Check out our latest paper looking at the sensilla on the antennae of the Helm's stag beetle! We found that males had larger antennae than females and a unique type of sensilla! rsnz.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #Lucanidae, #entomology, #insects, #biology

It's the last day to cast your vote for New Zealand's #BugoftheYear2026! You can choose up to three of your favourite nominees. You can vote from anywhere - you just need to vote by midnight NZT. bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz

Have you voted for #BugoftheYear2026?!? You can listen to the interview I did with OAR FM Dunedin - Community Access Media for more inspiration. accessmedia.nz/player...

Alison Cree & I were interviewed for an article that just came out in New Zealand Geographic! The graphics are brilliant. #WaspLove @zoologyotago.bsky.social @nzgeo.bsky.social www.nzgeo.com/stories/ther...

There’s no place like home

All around you, animals are building, burrowing or stealing dwellings for themselves and their families. For others, home is a state of mind.

nzgeo.com

Colin Wright is a world class loser

German wasp vs male sweat bee. When males hunt for mates, the ground nesting bee community becomes more obvious to predators. The males won't contribute to the nest, and the females don't waste time hovering. This community will be fine. @zoologyotago.bsky.social youtu.be/ymdlevx43nY?...

German wasp catches sweat bee

YouTube video by Jenny Jandt

youtu.be

Tarantula Hawks are very handsome. New World Tarantula-hawk Wasp (Pepsis sp.) on horsetail milkweed. #inverts Southwestern Research Station, Portal, AZ

For Pride Month, I created bumble bee and #WaspLove Progress Flags from photos I've taken over the years.

A link to our #JandtLab website and to our "Is it a Bee?" pamphlet are now prominently featured on an Otago Regional Council site dedicated to Bees in Otago!!! @zoologyotago.bsky.social www.orc.govt.nz/environment/...

Bees

Learn about the bees of Otago – from native pollinators to introduced species. Discover their roles in biodiversity, food production, and ecosystem health.

orc.govt.nz

But wait... there's more... Zoology Department, University of Otago is hiring a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer in Conservation Biology too! @zoologyotago.bsky.social otago.taleo.net/careersectio...

Get your CVs updated. Zoology Department, University of Otago is hiring a Lecturer in Evolutionary Ecology! @zoologyotago.bsky.social otago.taleo.net/careersectio...

Also see: the absolutely ridiculous flappy fairy wings of Olixon banksii

Our recent publication on bumble bees was highlighted on RNZ today, and I was asked to give a short interview about it (~15 min). The publication is open access - so anyone can access it: link.springer.com/article/10.1... @zoologyotago.bsky.social www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

The special relationship between bees and tomatoes

Bumble bees are the only insects that can pollinate tomatoes. Professor Jenny Jandt from Otago Uni's zoology department has just completed a study looking at how we can help the bumble bees thrive and...

rnz.co.nz

🎨 Tie-Dye Your Lab Coat! Join the Zoology Rainbow Committee for an explosion of color, creativity and snacks! Bring something cotton to dye, something plastic to carry it home, and wear mess-friendly clothes. 🗓️ 28 April 2025, 5:30 PM 📍 Benham Garage, Zoology

Not only a great opportunity to work at a stellar Uni, but it's only a 38 min drive to the Shire.

Chrissie Painting@cpaintingnz.bsky.social · last yr.

Wanna come work with me? We're advertising a fixed term Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at Waikato. We're especially keen on someone who works on birds, reptiles, bats etc. Let me know if you have questions! www.seek.co.nz/job/83279795...

Ok - I am not a fan of taking photos of dead things, much less posting them to socials. But I've successfully identified female (left images) and male (right images) Lasioglossum sordidum - New Zealand Sweat Bees - under a scope using a proper taxonomic key. @zoologyotago.bsky.social

Few things better than when your butterfly student knocks on your door and proudly presents a cup full of tiny wasps that emerged from her butterfly pupa. What's in there? We need to slow them down & ID under the microscope. Today, we admire so many living in one pupa! @zoologyotago.bsky.social

#BugoftheYear2025 is now getting international media coverage! edition.cnn.com/2025/02/20/t...

New Zealand’s bug of the year is an ancient worm that spits poison goo | CNN

Of all the bugs New Zealanders could have selected to win an international competition, they chose neither the prettiest, nor the most useful.

edition.cnn.com

www.rnz.co.nz/news/nationa...

Ancient worm-like creature that shoots slime crowned 'Bug of the Year'

It is estimated to have been around in Aotearoa for 500 million years.

rnz.co.nz

Congrats to Team Velvet Worm! #bugoftheyear2025

Re my love for bugs: "You have to look for them. But once you start looking, the world becomes this bigger, more magical place.” I'm so happy she used this quote! Bug Day 2025 made it to The Guardian! www.theguardian.com/world/2025/f...

Worm-like creature with ‘dark secret’ wins New Zealand bug of the year award

Velvet worms have rows of pudgy legs, skin speckled like a galaxy and dissolve their prey with sticky goo

theguardian.com

It's the LAST DAY to vote for Bug of the Year 2025! We are 370 votes away from reaching 10,000 voters this year! Can we reach the goal in the next 7 hours?!? Learn more about the nominees here - and don't forget to vote! bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz #BugoftheYear2025

Happy Valentine's Day! Learn more about the Exquisite Owlet here. bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-... #bugoftheyear2025 The Entomological Society of New Zealand

Happy Valentine's Day! Learn more about the Giant Springtail here: bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-... #bugoftheyear2025

Happy Valentine's Day! Still haven't voted for Bug of the Year yet? Consider the Gravel Maggot - named after Smeagol (Smeagol climoi). Click the link to learn more about this nominee! bugoftheyear.ento.org.nz/2025-bug-of-...

Happy Valentine's Day! Our study (6yrs to develop, 2yrs to carry out) is published! We show that by adding additional flowers (here, borage) to a protected monocrop (here, tomatoes) increases bumble bee colony health AND fruit output. @zoologyotago.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

The impact of floral diversity on bumblebee colony development and pollination efficacy among foragers  - Apidologie

The environment in which pollinators are reared may influence both their health and pollination performance. We compared the performance of 12 colonies of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), each in their...

link.springer.com

Check out our latest study - led by Greer Sanger and co-supervised by Janice Lord - on the Kahukura | NZ Red Admiral preference and performance on Ongaonga | Stinging Nettle (its host plant). Congratulations Greer! newzealandecology.org/nzje/3581 @zoologyotago.bsky.social

Sometimes, the nest entrance gets blocked with dirt while Momma is out foraging. If you watch in the upper right corner at the start of the video, another Momma flies right into her nest - no problem. But the Leioproctus fulvescens on the bottom - she's gotta dig first. @zoologyotago.bsky.social

If you know anyone who might be interested in working as a technician before a PhD, I'm looking for someone to work with me to generate some amazing data to understand the genetics of behavior, sex differences, and reproduction in an evolutionary context. Bonus? Amazing and supportive department!

Where do male solitary bees go when it rains? These little Hylaeus (masked bees) were trying to burrow into the dandelions. @zoologyotago.bsky.social