Tootfinder

"Researchers find ‘remarkable’ hot-pink insect in Panama rainforest"
#Panama #Insects

Researchers find ‘remarkable’ hot-pink insect in Panama rainforest
In March 2025, biologist Benito Wainwright and his colleagues were searching for katydids — leaf-mimicking insects related to crickets and grasshoppers — in the rainforest of Barro Colorado Island in Panama, when they came across an unexpected sight: a hot-pink katydid individual of the species Arota festae. The researchers captured the katydid and raised her […]

A tiny hymenopteran - I think - extremely interested in sage plants on our balcony in Bochum, Germany. The size of a common fly and very hectic so the pics didn't come out too well, but perhaps good enough to ID this #Insect.

Mexican cactus fly resting on a sunflower. LA Arboretum, Arcadia, California, USA. October, 2025. OM system OM-1 M.Zuiko 300mm F4. #laarboretum #sunflower #insect

#insect #nature

Hornfaced bee (Osmia cornifrons) using mud to cap a nest at one of my insect hotels. Called the bean-flower bee (mame-ko bachi) in Japan because the balls of pollen and nectar they pack inside stems for their larvae to eat are as tasty as a dessert made from honey and soybean flour. The species was introduced to North America in the 1970s as a way to increase productivity of apple orchards. #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #pollination #bees #osmia #insects #orchard #gardening

While the former images of today's #insect visitor were taken with a cellphone, here are some later shots of the same or another specimen with a real camera and close-up lens - and I (and Google Lens :-) now think it's a species of the #Halictidae #bee genus #Lasioglossum (Schmalbienen in German). There are 1800 species known, though, some 90 of which exist in Germany ...

Houdini fly (Cacoxenus indagator) that I found near one of my insect hotels. Kleptoparasitic on mason bees *and* not native to the USA, so unwelcome. I've been experimenting with different types of tape to see whether I can remove them by trapping, but so far no joy. Still looking for the Goldilocks product that is tacky enough to snag small flies but doesn't affect the bees. If anyone has suggestions of brands to try, I'd be grateful. #HoudiniFly #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #insect #cacoxenus #diptera #fly #bees #nature #macrophotography

Gulf Fritillary butterfly. LA Arboretum, Arcadia, California, USA. October, 2025. OM System OM-1 M.Zuiko 300mm F4. #laarboretum #butterfly #insect

Flame Skimmer dragonfly hanging out on a branch. LA Arboretum, Arcadia, California, USA. October, 2025. OM System OM-1 M.Zuiko 300mm F4. #laarboretum #dragonfly #insect

Hoy floreó la verdolaga y esta avispa la estš gozando en grande.
#Bloomscrolling #Florespondence #Flores #insect

Visitor to a #hydrangea. Some type of wood #borer, I think.
#garden #bug

Male Georgia mason bee (Osmia georgica) backed into a nesting tunnel in the observation wing of my backyard insect hotel. For some reason the males love these tunnels but the females, who do all the nest provisioning, never move in. He's just loitering, waiting for the temperature to warm up and for the females to arrive in the area. #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #MasonBees #bees #insects #nature

Houdini fly (Cacoxenus indagator), a kleptoparasite of mason bees from Europe that showed up in North America circa 2011. Whenever I walk past my insect hotel I take a moment to squish them. #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #insects #diptera

Morning light on the insect hotel and ADUs. No visitors yet, but I've seen male Osmia nearby so won't be long. New to the hotel this year are offerings of pithy stems (hydrangea, rose) to hopefully attract small carpenter bees (Ceratina) and digger wasps (Pemphredon). #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #bees #wasps #insects #hymenoptera #pollinators #biology

Here are the Houdini fly traps attached to my insect hotel. The malbec, grape vinegar, and water cups are all attached in a slightly haphazard way, but hopefully will be useful in assessing whether Nicole Kenney's idea (use malbec to attract them) works on the east coast, too. My big concern is that I only saw one Houdini fly today so I might be setting it up too late. #BeeHotel #InsectHole #osmia #flies #science #biology #diptera

Egg of a redbud seed weevil (Gibbobruchus mimus) glued to the edge of a seedpod. I've been taking photographs just in case it's possible to see when they are parasitized by fairy wasps (Mymaridae). Likely futile. #bruchidae #beetle #insect #coleoptera #nature #macro #redbud #wasps #macrophotography

The rumors are true — Houdini flies are extremely fond of cheap malbec. Blog post forthcoming with tips on trap design, but if you have an insect hotel and want to kill these kleptoparasites, go get yourself a bottle ASAP. #InsectHotel #BeeHotel #bees #flies #osmia #wine #insects #malbec #pollination