Insect Day - A Story of 24 Hours & 24 Hexapod Lives - written by me & Illustrated by Natalie McIntyre Each chapter introduces 1 insect during 1 hour, highlighting how 24 different species spend their time Due out in Oct 2026 but available now to pre-order press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/bo...

#doli's #dolichopodidae look at the antenna on that baby! Thank you Epping Forest, a lovely fly from a bog in the Beech trees @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @teamdiptera.bsky.social #dipteristforumSpringFieldTrip #diptera

And we're off! Dipterist Forum Spring Field Trip. First stop today, Epping Forest. #diptera #fieldcraft #surveys thanks for access @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social and @nationaltrust.org.uk . Tomorrow is '#saltmarsh' Sunday with trips to Tollesbury Wick, Abbotts Hall and Malden.

Highlight of a pleasant afternoon rockpooling at Wembury, Devon a Sea Lemon Archidoris pseudoargus - a slow moving creature so a bit of time lapse at the end.

Need more fly stuff in your life? Great, we now have an Instagram page too - drop over and say hello! www.instagram.com/p/DX4OiZdDNcI/ A beautiful Empis femorata, smothered in pollen for attention #fliesarepollinatorstoo @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @davebriceflies.bsky.social @teamdiptera.bsky.social

Very sad news regarding the passing of Peter Chandler. dipterists.org.uk/news/announc...

Sadly the folks at @lstmnews.bsky.social wouldn’t let me have this! A stunning collection of insect vector species in resin - featuring many different parts of the life cycle including a copulating couple of Tsetse This historic teaching resource is gorgeous

Unidentified Machimus from Tenerife, Mt Teide. Stunning looking fly even if no-one knows a species as yet. #worldrobberflyday

GO BIG, GO BOLD Its #WorldRobberflyDay - a celebration of the most attractive predators on this planet (no bias) Here is the aptly named Heligmonevra forcipata (Meijere, 1916) - an impressive terminalia club with formidable 'pincers' Mostly an Oriental & afrotropical genus (69 spp)

A great day learning more on Phorid ID with Mark Welch, another layer to add to my knowledge base. Adds more depth to survey results too. Megaselia wigtownensis for show. www.dipteraid.co.uk Sub-contract ID services still available for 2026 @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

A great day learning more on Phorid ID with Mark Welch, another layer to add to my knowledge base. Adds more depth to survey results too. Megaselia wigtownensis for show. www.dipteraid.co.uk Sub-contract ID services still available for 2026 @flygirlnhm.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

The flies are almost upon us!!! #FlyWeek

Lots of displaying male Green Longhorn Moths Adela reaumurella at Hembury Woods, Buckfast, Devon this afternoon. Thanks @2turrell.bsky.social

I lost 400 followers since last night? I bet they hated solar panels. 🤣 Get me some more followers. I can’t crowdfund climate action and ecosystem restoration shouting into the void.

None of the ~1,000 saplings we planted have guards because we’re out of budget for anything other than volunteer tea and coffee. The biscuits are OLD. Get this crowdfunder to £9,000 and I’ll go buy the fanciest non-plastic guards and get them rabbit proof asap. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/warleigh-n...

www.northwestinvertebrates.org.uk/event/muscid... North West Invertebrates host @entmikeashworth.bsky.social coordinator of Dipterists Forum's Muscidae & Fanniidae Study Group describing each of 40 genera & providing hints for identification. Webinar presentation 27th April 19:30 book in link below.

It’s with a heavy heart that I tell you that on Thursday 23 April 2026 Peter Chandler, one of the most eminent Dipterists & all round amazing person, died after a fall at his home Peter’s passing will be a huge loss to the Diptera community. Such an intelligent, witty & kind man. A huge loss

Excellent to have such a thorough regional review available #robberflies #flies #diptera @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Male Fork-jawed Nomad Bee Nomada ruficornis with 'hitch hiking' Violet Oil Beetle Meloe violaceus triungulin larva. The beetle larva is trying to access the burrow of a female bee so could do so by jumping on the female during mating. Buckfastleigh, Devon.

Merzomyia westermanni (Tephritidae) from last year in Kent. Anyone ecologists needing help with diptera backlog from last year? Or planning lots of diptera work this year? Please contact me for Diptera ID, full species lists and conservation status etc...see dipteraid.co.uk/projects/ Please share

Merzomyia westermanni (Tephritidae) from last year in Kent. Anyone ecologists needing help with diptera backlog from last year? Or planning lots of diptera work this year? Please contact me for Diptera ID, full species lists and conservation status etc...see dipteraid.co.uk/projects/ Please share

Formica pratensis, the black-backed meadow ant on Guernsey- mega-industrious ladies! They were in the UK but disappeared in the 80’s These colonies have been flagged to ensure that they are not strimmed by council workers & this also helps to show the public where these charismatic ants live

📢CALL FOR COLLABORATION📢 My PhD student Warre is looking for flies infected with #Laboulbeniales fungi. Especially Musca domestica! If you have any, store in 96% ethanol or in the freezer, record on @inaturalist.bsky.social, and/or contact Warre. #TeamLaboul #LFEE #LuminaQuaeruntur

Thanks to Sander Bot for sharing a new (and very well-illustrated) key to Cheilosia hoverflies in Europe - looking forward to trying it out www.researchgate.net/publication/... #flies #diptera @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

Today, I finally have had this paper published, it only took me around four years to do my bits! 🙂https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5793.1.1 @flygirlnhm.bsky.social finally got there....

I'm talking about "Saving Our Insects", this Sunday, Clevedon, Somerset, last few tickets available!

Ohhhh tomorrow you can listen to Lee Davies and myself talking flies and fungi with Sue Perkins & Sara Pascoe Nature Table - Tuesday April 14th - 6.30pm on BBC Radio 4 🪰🍄 Much fun was had recording this 😎 www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

"Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles." I travelled, so far, over 13,000 km across China. And that's not counting internal flights, car and bus rides, motorbikes & trains booked on stations or 12306. (should add up to over 7000 km)

Who does not want an AMAZING 3D printed fly???? This Drosophila was printed for me today as a prop for a talk at the @rigb.org It caused a minor commotion on the tube on my way home. And I LOVE IT - @bittelmethis.bsky.social 🤓🪰🤘

I’m about to give a talk at the Royal Institute @rigb.org - Metamorphosis - eggs to excellence Talking maggots at the Royal Institution!! @royentsoc.bsky.social @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @dipterists.bsky.social @amentsoc.bsky.social

I have just watched 'My Garden of a Thousand Bees', and my mind is blown. Bees. They have personalities. They use sticks. It's changed how I think of insects that's for sure. I can't recommend it enough. On BBC iPlayer. It's wonderful. And you will meet a leafcutter bee called Nicky.

... 2/2 Finding Buff-tailed Villa (Villa hottentotta) in UK meant the Villa ID guide needed updating! See dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies.... Convincing photos of the new Villa were taken in 2025, but we need a specimen to fully confirm it. If anyone finds more next summer please let me know!

The latest recording scheme newsletter (no. 12) was sent out to members of @dipteristsforum.bsky.social recently, and is also available from the recording scheme web page dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies... - includes exciting news of a possible new Villa bee-fly species in the UK 🤩 1/2 ...

On the 4th of June - @juleshoward.bsky.social & I will be discussing insects & just how important they are 👊🪰 (and they are) at the #CheltSciFest (2 - 7 June 2026) @cheltfestivals The full line-up is out now & tickets go on sale 22 April, 10am www.cheltenhamfestivals.org/whats-on

Did you know nearly 1,500 native species are threatened with extinction in Britain?

What do I want to do? Restore ecosystems. I don’t need much help on this generally BUT My charity has a solid chance of going bankrupt if you don’t support this crowdfunder. It’s been my whole life for over five years. I am scared now. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/warleigh-n...

Norellisoma flavicorne, the Grey Mantis Dung Fly...a small, Meadowsweet-associated dung fly with impressive raptorial bristles on the forelegs. A common species on beds of Meadowsweet around the @ldvnnr.bsky.social . @dipteristsforum.bsky.social @ynuorg.bsky.social

BENHS 2026 ID Workshop calendar Sawfly identification workshop – Andrew Green and Andrew Halstead November 28th To book a place visit www.benhs.org.uk/events/ Image: Steven Falk

I’m ready about Ptychoidy and the fantastic world of mites - pulling you legs & mouthparts back into your body to escape danger! Checkout out Macromites blog on these amazing creatures macromite.wordpress.com/tag/ptychoidy/ (Image from his blog)

It's completely possible to be a cat lover and keep them indoors. In fact I don't need to treat random fight wounds or use wormers/tick and flea meds. No feline AIDS virus either. No missing cats or risk of car collisions. Definitely time to ditch the outdoor cat mentality & neuter neuter neuter

I have updated the @norfolknats.bsky.social species guide to Norfolk Psyllids, which is available to download from the NNNS website here: norfolknaturalists.org.uk/wp/wp-conten... It now covers 60 species (about 3/5 of the British list) so is hopefully of use even for those outside of Norfolk.

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...

Anyone ID this solitary bee for me, from Corfe Castle yesterday @ianbeavis.bsky.social @thedetermin8or.bsky.social

The @nhm-london.bsky.social #GenerationHope program, in collaboration with youth climate/nature advocates from across the world, aimed at empowering people to become planetary advocates I LOVE this planet (esp the flies) & will be talking Flies, collections & Hope www.nhm.ac.uk/events/gener...

A different bee-fly, not seen flying around today, but making a valuable contribution to science

If you're within reach of Northamptonshire on Sat 16 May there's a soldierfly identification workshop with the Wildlife Trust: learn how to identify soldierflies using keys, specimens & microscopes (suitable for beginners & more experienced) www.wildlifebcn.org/events/2026-...

Beeflies This time the Dune Villa, Villa modesta, which we collected on a @dipteristsforum.bsky.social fieldtrip in Cornwall for the #DarwinTreeofLife genome sequencing project @nhm-london.bsky.social @sangerinstitute.bsky.social Genome assembled 👊 wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/11-...