Entomologist with a passion for ecology, SQL, R, bugs (all invertebrates), birds, plants, music, food, football, gardening, etc.

Joined December 2017
22 Photos and videos
Happy to see that the bee flies (Bombylius major in this case) have returned!
I found this male (eyes touching) and female (eyes separate) tapered drone flies (Eristalis pertinax) resting on adjacent primrose leaves in a local wood last weekend.
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Found this female Tachinid fly (Cistogaster globosa) feeding on hogweed in the margin of a strawberry field last August. Apparently, they are parasitoids of the Bishop's Mitre shieldbug (Aelia acuminata).
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Dylan Hodgkiss retweeted
Around this time last year, we asked the fine folks at @CerealsEvent, "What do you think about fly pollination?" Thanks @Farmer_Tom_UK, you hit the nail on the head. (@flygirlNHM we've still got some work to do getting the word out)🗣️
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Found this male maybug (aka cockchafer, Melolontha melolontha) resting among potted blackberry and raspberry plants at a local garden centre:
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Dylan Hodgkiss retweeted
25 May 2019
DAY 1 of #EveryFlowerCounts and what a lovely day for it! Spend a few minutes counting the flowers on your lawn and we'll give you your own #PersonalNectarScore @BBCCountryfile @BBCSpringwatch @britishbee @BSBIbotany @wildflower_hour
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Here's a female common snout-hoverfly (Rhingia campestris) feeding on midland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) and a female St Mark's fly (Bibio marci) both from Standen NT @StandenNT #wildflowerhour
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Coriander may prove effective at luring in lacewings to #strawberry crops for aphid #biocontrol. Coriander and two other flower species also increased numbers of #pollinators compared to control plots. Here's a link to the paper: sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
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A female marmalade #hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) and male Platycheirus albimanus were the first two garden hoverflies of the year for me:
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The Yellow-legged Mining Bee (Andrena flavipes) and its cuckoo the Painted Nomad Bee (Nomada fucata) in my garden in late March this year:
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Dylan Hodgkiss retweeted
Tiger fly discovered new to Britain in London and Edinburgh. A new option for #pesticidefree pest control in glasshouses. Notton, Wyatt, Horsfield & Bland. Free download: researchgate.net/publication… #horticulture @RBGE_Science NHMUK013379455
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Dylan Hodgkiss retweeted
Apologies for the shaky footage, we got in a flap ourselves capturing this Dark- edged bee-fly as they are usually too fast to film.This one was warming up for flight on a garden wall in Newport and despite its name and looks it's not a bee it's actually a fly!#MyWildNewport
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Dylan Hodgkiss retweeted
3D printed flowers as tool for studying pollination ecology in Begonia by Vicky Ferrero at #ecoflor2019
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Panoramic view of a martian landscape, courtesy of the Astronomy Picture of the Day website:
Three cheers for East Malling, @NIABEMR, and an interesting documentary as well:
Really enjoyed watching this documentary, inspired to start searching the hedgerows in autumn for hidden gems. Apples: British to the Core: bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0… via @bbciplayer
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Dylan Hodgkiss retweeted
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Cool video of an Eristalis pertinax hover fly visiting the sun spurge flower, Euphorbia helioscopia:
Check out this photo of a moonrise at Mauna Kea mountain, Hawaii, USA: apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.…
Dylan Hodgkiss retweeted
We should recognise all our 'wildflowers' (not weeds) that are so vital for bees. Save part of your garden for these important plants! And let your hedgerows bloom! For tips on how to help pollinators, see pollinators.ie #AllIrelandPollinatorPlan
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Dylan Hodgkiss retweeted
Please keep an eye out for bee-flies this weekend! buglife.org.uk/activities-fo… #BeeFlyWatch #YearOfTheFly
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