I've been exploring how to use #GenerativeAI to create engaging narratives. Check out this thread to read about my discussion with ChatGPT about why it gave me misleading "facts" The results were fascinating. I'm going to start asking why I was given particular responses more often now. 🧵 1/6

#Biosecurity safeguards our #NaturalEcosystems & #Agriculture. This is the final week to send in your nominations for the Tasmanian Biosecurity Awards (closes 31 Aug). Do you know any individuals or organisations that have helped enhance Tasmania's biosecurity? Nominate them at buff.ly/9DgqGw6.

⏰ Honours and postgrad entomology students; Only one week left to submit your entry for the Phil Carne Prize! Get your paper in by 31 August for a chance at $1500 and AES conference recognition. For details visit: buff.ly/J5J4zWs

Check out the Tasmanian Country Hour talking to hear about real-time #CodlingMoth #PestMonitoring using #agtech developed by RapidAIM (buff.ly/mZJ70Fk at 6:21). Funded by the JM Roberts Charitable Trust. Support by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (UTAS) @tia.utas.edu.au @utas.edu.au

Kudos to the UTAS Agricultural Science Society for an incredible networking evening! Led by the Tasmanian Institute of #Agriculture's undergrads, the event united various agriculture professionals, Nuffield Australia (scholarship providers), and students. - @utas.edu.au @tia.utas.edu.au

If you grow #potatoes in #Tasmania, please check your crops for diseases. Potato mop-top virus ( #PMTV ) has been detected in Tasmania for the 1st time. To the best of our knowledge, this virus is not widespread in the region yet, but it is crucial to be vigilant for this disease. - buff.ly/A7ovJ8g

Sometimes I forget that the University of Tasmania has both historic trams and a community garden in the middle of the Inveresk Campus. @utas.edu.au

🪲🍓 Tiny #beetle; big concern -- The Bronze Leaf Beetle has been damaging Tasmanian berries. If you are growing #strawberries, #raspberries, etc., keep an eye out for these little critters. Read about it here (buff.ly/3ndZAEJ) or listen on the radio (buff.ly/IqR0rEX). @tia.utas.edu.au @utas.edu.au

🍎🍐 It was so exciting to see the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture & UTAS Community Gardens team host such a fun event. I learned a lot about #apple& #pear #pruning, but I also enjoyed meeting new people while savoring warm mulled cider. 😁 @tia.utas.edu.au @utas.edu.au

Did you know our Newnham campus is home to an orchard that dates back to the 1800s? A rehabilitation of the orchard is underway. TIA’s tree crop physiologist Leticia Reis and entomologist Justin Cappadonna hosted a workshop to teach attendees how to prune apple trees and keep an orchard healthy. 👍

A huge thank you goes out to Leticia Reis, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture team, & the University of Tasmania Community Gardens staff for helping this event run so well. I'm looking forward to the upcoming revitalization events later this year. @tia.utas.edu.au @utas.edu.au #apple #pear

Are you a berry grower in Tasmania? 🍓 Our entomologists are advising berry growers in the state to be aware of an emerging pest, the Bronze Leaf Beetle. Bronze Leaf Beetles chew on leaves, flowers and fruits, causing poor quality and reduced yields. Read more details 👉 bit.ly/43WaGaf

Recently, I was invited to speak with the Australian Plants Society Tasmania. We discussed #pollinator #conservation on #farms, & the importance of "refuges" amongst monoculture (single crop) fields. It was great to meet so many engaged & passionate gardeners. - @tia.utas.edu.au @utas.edu.au

Functional diversity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the engine of ecosystem resilience. A new study shows that the stability of ecological communities depends not just on species richness, but what functional roles those species play. Ref: Rodrigues et al. (2025): buff.ly/OXHb2RH 🧵(1/5)

Today was a #cold start to the day in #Launceston as I was getting ready to head to work ( @tia.utas.edu.au , @utas.edu.au ). Beautiful, but I did have to spend a bit longer scaping the ice off my beard.

I didn't intend for things to get so dirty, but when I visited the University of Tasmania gardens to discuss a partnership with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (STAY TUNED) we ended up talking about their amazing #composting machine in the heart of campus. @utas.edu.au @tia.utas.edu.au

The term #bug likely comes from the Middle English "bugge," meaning something frightening, perhaps inspired by a #bedbug (buff.ly/oH1GdRv ). References to blood-feeding "bedbugs" date back to the 1620s. New evidence shows these pests have plagued humans for much longer...

🔥Wildfires are a reality, but I hadn't realized how much #smoke can alter #wine flavor. Even if the grapes taste fine, the wine might still be unpleasant. 🤢 Check out TIA's research on Tasmanian Country Hour at 12:30. Learn more: buff.ly/ZCumEj6 @tia.utas.edu.au @utas.edu.au #WineTasting

Happy World Bee Day! While it is still a bit chilly over here at UTAS, I am looking forward to planting flowers (in spring) to support #pollinators that underpin #agriculture & native ecosystems. However you celebrate, remember to #bee yourself and do your own sting. @utas.edu.au @tia.utas.edu.au

Happy World Bee Day! Last weekend at the Harvest Market in Launceston the Tasmanian #Beekeepers Association had a fantastic display of a live #bee hive. (and someone shivering in a bee costume on a very chilly day) Celebrate the over 20K bee species by planting some flowers (when it warms up).

Recently, Greg Lafoe (Agriculture Victoria) spoke to Country Today about ways Chilean wasps may help control #codling_moth #pests of apples. This research partners with Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (UTAS). Listen to the segment at buff.ly/L7ZVsUO -- @tia.utas.edu.au @utas.edu.au #entomology

The best part was watching everyone's eyes light up as they entered the "vaults." I don't think the #entomology students were expecting the diversity of vertebrate specimens as well. Kudos for the snake display, immediately on the other side of a doorway. Good cardio. @utas.edu.au @tia.utas.edu.au

youtu.be/nfAqTSjMBJk?... Those little magnet hats! 😂 #inverts #bugsky #science

A huge thanks to Dr Alfonsina Arriaga Jimenez & the QVMAG staff for sharing your work in the museum's natural history collection. The students from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's Introductory #Entomology & #Insect #Ecology courses had an absolute blast! @tia.utas.edu.au @utas.edu.au

While I know that this spiffy hat is protective gear for #beekeepers, I can't help wishing that I had it during my fieldwork in Western Australia where I (unintentionally) collected bush #flies with my eyes & nostrils. #entomology

More great research by Dr Jessa Thurman. Are you curious about how wasps can reduce numbers of diamondback moths (#dbm)? Are you curious about how environmental conditions influence parasitism rates? #entomology

This is me at thinking about buying sweet corn from "Elphen Grove Farm" at a farmer's market in Launceston. This is also me, thrilled to find out that the growers are trying out Biological Control & Entomopathogens to replace insecticides. (For more about these approaches see buff.ly/puQvnb5). #ipm

Did you know researchers at the University of Tasmania are looking into minimizing #insecticide use in Tasmanian apple #orchards by introducing #parasitoid wasps that feed on #CodlingMoth pests ? You can read more about these #IPM strategies here (buff.ly/hs529UQ ). - @utas.edu.au

Today the Insect Ecology class at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (University of Tasmania ) to develop an experiment testing plant defenses to #insect herbivory. Well. Today is the day that the laboratory portion begins! - @utas.edu.au #entomology #undergraduate research

Dear petrol station, I appreciate the illustrated guide about filling my car with highly flammable fuel, but I STRONGLY disagree with step #1.

Recently, I spent explored an #apple orchard with Leticia Reis, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's tree crop physiologist in northern #Tasmania. It was fun to learn about new management techniques optimizing the fruit yield, apple colour, & #pollination. - @utas.edu.au, #entomology, #horticulture

It was a beautiful night for the Introduction to #Entomology class to set up a blacklight to catch insects. We set up in the apple orchard on the University of Tasmania campus in Launceston. We even managed to catch a few aquatic bugs that flew up from the Tamar River. - @utas.edu.au

It is the start of the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture's Introduction to #Entomology & Plant Pathology class in Launceston ( at The University of Tasmania). I enjoyed all the curious looks as I moved a "swarm" of teaching specimens & nets into the classroom. - @utas.edu.au

I'm looking forward to the #Insect_Ecology class at the University of Tasmania. Our undergraduates will develop an experiment using these cabbages to explore the plants ability to respond to herbivory. I'm looking forward to seeing what type of experiments they create. @utas.edu.au #entomology

“Being the 2024 Hedberg Writer-in-Residence enhanced my visibility and afforded me so many opportunities,” said @genni.bsky.social who took the position last year.

What a beautiful way to start the semester at the University of Tasmania's brand new teaching & research facility in Launceston. First up, the Tasmania Institute of Agriculture's #Insect #Ecology class. 📷: the "Shed" research building & the bridge to the rest of campus. @utas.edu.au

It has been a week since the Australian Entomological Society's conference (@austentsoc.bsky.social). The #entomology team from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture came to represent @utas.bsky.social. 📷: Dr Jon, Dr Lynne Forster, Jaheer Ahmed, & myself presenting about various topics.

For Global South scientists, conducting research and engaging w/ the scientific community brings a variety of challenges, from stalled visas to discrimination. Science societies and institutions should work to remove these barriers to foster greater participation and collaboration in science.

I love that multiple research papers on urban pollinators suggest this is an issue where small actions make a big difference for little animals. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

#Tasmania has been a hive of activity this week, hosting the Australian Entomological Society Conference. The conference has attracted entomologists from around #Australia, bringing together the sharpest minds and researchers in the field of #bugs and #insects. Read more: utas.au/Entymology