Sarah Arnold
@sejarnold.bsky.social
Entomologist, likes pollination, insect behaviour, IPM, horticulture and agriculture, sustainability, nature and especially wild bees.
Works at Niab (UK). Views my own. she/her
Neurodivergent, quirky, sometimes wrong but usually teachable.
Works at Niab (UK). Views my own. she/her
Neurodivergent, quirky, sometimes wrong but usually teachable.
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
Ditto with final talk #AAB_IPPM by @sejarnold.bsky.social NIAB surveying parasitoid wasp diversity on aphids from strawberry crops in Kent. 4 main species found plus hyperparasitoids. eDNA barcoding showed more. Little relationship to local vegetation. Sadly missed rest or risk missing train.
November 12, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Ditto with final talk #AAB_IPPM by @sejarnold.bsky.social NIAB surveying parasitoid wasp diversity on aphids from strawberry crops in Kent. 4 main species found plus hyperparasitoids. eDNA barcoding showed more. Little relationship to local vegetation. Sadly missed rest or risk missing train.
Day 2 of #AAB_IPPM meeting and today is more entomological (but not entirely!). Lots of good talks on the schedule.
#IntegratedPestManagement #IPPM #SustainableAgriculture #HorticulturalEntomology
#IntegratedPestManagement #IPPM #SustainableAgriculture #HorticulturalEntomology
November 12, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Day 2 of #AAB_IPPM meeting and today is more entomological (but not entirely!). Lots of good talks on the schedule.
#IntegratedPestManagement #IPPM #SustainableAgriculture #HorticulturalEntomology
#IntegratedPestManagement #IPPM #SustainableAgriculture #HorticulturalEntomology
#AAB_IPPM meeting kicking off with excellent talk from Martin Lines @nffn.bsky.social - he has found that introducing flower-rich margins on his farm as habitat for beneficial biodiversity reduces pest damage significantly and much reduces need for synthetic inputs. #NaturalEnemies #IPM
November 11, 2025 at 10:34 AM
#AAB_IPPM meeting kicking off with excellent talk from Martin Lines @nffn.bsky.social - he has found that introducing flower-rich margins on his farm as habitat for beneficial biodiversity reduces pest damage significantly and much reduces need for synthetic inputs. #NaturalEnemies #IPM
On my way to AAB Advances in Integrated Pest and Pathogen Management meeting - looking forward to a couple of days hearing about what's happening in applied IPPM research. www.aab.org.uk/event/advanc...
#IPM #IntegratedPestManagement #Biocontrol #Parasitoids #Aphids #AppliedEntomology
#IPM #IntegratedPestManagement #Biocontrol #Parasitoids #Aphids #AppliedEntomology
www.aab.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 6:18 PM
On my way to AAB Advances in Integrated Pest and Pathogen Management meeting - looking forward to a couple of days hearing about what's happening in applied IPPM research. www.aab.org.uk/event/advanc...
#IPM #IntegratedPestManagement #Biocontrol #Parasitoids #Aphids #AppliedEntomology
#IPM #IntegratedPestManagement #Biocontrol #Parasitoids #Aphids #AppliedEntomology
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
Brilliant first session at today's Kent Wildlife Conference, with @ianbeavis.bsky.social talking Tunbridge Wells' urban hymenoptera, Scarlett Weston of @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social on urban bumblebees, and EA's Josh Hammond on citizen science in water quality monitoring in Kent. #KentNature
October 25, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Brilliant first session at today's Kent Wildlife Conference, with @ianbeavis.bsky.social talking Tunbridge Wells' urban hymenoptera, Scarlett Weston of @bumblebeetrust.bsky.social on urban bumblebees, and EA's Josh Hammond on citizen science in water quality monitoring in Kent. #KentNature
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
The impact of PhD studies on mental health - A longitudinal population study
PhDs can be and some would likely argue, should be hard.
But surely not *this* hard?
#AcademicSky
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
PhDs can be and some would likely argue, should be hard.
But surely not *this* hard?
#AcademicSky
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The impact of PhD studies on mental health—a longitudinal population study
Recent self-reported and cross-sectional survey evidence documents high levels of mental health problems among PhD students. We study the relationship…
www.sciencedirect.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The impact of PhD studies on mental health - A longitudinal population study
PhDs can be and some would likely argue, should be hard.
But surely not *this* hard?
#AcademicSky
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
PhDs can be and some would likely argue, should be hard.
But surely not *this* hard?
#AcademicSky
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Really proud of Cedric. It's been a fantastic project, piloting some super cool novel methods in #PollinationEcology and providing new insights into crop #pollination in legume systems. Cedric worked incredibly hard collecting all the data.
Thanks also to Angela Mkindi at NM-AIST in Tanzania!
Thanks also to Angela Mkindi at NM-AIST in Tanzania!
Congratulations to our PhD student Dr Cedric Maforimbo on successfully passing his PhD viva today. Thx especially to @evoeco.bsky.social who was the external & to Steve Belmain the UoG examiner & @sejarnold.bsky.social who was my co-supervisor along with #steveharte. We are all really proud of you!
October 10, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Really proud of Cedric. It's been a fantastic project, piloting some super cool novel methods in #PollinationEcology and providing new insights into crop #pollination in legume systems. Cedric worked incredibly hard collecting all the data.
Thanks also to Angela Mkindi at NM-AIST in Tanzania!
Thanks also to Angela Mkindi at NM-AIST in Tanzania!
I think it's going to be one of those autumns of many, many ladybirds. Seeing multiple reports of this sort of thing today, and enjoyed watching them all flying around in the sun outside work as well.
Lots of Harlequin Ladybirds, Harmonia axyridis, at Bodney church Norfolk, this afternoon.
These were inside the church but there were masses outside too.
#Ladybirds
These were inside the church but there were masses outside too.
#Ladybirds
October 6, 2025 at 9:18 PM
I think it's going to be one of those autumns of many, many ladybirds. Seeing multiple reports of this sort of thing today, and enjoyed watching them all flying around in the sun outside work as well.
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
Exciting new meta-analysis: compared to calendar spraying, threshold-based management cuts insecticide use by 44% and costs by 40% without reducing yields, and supports more beneficial insects. www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Threshold-based management reduces insecticide use by 44% without compromising pest control or crop yield - Communications Earth & Environment
Pest control programs using pest density thresholds cut insecticide uses by 44% and costs by 40%, while maintaining yield and pest suppression, and enhancing beneficial insect populations, as revealed...
www.nature.com
September 12, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Exciting new meta-analysis: compared to calendar spraying, threshold-based management cuts insecticide use by 44% and costs by 40% without reducing yields, and supports more beneficial insects. www.nature.com/articles/s43...
Interesting new paper discussing fieldwork risk assessments and policies in UK HE (but which has some good ideas that other orgs could also incorporate) and how to make fieldwork safer, more inclusive and consider individual needs/intersectionality/etc. #Fieldwork #RiskAssessment
🏞️𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡?
Our new study looked at fieldwork policies and risk assessments from 90 UK universities offering environmental science courses.
The results are eye-opening:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Our new study looked at fieldwork policies and risk assessments from 90 UK universities offering environmental science courses.
The results are eye-opening:
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...
Improving university policies and risk assessment to support inclusive fieldwork in environmental sciences
Among 90 UK higher education institutions, there was patchy mention of protected and other identity-related characteristics in fieldwork policy and risk assessments, and very limited consideration of....
besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
September 4, 2025 at 1:33 PM
Interesting new paper discussing fieldwork risk assessments and policies in UK HE (but which has some good ideas that other orgs could also incorporate) and how to make fieldwork safer, more inclusive and consider individual needs/intersectionality/etc. #Fieldwork #RiskAssessment
My mind has just been blown and everything you thought you knew about biology is a lie... Seriously, this is one of the coolest "now rethink everything" type papers I've encountered in a while.
Look at this crazy thing!
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
One mother for two species via obligate cross-species cloning in ants - Nature
In a case of obligate cross-species cloning, female ants of Messor ibericus need to clone males of Messor structor to obtain sperm for producing the worker caste, resulting in males from the same moth...
www.nature.com
September 3, 2025 at 8:44 PM
My mind has just been blown and everything you thought you knew about biology is a lie... Seriously, this is one of the coolest "now rethink everything" type papers I've encountered in a while.
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
Not long now till the 2025 Kent Wildlife Conference! This year's themes are urban biodiversity and citizen science - check out the impressive list of speakers here -
www.kentfieldclub.org.uk/programme/up...
Also - tickets only £22 including refreshments and lunch! So why not book your place today?
www.kentfieldclub.org.uk/programme/up...
Also - tickets only £22 including refreshments and lunch! So why not book your place today?
Kent Wildlife Conference
Saturday 25th October Kent Wildlife Conference 10am to 4pm. At the Darwin Conference Suite, Darwin College, University of Kent. Register by scrolling down and clicking the 'Register' button. Or...
www.kentfieldclub.org.uk
August 29, 2025 at 11:27 AM
Not long now till the 2025 Kent Wildlife Conference! This year's themes are urban biodiversity and citizen science - check out the impressive list of speakers here -
www.kentfieldclub.org.uk/programme/up...
Also - tickets only £22 including refreshments and lunch! So why not book your place today?
www.kentfieldclub.org.uk/programme/up...
Also - tickets only £22 including refreshments and lunch! So why not book your place today?
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
An abbreviation (ABB) in a journal article (JA) or Grant Application (GA) is rarely worth the words it saves. Every ABB requires cognitive resources (CR) and at my age by the time I'm halfway through a JA or GA I no longer have the CR to remember what your ABB stood for.
August 15, 2025 at 9:39 AM
An abbreviation (ABB) in a journal article (JA) or Grant Application (GA) is rarely worth the words it saves. Every ABB requires cognitive resources (CR) and at my age by the time I'm halfway through a JA or GA I no longer have the CR to remember what your ABB stood for.
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
Do you do moth trapping in the UK? We'd love your help! 💡
At @ukceh.bsky.social we're training & testing AI to detect multiple moths in a single image.
Send us top-down photos of multiple moths on egg trays to support this work.
More info & form: forms.gle/e3HzBPEd7RVV...
#mothsmatter #TeamMoth
At @ukceh.bsky.social we're training & testing AI to detect multiple moths in a single image.
Send us top-down photos of multiple moths on egg trays to support this work.
More info & form: forms.gle/e3HzBPEd7RVV...
#mothsmatter #TeamMoth
August 7, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Do you do moth trapping in the UK? We'd love your help! 💡
At @ukceh.bsky.social we're training & testing AI to detect multiple moths in a single image.
Send us top-down photos of multiple moths on egg trays to support this work.
More info & form: forms.gle/e3HzBPEd7RVV...
#mothsmatter #TeamMoth
At @ukceh.bsky.social we're training & testing AI to detect multiple moths in a single image.
Send us top-down photos of multiple moths on egg trays to support this work.
More info & form: forms.gle/e3HzBPEd7RVV...
#mothsmatter #TeamMoth
Yesterday's @kentfieldclub.bsky.social meeting was at @niab-uk.bsky.social's East Malling site, which has orchards of various ages and management, and wildflower areas (though the visitor car park was also biodiversity-rich).
The site has a wide diversity of bees! [1/]
#KentNature #bees #entomology
The site has a wide diversity of bees! [1/]
#KentNature #bees #entomology
August 3, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Yesterday's @kentfieldclub.bsky.social meeting was at @niab-uk.bsky.social's East Malling site, which has orchards of various ages and management, and wildflower areas (though the visitor car park was also biodiversity-rich).
The site has a wide diversity of bees! [1/]
#KentNature #bees #entomology
The site has a wide diversity of bees! [1/]
#KentNature #bees #entomology
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
A wet day for our field meeting last Saturday, but several members braved the weather. Amongst the species recorded was this Horseshoe Ladybird Clitostethus arcuatus, found and photographed by @sejarnold.bsky.social. #beetles #coleoptera #ladybirds #microladybird
July 21, 2025 at 10:39 AM
A wet day for our field meeting last Saturday, but several members braved the weather. Amongst the species recorded was this Horseshoe Ladybird Clitostethus arcuatus, found and photographed by @sejarnold.bsky.social. #beetles #coleoptera #ladybirds #microladybird
Very heavily damaged Polistes sp. spotted on the Niab East Malling site on Friday - have to admire how it was still foraging despite the serious damage on the abdomen.
#KentNature #Kentomology #Entomology #KentInsects #PaperWasp #Polistes #Wasp
#KentNature #Kentomology #Entomology #KentInsects #PaperWasp #Polistes #Wasp
July 20, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Very heavily damaged Polistes sp. spotted on the Niab East Malling site on Friday - have to admire how it was still foraging despite the serious damage on the abdomen.
#KentNature #Kentomology #Entomology #KentInsects #PaperWasp #Polistes #Wasp
#KentNature #Kentomology #Entomology #KentInsects #PaperWasp #Polistes #Wasp
Some photos from today, all at or close to home: Pantaloon bee (Dasypoda hirtipes), Fiery clearwing, Wall brown. #insect #entomology #KentMoths #KentNature @kentfieldclub.bsky.social
July 6, 2025 at 1:37 PM
Some photos from today, all at or close to home: Pantaloon bee (Dasypoda hirtipes), Fiery clearwing, Wall brown. #insect #entomology #KentMoths #KentNature @kentfieldclub.bsky.social
Hummingbird hawkmoth caterpillar in North Kent, in a wildflower patch allowed to grow tall on a new housing estate! @kentfieldclub.bsky.social #KentMoths #UKMoths
July 5, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Hummingbird hawkmoth caterpillar in North Kent, in a wildflower patch allowed to grow tall on a new housing estate! @kentfieldclub.bsky.social #KentMoths #UKMoths
Meet my new friend-species and current favourite flea beetle, the houndstongue flea beetle Longitarsus quadriguttatus. (Is it OK to have a favourite flea beetle?) [1/]
July 5, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Meet my new friend-species and current favourite flea beetle, the houndstongue flea beetle Longitarsus quadriguttatus. (Is it OK to have a favourite flea beetle?) [1/]
That feeling when you spent a chunk of the day going through old pan trap samples (making good use of by-catch!) but the smell of old pan trap samples seems to get stuck in your nose for the next 12 hours. #Entomology #SmellOfScience
June 30, 2025 at 8:51 PM
That feeling when you spent a chunk of the day going through old pan trap samples (making good use of by-catch!) but the smell of old pan trap samples seems to get stuck in your nose for the next 12 hours. #Entomology #SmellOfScience
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
In about a week we (Biological Sciences @ Monash Uni in Melbourne, Australia) will be opening a search for 3 (!!!) permanent academic positions (40% research, 40% teaching, 20% service) at Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. 1 Genomics, 2 Ecology. Please share, email me, DM, follow, send carrier pigeons…
June 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
In about a week we (Biological Sciences @ Monash Uni in Melbourne, Australia) will be opening a search for 3 (!!!) permanent academic positions (40% research, 40% teaching, 20% service) at Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. 1 Genomics, 2 Ecology. Please share, email me, DM, follow, send carrier pigeons…
I understand it's an automated system, but I wish the automated system was a bit cleverer. Invitation to review a paper sent to me Friday evening (outside my work hours); a "polite reminder" that I have not yet replied on Sunday at 6:30am seems a bit pushy! #PeerReview
June 23, 2025 at 7:34 AM
I understand it's an automated system, but I wish the automated system was a bit cleverer. Invitation to review a paper sent to me Friday evening (outside my work hours); a "polite reminder" that I have not yet replied on Sunday at 6:30am seems a bit pushy! #PeerReview
Reposted by Sarah Arnold
Ooh, I've run a session on basically "How to Conference" for the undergrad diversity program at the Evolution conference for the past few years. Some of what I cover:
May 27, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Ooh, I've run a session on basically "How to Conference" for the undergrad diversity program at the Evolution conference for the past few years. Some of what I cover:
Thank you to everyone sending us #AppleBlossomWeevil capped blossom from their UK #orchards and trees. We are spotting some really interesting parasitoids developing - two or maybe three species. This implies we have some natural enemies of this re-emerging pest already present in the UK.
May 9, 2025 at 8:51 AM
Thank you to everyone sending us #AppleBlossomWeevil capped blossom from their UK #orchards and trees. We are spotting some really interesting parasitoids developing - two or maybe three species. This implies we have some natural enemies of this re-emerging pest already present in the UK.