages that capture the importance of planting a diverse assortment of flowers to feed native bees of Aotearoa. Order here! jandtlab.com/bee-creative... @zoologyotago.bsky.social

Bumble bee was thirsty, so she popped by Ye Olde Fruit Shoppe for a pint of juice! #MyYarden

Check out our latest piece in The Conversation @theconversation.com on queen bees and wasps flying around in spring and early summer! @zoologyotago.bsky.social

As author of a book about wasps, I am very likely to "reskeet" posts like this. 💕

Great evidence that posting weird bugs in iNaturalist really does help us do a better job detecting invasive species. entomologytoday.org/2024/11/19/c...

We strongly suggest that academic publishers and other platforms that host research rapidly implement a Share to Bluesky button for their articles. Here's how: docs.bsky.app/docs/advance... #AcademicSky #HigherEd #Altmetrics

"You do realize you're kind of famous, don't you Terry?" #Entsoc24 @hormiga.bsky.social

Amplifying the Global South Voice for an Inclusive Global Health Research Landscape speakingofmedicine.plos.org/2024/11/13/a...

My first #entomology starter pack filled up (only 150 fantastic folk allowed) 🎉#Entomology starter pack # 2 is now being populated! 🎉 Did I miss you? Aplogies! Reply to this post and I'll remedy that! #StarterPack #Invertebrate 🪲🐞🐜🐛🦟🪳🦋🐝🦗🪰🕸️ go.bsky.app/JVRwhS1

I was looking for an #Entomology Starter Pack but I couldn't find one - so I started to build one! It's already morphing into more of a list of invertebrate aficionado/lovers. Did I miss you? Aplogies! Reply to this post and I'll remedy that! #StarterPack #Invertebrate go.bsky.app/7CaCbMC

Hello new Skyfolk!! I made an entomology artists starter pack for you to discover artists who draw all kinds of arthropods! :] Still adding people, but feel free to suggest new people! #insects #sciart go.bsky.app/LhDrUuP

A starter pack for myrmecologists and our allies 🩵🐜🩷 go.bsky.app/zo95qR

Pls share! We have started a Wasp Starter pack! Message below to be added! And follow all these awesome waspy folk to chat about the wonderful world of wasps! go.bsky.app/3u5XkrS

Want to be my colleague? There are two tenure track Assistant Prof positions opening up at my university - month of 1st consideration is Jan 2025 😄 One for Freshwater Fisheries Biology and the other for Animal Ecology! 😊 jobs.missouristate.edu/postings/78080 jobs.missouristate.edu/postings/78118

I'm stunned, unmoored, and scared. This is normal. I found some strength by reading my own advice, from eight years ago, about how we must keep on with science and teaching in the face of authoritarian rule. Maybe you can find some hope in this, too: open.substack.com/pub/sciencef... 🧪

I had the opportunity to contribute to this study on stonefly mimicry - led by Jon Waters & Graham McCulloch, and carried out by an incredible team from University of Otago. @zoologyotago.bsky.social www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

I had the opportunity to contribute to a study on mimicry! Shout out to Jon Waters & Graham McCulloch for inviting me to join the team! @zoologyotago.bsky.social theconversation.com/stoneflies-c...

Check out the cover on the latest issue of Journal of Economic Entomology! That's my wasp from our study published in this issue! My first journal cover. I'm so happy. academic.oup.com/jee/issue/11... @zoologyotago.bsky.social @entsocamerica.bsky.social

John Endler opens up #ISBE2024 showing his long term work on bowerbirds and how they use and manipulate sensory perception. Also reminds us to remain astute natural observers as that's where all our hypotheses come from.

A male woolly bee fly hovers at a mistflower, collecting nectar. Dripping Springs, Texas.

Amy L. Toth and I wrote an article for @theconversation.bsky.social about our recent pub (w/ Erin McCall) in J Econ Entomol. I hope to take advantage of wasps already in the Pacific to study their impact on crop pests here! (1/2) theconversation.com/wasps-can-be... @zoologyotago.bsky.social