🦗Crickets! 🔊Vibrational stimuli! 🚧Sensitization! 👥 Individual variation! Our #EditorsChoice for the #AnimalBehaviourJournal: “Trait-specific responses to repeated stressor exposure reveal context-dependent learning in wild crickets” Read here: doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2026.123607

A new survey finds that just over half of responding UK research institutions require some form of ethics review for research involving insects. Most entomologists also reported that ethics review either improved or had no effect on research quality. Learn more from @royentsoc.bsky.social!

Looking forward to #Ento26!

Royal Entomological Society@royentsoc.bsky.social · last wk.

Welcome #Ento26 Sponsors & Exhibitors @wileyonlinelibrary.bsky.social @forestresearchuk.bsky.social @harperadamsuni.bsky.social @insectwrs.bsky.social @lizzie-harper.bsky.social @novogene-europe.bsky.social @princetonupress.bsky.social @uniofreading.bsky.social @zantiks.bsky.social

New work by @jess-stokes.bsky.social, B. Fischer & @beebytes.bsky.social in #RESEcolEnt presents an #ethics review for insect research in the UK, evaluating patterns, drivers and perceived impact on research quality and process. Learn more about this important subject ⬇️ doi.org/10.1111/een.70117

How should entomologists put the 3Rs—replacement, reduction, and refinement—into practice? @royentsoc.bsky.social's Insect Welfare and Best Practice video series, presented by @jess-stokes.bsky.social, is a guide for researchers and ethics reviewers. Watch: insectwelfare.com/videos

3Rs Best Practice Videos — Insect Welfare Research Society

The Royal Entomological Society’s Insect Welfare and Best Practice video series covers the rise of insect ethics review in the UK, the scientific, institutional, and ethical considerations behind it,…

insectwelfare.com

This @theguardian.com piece covers a new PNAS study finding bumblebees make "liking" and "disliking" faces—extending their tongue after a sweet drink, wiping their mouths at salt or quinine.

Do bees have inner lives? Slow-motion video reveals bumblebee behaviour similar to ‘liking’ or ‘disliking’

Bees respond to tasty treats or plain water based on context, a study that may provide support for establishing insect sentience shows

theguardian.com

This editorial in @nature.com makes the case that cephalopods deserve higher welfare standards in research, and digs into the history of the vertebrate-invertebrate dividing line introduced by the world's first law on animal experimentation in 1876. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Cephalopods deserve higher welfare standards in research

These highly sentient creatures have weak protections for their well-being. That must change.

nature.com

The University of Lincoln is recruiting for a funded two-year MPhil who will develop, test, and validate behavioral and physiological indicators of wild insect welfare, in the lab and in the field. The stipend is £20,780/year plus home fees. Applications close August 2. Open to UK students.

Developing, Testing and Validating Indicators of Wild Insect Welfare at University of Lincoln on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - Developing, Testing and Validating Indicators of Wild Insect Welfare at University of Lincoln, listed on FindAPhD.com

us.list-manage.com

In zoos, feeder animals like mice, fish, and invertebrates often outnumber the animals on exhibit. Guidelines for their care are brief and rarely species-specific. O'Brien, Fischer & Barrett on addressing feeder animal welfare, in Zoo Biology: doi.org/10.1002/zoo....

Beyond the Exhibit: Addressing the Welfare of Feeder Animals in Zoological Institutions

Enhancing the Welfare of Feeder Animals in Zoos.

doi.org

Only one month left to submit an EOI to our current call for proposals! We’re excited to fund your insect welfare projects! 🐛🐜🐝

Arthropoda Foundation@arthropodafound.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Calling all insect researchers! 🪲 Our 2026 RFP is open. We're funding empirical work on farmed insect welfare—humane slaughter, stocking density, welfare indicators, husbandry SOPs, and more. Grants up to $10K ($50K for exceptional cases). EOIs due Aug 15 → arthropoda.org/call-for-proposals

Want to stay up to date with the latest in #InsectScience? From research and policy to outreach and education, our newsletters bring it all straight to your inbox. 📬 Subscribe to one (or all) and stay connected 🔽

RES Newsletter & Email Updates - Royal Entomological Society

We aim to send you occasional updates about how we are enriching the world with insect science, and how you can be involved. We hope you enjoy them. We have four e-newsletters – one for supporters,…

buff.ly

We're launching a one-day workshop at Newcastle University on an important topic at the frontier of animal welfare science: "Validating Welfare Indicators in Invertebrates." Co-hosted with @newcastleuni.bsky.social and @arthropodafound.bsky.social Abstracts will be accepted through August 15:

Workshop on Validating Welfare Indicators in Invertebrates

Please send your abstract by August 15

arthropoda.org

In case you missed our June seminar with Jesi Gibbs on nociceptive integration in snapping shrimp, the recording is now available on our YouTube channel! youtu.be/6HQto4r6ew0

Insect Welfare Research Society@insectwrs.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Our next research seminar explores behavioral and neurochemical evidence of nociceptive integration in a snapping shrimp (Alpheus angulosus), supporting the hypothesis that a shrimp species may experience pain. Join us June 23 with Jesi Gibbs (M.S. in Marine Biology, College of Charleston).

Adding to the case for insect sentience - new research shows flexible self-protective behaviour in injured crickets doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

Flexible self-protection as evidence of pain-like states in house crickets

Abstract. The possibility that insects experience pain is a frontier question at the intersection of behaviour, cognition and philosophy of mind. Interest

doi.org

Fascinating open-access paper on how insects respond to repeated stress in the wild.

Emily Gilford@emilygilford.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Crickets don’t just “get used to it” 🦗 In this new paper, we find context-dependent learning in wild field crickets: repeated disturbance led to trait-specific responses, with modest sensitisation in some behaviours, stable escape speed, and individual variation 🏃‍➡️ doi.org/10.1016/j.an...

Honey bees are managed by humans and vital to agriculture—yet they sit outside the welfare laws covering farmed animals in the EU and Poland. A new review maps this gap and asks how Five Domains and One Welfare apply to the colony as a superorganism.

Welfare of the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera): Legal, Biological and Practical Perspectives

Authors: Jarosław Sobolewski, Jagoda Jeleniewska, Roman Kołacz

doi.org

If you’re at the European Congress of Entomology in Tours, France come say hello and grab a pin from us and a pamphlet for the @insectwrs.bsky.social

It's #InsectWeek! 🐞 Explore @royentsoc.bsky.social events and resources to learn more about insects and their astonishing abilities—from parental behavior in beetles to moths that interfere with bat echolocation! #StandTallForTheSmall

Royal Entomological Society@royentsoc.bsky.social · last mo.

#InsectWeek is back and bigger than ever 🪰 Whether you're fascinated by butterflies, curious about beetles or simply want to spend more time connecting with nature, there's something for everyone! Join us in celebrating the little things that run the world 🔽 buff.ly/gCVYfHw #StandTallForTheSmall

Check out RES Publications on Bluesky! 📚 Follow @respublications.bsky.social to stay updated on the latest research published in our seven #entomology journals, info on new additions to our book & handbooks, sneak peeks into our members exclusive magazine, #Antenna and more 🔽 📖 buff.ly/4hatyX9

RES Publications@respublications.bsky.social · 2y ago

Welcome to RES Publications on Bluesky! 📖 https://buff.ly/4hatyX9 Join us here for the latest in our seven #entomology journals, details of every new article & each new issue, as they are published Follow also for new RES book & handbook series titles, & peeks into the members' magazine #Antenna

Our next research seminar explores behavioral and neurochemical evidence of nociceptive integration in a snapping shrimp (Alpheus angulosus), supporting the hypothesis that a shrimp species may experience pain. Join us June 23 with Jesi Gibbs (M.S. in Marine Biology, College of Charleston).

Beyond reflex: Behavioral and neurochemical evidence of nociceptive integration in shrimp

Featuring Jesi Gibbs, M.S. in Marine Biology, College of Charleston

insectwelfare.us9.list-manage.com

📢 Approaches in Entomology, our new #OpenAccess journal, is now open for submissions! 🎉 It will publish innovative and exciting advances to methods and techniques, including ethics and philosophies, across the breadth of entomology 🔬 Submit your research 🔽 buff.ly/PfF2l49

Call for Papers!

RES Members and Fellows get a 20% discount on the APC! Visit our journals page for info.

buff.ly

Many congrats to @larschittka.bsky.social for this honor from @royalsociety.org!

The Royal Society@royalsociety.org · 2mo ago

Professor Lars Chittka FRS is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. His work has transformed our understanding of animal intelligence by demonstrating that bees, despite their tiny brains, exhibit advanced cognitive abilities such as counting, attention and others. #RSFellows https://bit.ly/49xJuRy

Bumble bees can apparently play with balls, count, recognize faces, & perceive rhythm. A new study out today in @science.org argues they can also solve novel tasks spontaneously without explicit training, challenging the idea that such cognitive skills are exclusive to large-brained vertebrates.😲🐝🧪👇

Spontaneous problem-solving in bumble bees

Problem-solving using novel solutions without explicit training is often considered a hallmark of cognitive flexibility. We investigated whether bumble bees (Bombus terrestris) could solve a novel obj...

science.org

There's an exciting new venue for insect welfare research! @royentsoc.bsky.social and @wileyonlinelibrary.bsky.social have launched Approaches in Entomology: Methods, Philosophies, and Ethics. Submissions open soon!

Approaches in Entomology: Methods, Philosophies, and Ethics

Approaches in Entomology: Methods, Philosophies, and Ethics is a Royal Entomological Society journal dedicated to advancing insect science, and entomological research methods and philosophies.

bit.ly

New in @jexpbiol.bsky.social: bumblebees quickly learn to avoid flower colors paired with electric shock or salty water. But the memories don't fade equally—bees hold onto the shock association longer. This suggests they may treat a potentially harmful cue differently from a merely unpleasant one.

Aversive memory and extinction learning for noxious stimuli and aversive tastants in bumblebees

Summary: Bumblebees rapidly learn to avoid aversive stimuli and remain flexible when an unpleasant taste is used as reinforcer, but a nociceptive stimulus reinforces avoidance behaviour such that beha...

doi.org

An exciting job opportunity with @arthropodafound.bsky.social to help shape the field of invertebrate welfare!

Arthropoda Foundation@arthropodafound.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Are you a researcher or industry expert with a deep interest in shrimp aquaculture? The Arthropoda Foundation is hiring a Program Officer to scope and commission research that improves conditions for farmed shrimps! Remote, $75,000/year. Learn more and apply: www.arthropoda.org/work-with-us

Calling all insect researchers! 🪲 Our 2026 RFP is open. We're funding empirical work on farmed insect welfare—humane slaughter, stocking density, welfare indicators, husbandry SOPs, and more. Grants up to $10K ($50K for exceptional cases). EOIs due Aug 15 → arthropoda.org/call-for-proposals

Does producing shrimp on certified farms improve their welfare? Join us next Tuesday, May 19.

Insect Welfare Research Society@insectwrs.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Around 440 billion shrimp are farmed and slaughtered each year. Do certification schemes protect their welfare? On May 19, Urja Thakrar (Royal Veterinary College) will present the first farm-level shrimp welfare study and reflect on how certification could be strengthened. Join us:

A new @cp-trendscognsci.bsky.social Forum piece reviews "valuation illusions" in insects—perceptual and cognitive biases (risk aversion, decoy effects, incentive contrasts) that cause decisions to deviate from economic rationality, much as in humans and other vertebrates. @tomerczaczkes.bsky.social

Valuation illusions in insects

Many animal choices are economic, requiring the evaluation of costs and benefits. However, as in humans and other vertebrates, the behaviour of insects often deviates from economic rationality due to…

cell.com

Recognition of octopus sentience is increasingly reflected in public discussion, alongside emerging global policy efforts to restrict or ban octopus farming

Love Eating Octopus? You Might Want to Read This First

The octopus on your plate can feel pain, delay gratification, and probably outthink a toddler. Just something to consider before you order.

psychologytoday.com