Tootfinder

"Protecting pollinating insects could improve diets and livelihoods worldwide – new study"
#Insects #Animals

Protecting pollinating insects could improve diets and livelihoods worldwide – new study
Pollinators support our nutritional health and are critical for crops of fruit, vegetables and beans.

We also need bird organizations to come out against bug zappers. Because when billions of insects are electrocuted there's less food available. And you could use an illustration of begging chicks in a nest near a glowing bug zapper surrounded by moths (make the parent birds emaciated and worried). That graphic would go viral. #birds #insects #birding

Top reasons to NOT buy a bug zapper.
1. Kills a minuscule number of mosquitoes
2. Fries pounds of innocent insects per week (and thus starves local birds)
3. Confuses lightning bugs (probably)
4. Wastes electricity
5. Generates light pollution
6. Generates sound pollution
7. Creates germ risk when insects explode (if near table w/ food)
8. Can catch fire and burn your house down
#mosquitoes #insects #nature

A very vividly colored #lichen #moth, #Hypoprepia miniata or fucosa, right where its name suggests it should be.
#insects

Review of bug zappers that concludes, like all other reviews of bug zappers, that they are completely ineffective and kill tens of thousands of innocent insects. #mosquitoes #insects #nature https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/do-bug-zappers-work/

"Don’t reach for the bug spray: scientists find insects may feel pain after crickets nurse sore antennae"
#Bugs #Insects
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Some #insects encountered April 21st at the Autobahn-Parkplatz #Gartherfeld on the A 1 near Cloppenburg - so full of #dandelion pollen that I didn't even try to ID them. ;-)

Friends, I managed to come up with a full ten (10) reasons why you shouldn't buy bug zappers. At the top of the list, of course, is that they barely kill any mosquitoes. But they also create noise pollution and can burn your house down, among other problems. #mosquitoes #insects #nature https://colinpurrington.com/2026/06/10-reasons-why-you-shouldnt-buy-a-bug-zapper/

"Little free libraries are turning into 'Little Bee Libraries' to give pollinators a cozy place to rest"
#Bees #Libraries #Insects

'Little Bee Libraries' turn book boxes into adorable pollinator sanctuaries
In addition to neighborhood plant swaps, trinket exchanges, dioramas, and more, Rachael Harms Mahlandt proposed a new craft idea that helps pollinators thrive.

Me taking photographs of mosquito eggs in the mini-pond. #mosquitoes #camera #macro #trailcam #pond #insects

"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 […]

Fall cankerworm (Alsophila pometaria). If you have a moment to enlarge the image, check out the reduced 3rd proleg on the left-hand side of the loop, toward the bottom. Most lineages of the Geometridae have lost this A5 proleg completely, so this is very useful for identification. Fast-moving, arboreal caterpillars tend to have reduced numbers of prolegs. The standard in Lepidoptera is 5 pairs. #caterpillar #geometridae #inchworm #moth #lepidoptera #insects #nature #prolegs #evolution #nature

"Say no to pesticides, mix up your lawn – and six more ways to help bees to thrive"
#Environment #Bees #Insects

If you have a bee hotel and want to get rid of Houdini flies, go buy a bottle of malbec and make this trap. #BeeHotel #InsectHotel #MasonBees #HoudiniFlies #osmia #bees #insects #malbec #wine #nature #pollinators https://colinpurrington.com/2026/05/red-wine-trap-for-controlling-houdini-flies-at-bee-hotels/

"In Mexican Forests, Monarch Butterflies Halt Their Decline"
#Mexico #Butterflies #Insects

In Mexican Forests, Monarch Butterflies Halt Their Decline

In the "Serves Them Right" category, mosquitoes can be drained of their ill-gotten meals by Culicoides anophelis, a ceratopogonid midge ("no-see-ums") that can stay attached for days. I hope the puncture sites itch like crazy. #mosquitoes #midges #ceratopogonidae #insects #diptera #flies https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I66VySLTwW0

"More than half of Britain’s butterfly species in decline, monitoring scheme shows"
#UK #UnitedKingdom #Insects #Butterflies

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

"Eastern Monarch Butterfly’s Comeback Shows 64% Population Increase in Mexico"
#Mexico #Butterflies #Insects

Eastern Monarch Butterfly's Comeback Shows 64% Population Increase in Mexico | Happy Eco News
The eastern monarch butterfly's comeback, with populations increasing by 64% in Mexico, offers cautious hope for the species.

Great footage of ground-nesting bees by Adrian Smith et al. at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. #bees #hymenoptera #nature #insects #colletes #nomada #andrena #entomology #biology #northcarolina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jje1LPrsHbc

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

"How Mexico’s conservation work brought monarchs back from the brink"
#Mexico #Butterflies #Insects #Consevation

How Mexico’s conservation work brought monarchs back from the brink | The Optimist Daily
Mexico's monarch butterfly population grew 64 percent this winter, its largest coverage since 2018. Here's what's working and what still needs to change.

A picture-winged fly (Delphinia picta) lurking in my strawberry patch. I probably have thousands of these in my yard, all strutting around while waving their wings. #fly #diptera #insects #nature #ulidiidae

"Stop mowing the lawn – and five more ways to save Britain’s ‘charming’ and ‘polite’ gatekeeper butterflies"
#UK #UnitedKingdom #Environment

In yard-work mode today but getting distracted by insects that are just begging to be photographed. E.g., gorgeous rafts of mosquito eggs floating around in the mini pond. #insects #mosquitoes #photography #ponds

"Heatwaves are destroying the sex lives of bees – new research"
#Bees #Insects #Heatwave #Climate

Heatwaves are destroying the sex lives of bees – new research
Sperm activity in bees dropped after being exposed to heatwave conditions.

Did you know that bug zappers can be defanged and used to attract moths? I don't know how to do it safely but perhaps somebody can chime in. Proof of concept is on this webpage about a moth night event in Vermont. #MothNight #mothing #blacklight #blacklighting #moths #UV #insects #lepidoptera #inaturalist https://val.vtecostudies.org/newsfeed/val-updating-the-checklist-of-vermont-moths/

Sharing my solution to squash vine borers (Eichlinia cucurbitae), the larvae of which burrow into the roots and eventually kill the plant: inject Thuricide Bt into stem wherever you see frass accumulating. This is easier to do if you train your plant vertically so that lower parts are visible. I also regularly police for eggs. #garden #gardening #squash #zucchini #vegetables #allotment #insects #lepidoptera #moths

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

If you write about entomology, Haberski and Silva 2026 have compiled a downloadable dictionary that you can import into your spellchecker. I successfully loaded it into my Mac's dictionary (active upon restart). This link has instructions for using in Microsoft Word. #entomology #insects #spelling #science #bugs https://github.com/ahaberski/SpellingBee/tree/main

This is horrifying. I think only Connecticut has banned automated pesticide fogging systems. #pesticides #mosquitoes #butterflies #bees #pyrethroids #insects

Yesterday I decided to check my mini-pond for mosquito egg rafts and found 8. Two were easy to find (arrows) but the remainder were situated in little nooks obscured by plants. All Culex, I think. Each egg has a glossy apical cap filled with aggregation pheromones that induce other mosquitoes to oviposit. Pond is dosed regularly with Bti so I'm not worried about the eggs I've missed. #mosquitoes #culex #insects #diptera #pond #macrophotography

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

One of my favorite mosquito facts is that there's a spider in Africa, the vampire jumping spider (Evarcha culicivora), that specializes on mosquitoes plump from a recent blood meal. It was described in 2003. #inaturalist #mosquitoes #spiders #blood #salticidae #insects #africa https://youtu.be/dA6sCQlHPEs?t=78

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

On my list of things to make: a bugamac. #photography #filter #insects #spiders #nature #macro #macrophotography https://biokirr.com/Articles/Bugamak/

Nature fans: the spring Gall Week starts May 2nd! URL has details on how to participate on iNaturalist, plus links to an excellent podcast featuring Adam Kranz. #nature #biology #inaturalist #cynipidae #galls #insects #mites #wasps https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/257180/journal/129848

I've been documenting the insects that emerge from eastern redbud seeds, and these two chalcids popped out today. On the left is Eurytoma sp. and on the right is Eupelmus pulchriceps. Both wasps hovered around me for a good 10 seconds or so after I blew them off. One came back and landed in the same spot. Goodbyes are hard. #wasps #insects #hymenoptera #biology #cercis #redbud #nature #chalcidoidea

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

Patiently waiting for insects to show up at my puddling station. #bees #wasps #mud #clay #soil #water #insects

The neighbors had their yard fogged yesterday. Every 2 to 3 weeks it will happen again. Drives me absolutely insane. #pesticides #mosquitoes #insects #nature

Walked around Valley Forge National Historical Park last week and was surprised to find hundreds of mason bees nesting *inside* the soldier huts. I'd always assumed they required exterior wood, ideally with direct sun for most of the day. There were also hundreds of Houdini flies lurking around. #ValleyForge #pennsylvania #osmia #bees #insects #history #biology

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

Female Georgia mason bee (Osmia georgica) with remnants of processed pollen on her mandibles. There are varying estimates of how many foraging trips they make to complete a pollen ball, but maybe 20-40. This species tends to focus on flowers in the Asteraceae and Rosaceae. #bees #insects #hymenoptera #entomology #nature #pollinator #pollen

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

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

Here's the first bee to visit my mud pan. Possibly a Lasioglossum based on the relatively sparse hairs on abdominal tergites. It's interesting that she took a water break during foraging. #bees #lasioglossum #halictidae #hymenoptera #insects #nature #inaturalist #macro #pollen #pollination https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/363160234

Allantus viennensis (Tenthredinidae) foraging for nectar on a peony flower bud. This is one of several sawfly species that spends its larval days defoliating my roses. They also eat Rubus so I'll be watching my blackberries and raspberries carefully. Originally from Europe. #sawflies #hymenoptera #insects #nature #wasps #macrophotography #roses #rosa #symphyta #rubus

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

I tested the Spartan Mosquito Pro Tech, the Aion Mosquito Barrier, and the Tougher Than Tom Mosquito TNT in my Pennsylvania yard. tl/dr: they don't kill mosquitoes but plenty of Americans are still buying them. #mosquitoes #grifting #pesticides #nature #biology #insects #diptera #carbondioxide #co2 https://colinpurrington.com/2020/08/yeast-based-mosquito-control-devices/?nocache=1