George Binns
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amatageorgeii.bsky.social
George Binns
@amatageorgeii.bsky.social
380 followers 370 following 200 posts
PhDone on Aposematic Tiger Moths
Entomologist in Bee Probiotic Research at MQU
On unceded Wallumattagal Land, Sydney
Arty and Crafty!
(She/Her)
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amatageorgeii.bsky.social
New paper alert! 🎉
We found some interesting differences in defensive strategies in our cute little Amata wasp moths.
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
@hannahmrowland.bsky.social @liisahamalainen.bsky.social @mherberstein.bsky.social @kateumbers.bsky.social @gmramon.bsky.social #OzInverts
April 23, 2025 at 8:25 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
My favourite thing about science is planning a 2-month experiment down to the hour, months in advance and then everything goes to hell at the last moment and you have to run around getting things express posted and hoping they arrive in time - really gets the heart pumping! 😅 #WomenInSTEM
A wooden honeybee hive frame, full of waxy cells, with a lot of the cells closed up. These closed cells contain pupating bees that will emerge as adults within the next week and a half. The frame also has kitchen twine tied over it like a lopsided hashtag, which is a guide to tell us where we treated some of the cells for a behavioural experiment - we gave them probiotics! There are also a hundred or more honeybees on the frame, many of them are nurse bees; adults that have recently emerged and are helping to maintain the frames and waxy cells.
April 9, 2025 at 1:13 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I had a go at tagging some honeybees for an upcoming behavioural assay today, and I only super-glued myself to one bee once :)
#Invertebrates🦑 #Entomologist 🐝
Four honeybees, each facing a different direction, have little white circular tags with black numbers on their backs, like little backpacks. The bees are on a fine black mesh.
February 27, 2025 at 5:29 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
Nature is art 💚
Our lone orchard swallowtail caterpillar has pupated! Good luck little one! 🦋
#OzInverts #Entomology #Invertebrates 🦑
Image shows a green leafy lemon tree branch, and nestled underneath a leaf hangs a green wave-shaped pupal case. It is seemly suspended by a thread to the leaf stem. A closer look at the pale green pupal case that is suspended underneath a green leaf. The pupal case is attached at one end to the branch stem, but is also hanging by a silk thread, which wraps around the underneath and attaches to the leaf stem above it, like a little harness.
February 8, 2025 at 2:09 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
Thank you Lola, for your support during this difficult* time. 🖤

*Making budget spreadsheets
#CatSky
A black cat rests her paw on the hand of a tattooed person, who is trying to use a black computer mouse. The computer and keyboard are in the image, as well as a fake plant, behind the cat. The fake plant is there because said black cat cannot be trusted with live plants.
February 4, 2025 at 2:28 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I have been saying hello to bugs this year.
Here is a orchard swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on my lemon shrub. I love how their early predator defence is to look like bird poo.
#HelloBugs2025 #OzInverts #Invertebrates 🦑 🦋 #Entomology
January 25, 2025 at 1:23 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I have finished another test knit (designer is @hunthandknits on IG) which is called the #GuardianCowl and it kind of reminds me of the Auryn from the Neverending Story! Anyway, I've had the theme song stuck in my head for a few weeks now.
#AussieKnitters #BiologistsWhoKnit 🧶
A vibrant, almost turquoise blue and white (with neon pops) hand knitted neck cowl has a swirly design of two snakes or wingless dragons twisted together in a circular, almost Celtic knot. The cowl rests on a brown wooden table, and has some knitting accoutrements scattered around it, including the leftover white yarn ball, a small plastic stitch marker, the knitting needles with cable attached and some rubber needle minders, a cup of tea, and a pair of purple and yellow glasses.
January 24, 2025 at 9:22 PM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
One of my most favourite scientific words to say: hyphae!
These are from the mycelium of Ascosphaera apis, aka chalkbrood, a fungal pathogen of honey bees. I will never not be blown away by looking down a microscope at tiny things 🥰 #WomenInStem #Entomologist #HoneyBeeResearch 🧪
Hundreds of thin, transparent tubes branch off in all directions that cover the screen view. We are seeing the transport system of fungi! Each tube contains small glowing green cells that transport nutrients and other things along to add to the hyphae growth and allow the fungal pathogen to move through its environment.
January 14, 2025 at 12:36 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I had a surprise late last night coming downstairs in the dark and stepping on this poor fellow.
It was fine and I translocated it outside where all the yum spiders live and where my cats can't get to.
Southern Leaf-tailed gecko.
A freckled and bumpy Leaf-tailed gecko is in a plastic takeaway container, for brief moments prior to being moved outside. It is hard to distinguish the head from the tail end, this species will drop its tail to escape from predators and is really good at camouflage against trees, rocks and brick walls due to its mottled markings.
January 12, 2025 at 9:57 PM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I have so many more 😅
#Invertebrates🦑
Two bees, sitting side by side, in front of a small puddle of honey
January 10, 2025 at 2:37 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
🎶Possum in the roof, and I wanna touch it..!🎶
A ring-tailed possum, a mostly brown marsupial creature with a white chest and thin white ended tail, casually perched on a garage rafter beam, with a brick wall and foil roof behind it, dares you to stretch up and stroke it, and risk being chomped on.
January 9, 2025 at 9:37 PM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I've been away from the platform, but now I'm back, and also I bring bees. 🐝 #Entomology
Several honeybees have their tongues (proboscis) out and are licking up honey from some wax comb.
January 9, 2025 at 7:56 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I'm doing a test knit for a pattern designer (@hunthandknits on IG) called the #FungusAmongUsCowl and so far I am obsessed with it. 🍄
#SciArt🐡 #AussieKnitters #BiologistsWhoKnit
A mostly knitted garment, which is cream with neon orange and pink speckles through it, contrasted with a darker pink yarn, has a design of three mushrooms, sits in a grey lap, with a pink clipboard underneath with a knitting pattern. Underneath all of this, is a random pink quartz stone, which the knitter has been carrying around for the last 24hrs, when not knitting or asleep.
July 27, 2024 at 2:16 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
Our resident lace monitor came for a sunbake in the backyard just now.
#AussieAnimals
March 5, 2024 at 2:03 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
This small bearded dragon has been with me for 10 years this month!
Here he is in the bath with his little fur-sister Sadie in the background.
Happy Anni, little dragon!
February 23, 2024 at 6:23 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
A stick insect a day keeps the bad brain away!
#OzInverts #Invertebrates
A pale hand with a tattooed wrist, holds a stick. It may be an insect, but it is very good at being a stick, so who knows.
February 23, 2024 at 6:20 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
Found this pervert outside my bathroom window last night 😅
It is a Sydney leaf tailed gecko, and I'm sure it was eating some of my guard spiders 💚
Phyllurus platurus #Herpetology #Wildlife
A shadow of a gecko with a fat leaf-shaped tail can be seen through some dark textured glass, backlit by an outside light. It somehow looks like a shadow puppet.
January 31, 2024 at 9:25 PM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
Lola is not ladylike, but she rarely shows off her white spot.
A black cat lies on her back on a grey sheet, with her legs in the air and her paws hanging like little T-Rex arms. She has a small tuft of white hair near her hip and her facial expression is squinty and startled at the same time.
January 23, 2024 at 4:57 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I'm not sure what Sadie the torbie is looking at, but it's probably ceiling ghosts.
November 24, 2023 at 11:46 PM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
A female Orchard butterfly, Papilio aegeus, sits resplendent in the sun in my backyard.
#OzInverts
A large black and white butterfly, sits on a wooden post in a yard, against a backdrop of random green plants. Her hindwings have vivid red and blue spots, and slightly lined with a delicate yellow. She is resplendent.
November 15, 2023 at 11:55 PM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
Here is a fly mimicking a bee.
Also known as Beefly.
You are welcome.
#OzInverts
A fly, who looks suspiciously like a bee, sits on a white and yellow paper daisy flower.
November 7, 2023 at 6:09 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
My friend visited me for lunch today.
This is a mantisfly, or mantispid, which is actually a type of lacewing. Check out those raptorial forelimbs!
#OzInverts #Invertebrates 🪲🧪
October 21, 2023 at 3:33 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
Block number 3! Loving my new hobby!
This one is called "Argiope" and it took a while to cut out 🕷🕸
#Inktober
A white spiral-bound art book sits open with a lino cut block of an orbweaver spider's butt sitting on some spider web, and next to the block is several black prints on the white paper.
October 19, 2023 at 4:02 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
Second lino cut and print - it's called 'Snail friends'. 🐡🪲🐌
A green print is on a white page, which shows two snails climbing a long mushroom, with grass cut out around the mushroom base. The print block is next to the print, and other arty implements are scattered around the book, including the ink pad and roller, a red print Barron, a wooden lino cutter and a pair of glasses.
October 15, 2023 at 4:21 AM
amatageorgeii.bsky.social
I have started yet another new hobby today. My first block cut and print turned out pretty well!
An art book shows three black prints of a hand-cut cassette tape. There's a bunch of other things scattered around artistically, like a tube of printing ink, a red barron, some lino cutters and the palette with black ink rolled out next to the foam roller.
October 13, 2023 at 9:12 AM