Tootfinder

#Entomology
Fedimind: what has happened to this moth? Its abdomen is flexed sharply up so that it protrudes from beneath the wings and over the thorax; it has been motionless like this for many hours. We do not use any poisons in our house. I'm guessing it's a Silver Y moth?

Newly-ecolosed male chalcid wasp (Eurytoma sp.) using its forelegs to remove the pupal sheath from one of its antennae. The long setae on each flagellomere will fluff up to give the antennae a bottle-brush look. From eastern redbud seeds. #wasp #chalcidoidea #hymenoptera #eurytoma #insects #nature #entomology #macro

Two-page PDF about smoke flies in Australia. #co2 #smoke #fire #diptera #microsania #flies #insects #entomology https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/media/592/download

To amuse myself I'm evaluating baits for mosquito-killing buckets: oak leaves, straw, log, and beetroot skins. Leaves and straw are standards but I'm curious whether I can attract tree-hole species (e.g., Aedes triseriatus) with the partially submerged wood. And beets are packed with geosmin (a sesquiterpenoid), a known oviposition attractant. Stay tuned. #mosquitoes #science #biology #entomology

Tiny pteromalid, possibly Dinarmus basilis, that emerged from my collection of eastern redbud seeds. The species is a known parasitoid of the bruchid that eats these seeds. #wasps #dinarmus #insects #chalcidoidea #redbud #bruchidae #beetles #entomology #nature #biology

FINALLY, something new has popped out of the eastern redbud seeds that I've been monitoring for months. It's metallic green and small enough to be a hyperparasitoid, I think. Will share better pic after I can get some sort of rough ID from BugGuide. #wasps #hymenoptera #parasitoid #redbud #entomology #nature #insects

We need more articles in nature and conservation magazines about the evils of bug zappers. Americans still think they work and seem to be OK with the billions of innocent insects that are killed each year. Moth people, I'm looking at you. #BugZappers #moths #lepidoptera #insects #mothing #entomology

Some Dinarmus (Pteromalidae) and Eurytoma (Eurytomidae) that emerged from my collection of eastern redbud seeds. Both are known parasitoids of the redbud seed weevil (Gibbobruchus mimus) but I'm hopeful that something unexpected will pop out one of these days. E.g., a hyperparasitoid. #redbud #wasps #chalcidoidea #insects #nature #biology #hymenoptera #entomology

Taeniaptera trivittata (Micropezidae) waving its white-tipped foreleg around like an ichneumonid wasp's banded antennae. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. #insects #mimicry #flies #diptera #nature #entomology

April 30th is apparently World Robber Fly Day. These are Promachus princeps and the nuptial gift is a longhorned beetle. Madras, Oregon, USA. #asilidae #robberfly #fly #diptera #entomology #nature #beetle #insects

Last fall I stuffed several hundred eastern redbud seeds into pharmaceutical gel caps, then waited for parasitic wasps to emerge so that I could take photographs. #blog #wasps #insects #parasites #nature #redbud #beetles #hymenoptera #macro #macrophotography #entomology https://colinpurrington.com/2026/06/wasps-emerging-from-eastern-redbud-seeds/