Owen Beckett
@obeckett98.bsky.social
Entomologist with the National Biodiversity Data Centre 🐝🐞🦋
Ireland
Ireland
A nice range of species seen in the western Mourne Mountains in Co. Down recently, including Andrena tarsata, Lasioglossum rufitarse and Dasysyrphus pinastri, which was a new one for me.
June 27, 2025 at 4:07 PM
A nice range of species seen in the western Mourne Mountains in Co. Down recently, including Andrena tarsata, Lasioglossum rufitarse and Dasysyrphus pinastri, which was a new one for me.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Hoverfly Epistrophe nitidicollis, a female egg laying around Aphis sambuci colony on Elder in Kildavin, Co. Carlow over the weekend. Only the 12th Irish record and first for Carlow.
June 4, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Hoverfly Epistrophe nitidicollis, a female egg laying around Aphis sambuci colony on Elder in Kildavin, Co. Carlow over the weekend. Only the 12th Irish record and first for Carlow.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Always interrupt a phone call with your mother to investigate a black dot gliding down a downpipe. One day, it'll be something worth getting excited about that has you running for the camera. Saw my first ever Kidney-spot Ladybird tonight. It's just the second record of one for Limerick.
May 15, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Always interrupt a phone call with your mother to investigate a black dot gliding down a downpipe. One day, it'll be something worth getting excited about that has you running for the camera. Saw my first ever Kidney-spot Ladybird tonight. It's just the second record of one for Limerick.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Couple of beetles from the dunes at The Raven, Co. Wexford today. Phylan gibbus (Tenebrionidae), Melanimon tibialis (Tenebrionidae) & Charagmus griseus (Curculionidae).
May 4, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Couple of beetles from the dunes at The Raven, Co. Wexford today. Phylan gibbus (Tenebrionidae), Melanimon tibialis (Tenebrionidae) & Charagmus griseus (Curculionidae).
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Join me on behalf of Buglife for City Nature Challenge 2025 in Belfast for hoverfly surveying
Lagan Meadows, 25th April, 12-2pm
I will be joined by Jen Farrar from BSBI who will be discussing all things trees!
@bsbiireland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
www.buglife.org.uk/events/surve...
Lagan Meadows, 25th April, 12-2pm
I will be joined by Jen Farrar from BSBI who will be discussing all things trees!
@bsbiireland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
www.buglife.org.uk/events/surve...
Buglife Events ~ Surveying for hoverflies and trees with Buglife NI
Find out more about our upcoming events related to invertebrates, insects and bugs.
www.buglife.org.uk
April 22, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Join me on behalf of Buglife for City Nature Challenge 2025 in Belfast for hoverfly surveying
Lagan Meadows, 25th April, 12-2pm
I will be joined by Jen Farrar from BSBI who will be discussing all things trees!
@bsbiireland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
www.buglife.org.uk/events/surve...
Lagan Meadows, 25th April, 12-2pm
I will be joined by Jen Farrar from BSBI who will be discussing all things trees!
@bsbiireland.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social
www.buglife.org.uk/events/surve...
Reposted by Owen Beckett
This pic from a Cheilosia hoverfly unknown to me is from 14 May 2019. Sent the specimen to a specialist, who found to be an undescribed species. Ever since then I've named it 'Cheilosia new.sp'. Finally, I'm happy to learn that it has been already named for science (can't reveal the name so far) .
April 13, 2025 at 6:47 PM
This pic from a Cheilosia hoverfly unknown to me is from 14 May 2019. Sent the specimen to a specialist, who found to be an undescribed species. Ever since then I've named it 'Cheilosia new.sp'. Finally, I'm happy to learn that it has been already named for science (can't reveal the name so far) .
Large Sallow Mining Bee (Andrena apicata) female and male seen along the river Barrow in Carlow recently. An underrecorded species in Ireland, but the populations in this area seem to be quite strong and it was the most abundant mining bee during my visit. It's a willow specialist, peaking in April.
April 3, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Large Sallow Mining Bee (Andrena apicata) female and male seen along the river Barrow in Carlow recently. An underrecorded species in Ireland, but the populations in this area seem to be quite strong and it was the most abundant mining bee during my visit. It's a willow specialist, peaking in April.
A nice surprise this week was finding Andrena praecox locally in Co. Armagh. This is the second NI record of this early spring species, which is generally very scarce north of Dublin. It's probably underrecorded due to its early flight period and habit of foraging high up in willows.
March 26, 2025 at 4:34 PM
A nice surprise this week was finding Andrena praecox locally in Co. Armagh. This is the second NI record of this early spring species, which is generally very scarce north of Dublin. It's probably underrecorded due to its early flight period and habit of foraging high up in willows.
Two female Cheilosia grossa seen in Dublin and Wicklow recently. An attractive yet overlooked hoverfly which flies in March and April. The larvae mine thistles, so it's worth having a look on dandelions or willows growing close to thistle rosettes: species.biodiversityireland.ie/profile.php?...
March 20, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Two female Cheilosia grossa seen in Dublin and Wicklow recently. An attractive yet overlooked hoverfly which flies in March and April. The larvae mine thistles, so it's worth having a look on dandelions or willows growing close to thistle rosettes: species.biodiversityireland.ie/profile.php?...
Andrena apicata, Andrena praecox and Andrena clarkella males observed in Cos. Armagh, Dublin and Wicklow over the past week. The females shouldn't be too far behind, especially now that the pollen source of these three species, willow catkins, are starting to appear en masse.
March 20, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Andrena apicata, Andrena praecox and Andrena clarkella males observed in Cos. Armagh, Dublin and Wicklow over the past week. The females shouldn't be too far behind, especially now that the pollen source of these three species, willow catkins, are starting to appear en masse.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
If they're in a sunny spot, root plates can offer great nesting sites for solitary bees (and wasps later in the season) because they're equivalent to the bare ground of a vertical bank.
Reason number 5,496 to leave dead wood in situ: in this case to provide nesting habitat for solitary Andrena clarkella bees. @ianbeavis.bsky.social
March 10, 2025 at 10:44 PM
If they're in a sunny spot, root plates can offer great nesting sites for solitary bees (and wasps later in the season) because they're equivalent to the bare ground of a vertical bank.
Three bumblebee species, Bombus lucorum, Bombus terrestris and the most notable one, Bombus hypnorum, enjoying the winter heather in Armagh today. This species only arrived in Ireland around 10 years ago, but is now quite common in the northeast in particular.
February 28, 2025 at 11:08 PM
Three bumblebee species, Bombus lucorum, Bombus terrestris and the most notable one, Bombus hypnorum, enjoying the winter heather in Armagh today. This species only arrived in Ireland around 10 years ago, but is now quite common in the northeast in particular.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Make sure to grab your ticket for my upcoming online talk, Irish Bees for Beginners.
Or maybe you can get one as a late Valentine's Day gift for someone who loves bees, insects or invertebrates!
If you're not in, you can't win.*
*Knowledge is the prize. 🙂
bit.ly/irish-bees-2...
Or maybe you can get one as a late Valentine's Day gift for someone who loves bees, insects or invertebrates!
If you're not in, you can't win.*
*Knowledge is the prize. 🙂
bit.ly/irish-bees-2...
Irish Bees for Beginners
Come learn the real buzz about Irish bees! Join us for a beginner-friendly event on Ireland's native bee fauna.
bit.ly
February 15, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Make sure to grab your ticket for my upcoming online talk, Irish Bees for Beginners.
Or maybe you can get one as a late Valentine's Day gift for someone who loves bees, insects or invertebrates!
If you're not in, you can't win.*
*Knowledge is the prize. 🙂
bit.ly/irish-bees-2...
Or maybe you can get one as a late Valentine's Day gift for someone who loves bees, insects or invertebrates!
If you're not in, you can't win.*
*Knowledge is the prize. 🙂
bit.ly/irish-bees-2...
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Anthophora hispanica es mi especie favorita de ese género. Tamaño de abejorro y velocidad de avión. Con suerte la podréis ver por estas fechas alredededor de plantas de Erophaca baetica. Aquí un macho repostando un instante, sin parar el motor. Lo mejor de mi día de abejeo.
February 5, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Anthophora hispanica es mi especie favorita de ese género. Tamaño de abejorro y velocidad de avión. Con suerte la podréis ver por estas fechas alredededor de plantas de Erophaca baetica. Aquí un macho repostando un instante, sin parar el motor. Lo mejor de mi día de abejeo.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Empezando la diversión. Un pequeño muestrario de abejas que ya están volando estos días en el bajo valle del Guadalquivir: macho de Eucera nigrilabris y hembras de Andrena florentina, A. trimmerana y A. antigana.
February 7, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Empezando la diversión. Un pequeño muestrario de abejas que ya están volando estos días en el bajo valle del Guadalquivir: macho de Eucera nigrilabris y hembras de Andrena florentina, A. trimmerana y A. antigana.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Velvet ants (Mutillidae and Myrmosidae) are pretty cool creatures! Despite their name, they are actually wasps, and not ants. (Most) males are winged, and females do not have wings.
June 6, 2024 at 11:46 AM
Velvet ants (Mutillidae and Myrmosidae) are pretty cool creatures! Despite their name, they are actually wasps, and not ants. (Most) males are winged, and females do not have wings.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
One week to go before the closing date on this ansum PhD. Like rainforests? Like Beetles? Like Devon and Cornwall? Then resolve to apply now!
Splendid PhD opportunity on ecology and conservation of #bluegroundbeetles in #temperaterainforests in the Southwest of England now available: tinyurl.com/BGBeetle. Come join the team! Interested? Email me: n.j.royle@exeter.ac.uk for further info. Please share.
January 6, 2025 at 9:21 PM
One week to go before the closing date on this ansum PhD. Like rainforests? Like Beetles? Like Devon and Cornwall? Then resolve to apply now!
A summary of the most interesting observations from my field trip to southern and central Spain in May 2024, including new records and floral preferences of some rare mining bees (Andrena) and blunthorn bees (Melitta): www.researchgate.net/publication/...
(PDF) New records and ecological notes on six little-known Iberian Bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)
PDF | New sites and ecological information are presented for six little-known bees in Spain. Andrena nilotica, Flavipanurgus granadensis, Melitta... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ...
www.researchgate.net
January 1, 2025 at 12:25 PM
A summary of the most interesting observations from my field trip to southern and central Spain in May 2024, including new records and floral preferences of some rare mining bees (Andrena) and blunthorn bees (Melitta): www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Reposted by Owen Beckett
An important discovery of new population of the Endangered Euchloe bazae in southern Spain by our partners in @asoczerynthia.bsky.social . www.researchgate.net/publication/...
(PDF) Contributions to the distribution, biology, and conservation of Euchloe bazae Fabiano, 1993 (Lepidoptera: Pieridae): discovery of a new population and new host plant in the province of Granada (...
PDF | ABSTRACT: Euchloe bazae is an endemic butterfly of the Iberian Peninsula with a highly restricted and disjunct distribution, classified as... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on R...
www.researchgate.net
December 27, 2024 at 11:44 AM
An important discovery of new population of the Endangered Euchloe bazae in southern Spain by our partners in @asoczerynthia.bsky.social . www.researchgate.net/publication/...
Reposted by Owen Beckett
2024 Highlights #5. One of the best wasp-mimics I've ever seen: Temnostoma vespiforme, a spectacular hoverfly I found in Brittany, France while cycling along the Nantes-Brest canal. It's got all the right markings and even waves its front legs to look like long wasp antennae.
#Diptera
#Hoverfly
#Diptera
#Hoverfly
December 13, 2024 at 4:01 PM
Spruce Cone Bug (Gastrodes abietum) seen in Loughgall, Co Armagh. This species was first found in Ireland by @joshecology.bsky.social earlier this year and has since been found at three sites. It lives on the cones of Norway Spruce, so it's probably more widespread than current records suggest.
December 11, 2024 at 8:23 AM
Spruce Cone Bug (Gastrodes abietum) seen in Loughgall, Co Armagh. This species was first found in Ireland by @joshecology.bsky.social earlier this year and has since been found at three sites. It lives on the cones of Norway Spruce, so it's probably more widespread than current records suggest.
Reposted by Owen Beckett
Digging below the surface: Hidden risks for ground-nesting bees such as bumble bee queens & the hoary squash bee, are commonly exposed to pesticide residues in soil which can lead to lethal & sublethal impacts on behavior & brood prodn. #SabrinaRondeau in #sciencemag
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
Digging below the surface: Hidden risks for ground-nesting bees
Hidden risks for ground-nesting bees
www.science.org
November 18, 2024 at 5:18 PM
Digging below the surface: Hidden risks for ground-nesting bees such as bumble bee queens & the hoary squash bee, are commonly exposed to pesticide residues in soil which can lead to lethal & sublethal impacts on behavior & brood prodn. #SabrinaRondeau in #sciencemag
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
www.science.org/doi/full/10....
It's hard not to get dragged down by the negativity on Twitter, so thought I'd give this a go. Here's a lovely Heather Mining Bee (Andrena fuscipes) from the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down last year.
November 13, 2024 at 4:13 PM
It's hard not to get dragged down by the negativity on Twitter, so thought I'd give this a go. Here's a lovely Heather Mining Bee (Andrena fuscipes) from the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down last year.