Gavin Broad
gavinbroad.bsky.social
Gavin Broad
@gavinbroad.bsky.social
Wasps. Curator at the Natural History Museum. Opinions my own, unless they’re wrong.
Reposted by Gavin Broad
NEW PAPER, JUST OUT! 👀

Insects from the '70s and '80s were already collecting microplastic, decades before the term microplastic even existed. 🤯

A thread on the surprising history of this pollutant and the incredible insect larvae that helped us uncover it. 🐛

Let's dive in! 🧵👇 1/x
April 9, 2025 at 10:07 AM
It’s the last few days of Soil at Somerset House! If you haven’t been, you really should. Wonderful exhibition, and thank you to the talented @jopearlceramics.bsky.social for the guided tour. These are her ceramics www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/soil
April 9, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Bees exhibition at World Museum Liverpool is beautiful! Wonderful perspectives on pollination and the lives of bees. Go and see it. After all, bees are furry, vegetarian wasps. I wish it could visit us at NHM London.
February 18, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
Here's a longer video showing the full life cycle of the White Admiral butterfly. Filmed over 2 years in Sussex woodland. Guest starring several parasitic wasps! 🎥🦋🐝

@ukbutterflies.bsky.social @sussexwildlife.bsky.social @europebutterfly.bsky.social @gavinbroad.bsky.social

youtu.be/SJjjYmyjzoM
White Admiral Watch: Life Cycle
YouTube video by Dom Greves
youtu.be
February 3, 2025 at 1:54 PM
A cold and breezy trip to lovely Hilbre island. Always good to see Purple Sandpipers. Very obliging of this Shag, to stand next to a Cormorant. @hilbrebirdobs.bsky.social
February 17, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
Episode 3 (imaging): Don't just sort. Also image, from multiple perspectives! Insect levitation with ultrasound: capturing 360° views to automate measurements and create 3D models. More here: www.techrxiv.org/users/813834...
January 23, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
It's tonight! Link to tonight's Brad Ashby lecture is up on the members area of the website benhs.org.uk/members-area/
January 23, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
Send me records: I am excited to be taking on the role of national springtail recorder. I have huge shoes to fill, but I hope to continue the progress Peter Shaw made in understanding the taxonomy and biology of the UK's #springtails.

www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/colle...
January 21, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
I'm very excited to give this talk in January! It's free to attend via zoom if you're interested! :)
Electric Ecology: How Invertebrates Capitalise on Static Electricity
Join us and Dr Sam England for our next Brad Ashby Memorial Lecture
Thursday, January 23, 2025 · 7 - 8:30pm over Zoom
Booking open now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/electric-e...
December 19, 2024 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
Join us for our Annual Virtual Meeting Saturday 15th of February 2-4pm to discuss society matters and hear 'A beginner's guide to sawflies' by Andrew Halstead (photo credit). We'll be meeting over Zoom, link to be posted on the website Members' Area and emailed to membership.
January 19, 2025 at 6:58 PM
@ionace.bsky.social and I identified and databased 6,600 UK ichneumonoids light-trapped by an amazing crew of moth trappers in 2024. Wonderful dataset. Recent highlights: first Rogas luteus for over 100 years and Enicospilus myricae, haven’t seen since I described it in 2016.
January 20, 2025 at 10:56 AM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
This is WILD. Cave invertebrates are supposed to be short-range endemics, especially the ones that don’t use water systems for dispersal, ESPECIALLY the ones that don’t fly, and then here’s this one spider in particular
Turns out that the most common troglobiont species in North America is just that: a single species. My colleagues were gracious enough to allow me to be a co-author on this excellent pub about low genetic diversity in the cave spider, Phanetta subterranea (Linyphiidae). t.co/NzZEulOv4D
https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.50.135200
t.co
January 10, 2025 at 6:29 PM
If I empty my (slightly out of control) sent emails folder, will future historians curse me? Probably not.
January 8, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
The Prime Minister was wrong to blame nature protection & regulators for stopping development🏡

Leading nature groups have written to Keir Starmer calling for an urgent meeting to discuss how nature & sustainable development can go hand-in-hand👇

wcl.org.uk/docs/2024/le...

📷Cassie Crocker
December 6, 2024 at 2:25 PM
Join us! Should be a great talk on January 23rd
Electric Ecology: How Invertebrates Capitalise on Static Electricity
Join us and Dr Sam England for our next Brad Ashby Memorial Lecture
Thursday, January 23, 2025 · 7 - 8:30pm over Zoom
Booking open now: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/electric-e...
December 12, 2024 at 7:36 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
The perfect gift under the Christmas tree has come early: "Wasps of the World" by @gavinbroad.bsky.social. I urge all to purchase this exquisite read, filled with facts/illustrations of a highly diverse group of #insects. Make sure not to place Megastigmus strobilobius too close to the tree!! 🎄
December 10, 2024 at 1:09 AM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
Coming very soon in #BirdStudy, a special issue on HPAI: highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds.

Some papers already published (among other early view articles): www.tandfonline.com/action/showA... #ornithology #seabirds #conservation
December 7, 2024 at 5:43 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
#waspday at @NHM London!! look this amazing Polybia nest!!! thanks @gavinbroad.bsky.social with @waspwoman.bsky.social @femi-benny.bsky.social @ionace.bsky.social
December 7, 2024 at 11:59 PM
A lot of Darwin Tree of Life barcodes and a lot of genomes (1500). Which means a lot of cake.
December 4, 2024 at 8:01 AM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
It’s #WaspDay at NHM London today! Can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday!
With some lovely waspy people!
@gavinbroad.bsky.social @cintiaoi.bsky.social @ionace.bsky.social @femi-benny.bsky.social
@uclcber.bsky.social
#WaspLove
November 29, 2024 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
I've updated this starter pack for all interested!

Now bursting with over 100 natural history museum related accounts 🎉🌱🦆🙌
go.bsky.app/NtdUnyF
November 25, 2024 at 6:15 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
Anyone looking for an assistant professor position in biodiversity research? Not one but three positions available at Stockholm U:
www.su.se/department-o...
Faculty of Science is recruiting Assistant Professors in Biodiversity - Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences
Faculty of Science is recruiting Assistant Professors in Biodiversity - Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences
www.su.se
November 22, 2024 at 2:46 PM
Always nice to photograph mutillids for enquiries. The South African Smicromyrme praedatrix.
November 23, 2024 at 7:56 PM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
Our first firetail (Yoyetta ignita) for the season! Currently chirping on our window screen. This species was only named recently, here's a little story about the value of recording biodiversity observations 👇 #wildoz #ozinverts 🌏🧪
November 17, 2024 at 10:57 AM
Reposted by Gavin Broad
The national recording scheme for Soldierflies, Horseflies, Robberflies, Bee-flies, Snipeflies, Stiletto-flies, Hunchback-flies, Water-snipeflies, Awl-flies, Windowflies and Wood-soldierflies. Info and ID guides at dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies... - please add your records to iRecord!
November 17, 2024 at 5:08 PM