So many Braconids, so few I.D.s ... #wasps #Braconidae #Hymenoptera #insects #VC55 @jasboparai.bsky.social @gavinbroad.bsky.social

Does anyone know please if there's an LED equivalent to bulb type 6423FO - 15V - 150W (GZ6.35)? I've tried contacting Philips, but not had a response. It's for a fibre optic lamp. I have tried Googling, but it's a bit of a minefield! Thanks!

Stenocranus major. #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #OlympusTG6

Creeping Thistle Lacebug, Tingis ampliata. #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55

I bought some of the transparent card protector sleeves @tylanberry.bsky.social suggested for harmlessly restraining insects for photography. They work! #Arachnids #Spiders #entomology #Insects #macrophotography #macro

Lepthyphantes minutus #Arachnids #Spiders #VC55

Stuck on these two Chalcids - help please? #Wasps #Hymenoptera #VC55

Callitula bicolor, first record for #VC55 :-) #Wasps #Hymenoptera #Insects #Entomology

A rare wasp species by the name of 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘹𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 has been identified, marking the first confirmed case of a hymenopteran wasp acting as a primary parasite of an earwig. This find sheds light on how these tiny wasps interact with their insect hosts in the wild: doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.181472

Leafhoppers & Allies: identification, ecology and recording - Alan Stewart Thursday 19/02/2026, 19:30, online via Zoom Book here: www.naturespot.org/node/262956 #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #Auchenorrhyncha Please share!

Amazon book review "I only gave it a 4 because as I tried to read it it was a thick heavy book for my thin wrists to hold."

Achenium depressum. #Beetles #Coleoptera #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

Egg cases A friend passed me these empty eggs cases to identify, found on Oakmoss, Evernia prunastri. Shieldbug eggs I think, but too small for Green Shieldbug. Any guesses? No species particularly associated with lichens as far as I'm aware? #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #Lichens

Des Res #Landscape #Photography #Leicestershire #trees #environment #nature

Another one. This is a really important find - unique in fact. It has slight similarities to a torc from Moulsford (in Reading Museum) but apart from that it's a totally new type. 🧵 PLEASE SHARE, thank you #Archaeology #Treasure #Detecting leicestershirecollections.org.uk/behind-the-s...

Today's weather has been the grottiest I can remember, so venturing briefly no more than a few feet from the back door... #Photography #HighKey #flowers #FlowerFriday #FloralFriday

1777: Turneps rot very fast. Snow covers the ground.

This is a fascinating video, emphasising the futulity of thinking of natural habitats in terms of single parameters. youtu.be/fFvt8d9jWn0

Now *that's* how you label a specimen :-)

TG Camera News OM System has launched a new version of the TG-7 camera for microscope use: ajcarthropoda.blogspot.com/2026/02/tg-c... #OlympusTG7 #microscopy #OMSystem

Leafhoppers & Allies: identification, ecology and recording - Alan Stewart Thursday 19/02/2026, 19:30, online via Zoom Book here: www.naturespot.org/node/262956 #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #Auchenorrhyncha Please share!

Centromerita bicolor. #Arachnids #Spiders #VC55 #Linyphiidae #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

Delphacodes venosus. #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #Delphacidae

Away with the fairies. I think this is Ooctonus vulgatus but would very much appreciate confirmation - or otherwise! #wasps #Hymenoptera #VC55 #Mymaridae

Cyrtogaster vulgaris. #wasps #Hymenoptera #VC55 #Pteromalidae

Callitula pyrrhogaster does seem to be in just about every tussocky piece of grassland you take a vacuum sampler to, which poses the question, given that they can't fly and the hosts don't fly in the parasitoid stage, how *do* they get about? #wasps #Hymenoptera #VC55

#Arachnids #Harvestman

For #WorldWetlandsDay, we're shining a light on four of the 25% of Britain's threatened spider species that are wetland specialists. They're entirely dependent on aquatic habitats remaining wet, unpolluted and growing, not shrinking, in size and connectivity @naturalengland.bsky.social

Horsehead Spider, Stemonyphantes lineatus. #Arachnids #Spiders #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

Many many Megalegs. The colony of Megalepthyphantes sp. near collinus in my local churchyard seems to be thriving. #Arachnids #Spiders #VC55

Entomology Update - January 2026 After a freezing start, January was mostly wet, limiting entomology opportunities. And yet... Learn more: ajcarthropoda.blogspot.com/2026/02/ento... #Leicester #Leicestershire #Insects #entomology

Marmalade Hoverfly, Episyrphus balteatus. My first hoverfly of the year. #Diptera #VC55

What's freaking me out about #ForAllMankind (which is excellent if a bit cliched) ... is the slide rules (and the analog world).

I hate ants. So did Darwin. Here's why - superb work by Jonathan Romiguier and colleagues to figure this out: youtu.be/v_HMEtiguS0?... Thanks to @britentsoc.bsky.social for sponsoring this. #Ants #Hymenoptera #Genetics #video

I've keyed this out as Family Eulophidae, Subfamily Entedoninae - I think Aprostocetus? Does that look right please? And if it is, can it be taken any further? Thanks. @arnoldtortoise.bsky.social @davidnotton.bsky.social #wasps #Hymenoptera # #VC55

Peritrechus geniculatus. #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #Lygaeidae #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

And, just in case you were wondering how big Callitula pyrrhogaster is ... #Hymenoptera #Wasps #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

I think this is Callitula pyrrhogaster but do I need to key it out to be sure? @arnoldtortoise.bsky.social @davidnotton.bsky.social #Hymenoptera #wasps #VC55

Gonatium rubens. #Arachnids #Spiders #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

Forthcoming in Feb! 📚 📚 📚 Will it be a fab new field guide, a deep dive into a favourite species, a directory to help you plan your days out or simply a blummin' good read that will see you through the last days of winter and into spring? These and more at: www.summerfieldbooks.com/shop/forthco...

We're incredibly PROUD to be offering 80+ online and in-person courses (most completely FREE to attend!). Led by passionate specialists who want to share their knowledge, book as many as you want! This is a huge opportunity for nature enthusiasts🌿 Join us NOW! www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-biolog...

Thursday evening; in person or online. Everyone welcome. Jack Ashby - Nature's Memory; behind the scenes at the world's natural history museums.

#Arachnids #Spiders

Like many animals that hibernate, bumblebees must reach a certain weight to survive the winter 💪 Buff-tailed bumblebee queens, the largest in the UK, must weigh at least 0.6g – roughly the same as a grain of rice – but they can reach as much as 0.85g – less than a paperclip 🧷

Finally made it here from Twitter. Hoping to find old friends and have a more civilised, respectful time. Here are recent photos from my world - Dancersend BBOWT reserve in Bucks, which is what I will be mostly posting about.

The Mysteries of the Metapleuron: ajcarthropoda.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-... #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #Lygaeidae

What a nice beetle. Anthicus antherinus #Beetles #Coleoptera #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

Stenus bimaculatus, a.k.a. "The easy Stenus" ;-) #Beetles #Coleoptera #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem

Ray Morris. A History of the Diptera Collections at the VC55 CRC. LESOPS 68, January 2026, ISSN 0957–1019. Available at: www.naturespot.org/sites/defaul... #Diptera #VC55 #flies

Blue Shieldbug, Zicrona caerulea. #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55 #macrophotography #macro #OMSystem