I still have a long way to go, but I definitely learned a lot when it comes to finding #ant nests and taking #macro photos in the field. It's work, but it's fun, too!

Cooking up some serious ant ecology in Switzerland with the summer school crew

The #ant photos are going to be coming this week. The #Formica worker on the end.. doesn't seem to be helping.. good thing her sister is strong 🐜💪

I had an incredible time and met so many friendly and intelligent people at #IUSSI this past week, but I have one complaint: I now want to study practically everything from genomics, behavior, environment, isoptera, hymenoptera, shrimp, spiders, just everything was so, so fantastic! 🐝🐜🕸️🦐

Not a special #wasp for most folks around here, but this #Vespula germanica was my first #insect photo of my trip for the #IUSSI conference. Can you tell these two apart?

I had to join in! "Describe your research with a YouTube thumbnail" This has been true for the past 6ish years

Steve@stevetypesstuff.bsky.social · 3w ago

“Describe your research with a YouTube thumbnail” It’s not quite my topic but I generally have coffee on hand, so it could yet come to pass!

While recording a fire #ant #sting, I couldn't resist having a little fun with a #GTA #wasted meme. The stings can be annoying, but the reputation is far worse than reality

Can't wait to talk about collective #behavior in fire #ants in just a few weeks at #IUSSI! I'm going to present on #rafting behavior and a #model I've been working on to describe it

A handful of garden buddies to motivate me to keep doing yardwork. Three of these are in #Hymenoptera, and one is an imposter.

I found some fire #ants feeding on some #membracid nymphs, who were feeding on my dwarf sunflower. I don't mind, and I'm happy to offer some food in exchange for these blurry #macro videos. I just wish it wasn't so breezy when I found them!

This may or may not have something to do with using ether indoors. Remember your #lab #safety!

These Northern fungus farming #ants (Trachymyrmex septentrionalis) were busy this weekend. Don't they look cool?

It's easy to focus so closely on work that you forget to have hobbies. I managed to find this vibrant #Formica pallidefulva queen #ant just last week. She's in her claustral chamber (test tube) for privacy, and I hope in a month or so to see little orange helpers. Oh, the joys of #antkeeping

#Ants can be cute, too! Just take a look at this mother #fireant tending her brood. You can already see the eyes of the little pupae!

This is a first for me! A #myrmecogynandromorph! This fire #Ant is partly worker and partly male. It raises a lot of questions about #development and #caste 🤔

These beautiful sharpshooters got carried away on my dwarf sunflower #macro #insect

How perfect is this?! A #FireAnt nuptial flight on mother's day! Check out this #macro clip of these future #ant moms

It can be hard to notice when you improve your skills. I think this #macro video of an Argentine #ant gathering honeydew from an #aphid is my best yet!

I always heard getting pooped on by a bird was a sign of good luck. Well, as I turn 30 today, this little #fly dressed as my school mascot decided to bestow some luck on me

I'm not much of an artist, but I'm happy to participate in the Clough Art Crawl this spring at #GeorgiaTech ! This was my first #watercolor since maybe 2013? It's kind of sloppy, but I had fun with it and I'm happy to present it this spring. Maybe I should paint some ants next

NEW EPISODE! We sit down with Andrew Robertson (@andrew-antdude.bsky.social) winner of the #myscijourney competition hosted by @galacticpolymath.com. Dive into the remarkable world of ants and learn how complicated these tiny creatures are! Listen now www.smartteapodcast.com/andrew-rober...

Smart Tea Podcast | Andrew Robertson

Ants may not be very big, but we have a lot to learn from these tiny creatures! Andrew Robertson, a PhD candidate at Georgia Tech and winner of Galactic Polymath Education Studio's 2025 #MySciJourney ...

smartteapodcast.com

How do you keep a lid on #invasive species? I agree with the authors. Broadcasting poisoned baits will hurt much more than just the fire #ant. The USDA waged wars against fire ants using the same idea in the late 50s. Probably not the best use of resources onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Broadcast Baiting May Ultimately Help Fire Ants Spread, Not Eradicate Them

Click on the article title to read more.

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Sometimes it can be hard to find the silver linings, but 2025 was a good year for me to get loads of practice in #insect #macrophotography How many kinds of #ants can you see? Bonus points if you can also report the number of genera or species 👀

It made me pretty nervous at first, but teaching has become such an important part of my career. For context, I served as head TA for a large ecology class this fall, and I got some excellent anonymous feedback from the students. Here are some of my favorites:

Have you ever run into a neighbor while on vacation? That's how it felt finding a Trachymyrmex #ant while in Colombia! These fungus farmers have some of my favorite patterns on ants. Can you tell which is from my back yard? (And which one had my clip on #macro lens?)

Ok, I promise this is a one and done sort of post, but it just happened too perfectly. My brother collected cards back around 2000 and gave me his spare digletts (I didn't know how to play but loved the art) What should come from my first ever pack but a rare #DurantEX! Ant card for the #ant guy!

Just got word that our cost of living adjustments for graduate students (cut from 6% to 4% in August) just got cut to 0% 🙃 Please get friends and family to study and vote, y'all On a lighter note, here are some stingless bees from Colombia. The nest is in the wall, and they close the door at night

Post a photo of an animal that looks Gen-AI but is 100% real Arrenodes minutus - Helen, Georgia

Alex Wild@alexwild.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Post a photo of an animal that looks Gen-AI but is 100% real. Hegemona lineata, Belize.

This #Acromyrmex leafcutter #ant I saw in Colombia has quickly become one of my all time favorite #macrophoto

Thanks to everyone who supported me! Thanks especially to @galacticpolymath.com for hosting the competition and helping me to get deeper into science communication! More #ant research is on the way!

Galactic Polymath Education Studio (GP)@galacticpolymath.com · 10mo ago

The votes are in! 🎉 Here are the winners of the 2025 #MySciJourney #SciComm Video Competition: 🥇 @andrew-antdude.bsky.social 🥈 Kiara Rodriguez Acevedo 🥉 Jamilla Teixeira Thanks to everyone who submitted—we’re building a library of short, diverse research stories for students & the public. 🙌🧪