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What do You Have to do to Get a Drink Around Here?

Monday, 4 August 2025

Water! From a purely biological point of view water has a number of properties that are paramount for the proliferation of life on this – or any other – planet. Its life giving and sustaining properties is what sets it apart from all other substances.

From the largest mammal to the tiniest insect we all have to drink. If we don’t we die. Here, we focus on the little guys, the ones which you can hardly imagine need much water. Indeed, sometimes they can be in danger of being carried away in their enthusiasm to sate their thirst. Thanks to some wonderfully macrophotography we get to see this most vital of functions being carried out – with some gusto – by a host of insects.

Welcome to the Bee Hotel

Sunday, 18 September 2022

This remarkable structure can be found in Place des Jardins  in Paris and is known as a bee hotel. You may be wondering what bees need a hotel for, when they make their own hives. The truth is that many species of bees are solitary – the do not live in hives but instead construct their own nest. The main reason for this is because in these species every female is fertile and this would not make for comfortable communal living in a hive.

Bee hotels are necessary for a number of different reasons. To begin with bee populations have been on a decline in recent years. Part of the problem is that their natural habitats have been cleared to make way for intensive agriculture. Pesticides have also been instrumental in their decline. 

Ecdysis: When Growing Up is More than Skin Deep

Sunday, 12 June 2022

Many invertebrates go through a process called ecdysis.  Taken from the ancient Greek the word means, literally, to strip off.  It leaves behind an exuviae (often spelled with the final e omitted), the remains of the exoskeleton which has been shed, often with related structures still attached. For some invertebrates it can be a regular occurrence to facilitate growth.  For others it can be part of a series of instars which culminate in the emergence of the finished, adult form.  It is a fascinating process where beauty can be found in the grotesque. For these animals, however, the process of growing up is far more than simply skin deep.

Essentially, ecdysis is the molting of the cuticle, the tough multi-layered cover outside the epidermis that provides protection as an exoskeleton. The exoskeleton must be shed as it constrains growth. First, the cuticle separates from the epidermis – yet the arthropod remains inside for now - this is called apolysis. Next, a hormone called ecdysone is secreted from the epidermis. It fills the gap between the old cuticle and the epidermis which is known as the exuvial space. The enzymes in the hormone are not activated until a new epicuticle (the outermost waxy layer of the arthropod exoskeleton) is formed. Once this is done they kick in and the lower regions of the old cuticle are digested. Finally the process of molting can start.

The Incredible Glasswing Butterfly

Saturday, 13 March 2021

A butterfly with transparent wings? Surely not. Yet there is a species that exhibits this trait. Take a close look at the incredible Glasswing, an enchanting species that confounds science.

The Love Bugs

Wednesday, 30 December 2020

The diversity of insects on this planet is astonishing and should be a source of continual wonder for us all. It can only be hope that these incredible creatures can be left to survive and continue their species for many millennia to come. Of course they do everything we do - sometimes with much more aplomb! You may think this is Mother Nature at is rawest and you would be right, but ready or not - here we go!

The Tarantula Hawk Wasp - Ruthless ‘Raptor’ of the Insect World

Sunday, 26 August 2018

They are among the largest species of wasp and their name is taken from both its prey and a ruthlessly efficient killing machine, the raptor known as a hawk.  Yet the Tarantula Hawk Wasp gains its fearful name and reputation from the simple urge to care for and nourish its young.

Growing up to two inches (5cm) in length the sight of a tarantula hawk would send the average entomophobic in to a state of palpitations.  So, perhaps if you are already frowning squeamishly, your knuckles rapidly whitening, then you should not read on.

Alien Nations: Up Close and Impersonal with Insects and Spiders

Sunday, 10 June 2018

It is little wonder that many movie monster makers look to the alien world of insects for their inspiration. Here, with the aid of some amazing macrophotography, get up close and impersonal with some strange species that might not look too out of place in a sci-fi movie.

There are around ninety species of beetle backed flies – and this is one of them. Native to Asia and Africa they do are small sized insects but with macrophotography they do not look quite so small. The reason for its swollen appearance is not because it is about to lay eggs (or has just ingested something larger than itself which is enough to start off a gag reflex, possibly). Rather it has an enlarged scutellum. This is the triangular plate behind its pronotum, which is one of the three parts that makes up its thorax. Its wings are behind the scutellum.

Colors I

Wednesday, 12 April 2017


Alessandro Carillo started shooting this short film in March when the parks are relatively free of people and the first signs of spring begin to appear in London. Here you can experience the first flowers, the first hungry insects and just the general joy of spring through his wonderful photography.

The parks of London have never looked so beautiful as here and the film is infused with marvelous colors and moving bokeh which lends a certain romanticism to it – you would hardly think it was shot in one of the busiest cities in the world.

The Tortoise Beetle - Amazing Metallic Arthropods

Monday, 8 August 2016

They look almost manufactured.   Many tortoise beetles have transparent cuticles, the tough but flexible outer covering which gives the insect family its name protects the delicate creature within.  The living tissue is often metallic in color and can in some species even change color.  The combination is as diverse as it is extraordinary – many look like tiny robots assembled to infiltrate, the ultimate bug. Take a look in at the amazing variations of tortoise beetle our world holds.

Loom

Saturday, 28 May 2011


This is simply stunning. Loom tells the story of a successful catch. A moth inadvertently flies in to a spider’s web and its fate is sealed. As it disturbs the web with its struggles so its nemesis advances upon it from behind. This will – hopefully – blow your mind, as it did mine!

It is the creation of Polynoid, the design and storytelling loving collaboration of Jan Bitzer, Ilija Brunck, Csaba Letay, Fabian Pross and Tom Weber.

Founded in 2007 as a creative platform and playground for their own films and experiments, Polynoid today uses that same spirit but combines it with the resources of a production studio. It looks, from this superb animation, to have a very bright future ahead of it.

My Father's Garden

Friday, 22 April 2011


Sometimes the world can seem very large – at other times miniscule.  This amazing short film plays on both of those feelings.

Mirko Faienza shot his father’s garden in Bologna, Italy, with all the requisite wildlife.  It is all shot in gorgeous colors and the attention to detail is quite amazing. 

Add to that the fact that the music suits it so very well and you have six minutes of bliss!

Dangerous Beetle Discovered in the UK - Citrus Longhorn

Saturday, 31 July 2010

OK, so he doen't have huge fangs and he doesn't carry a plague that is going to kill you and your loved ones, but this Citrus Longhorn Beetle is a serious, serious threat if it encroaches properly in to the UK.  So, here is the bad news - one was found in Leicestershire a week or so ago.  Assume that the person who found it wasn't really looking for it and you can pretty much guess it is not the only one in England.

The Citrus Long-Horned Beetle (Anoplophora chinensis to give it its Latin name) is found in the Far East where it is considered a serious pest.  Why?  It can lay two hundred eggs after doing the Discovery Channel thing and each one is deposited separately in to the bark of a tree.  Once hatched it chews in to the tree and makes itself a tunnel in which to pupate.  Once adult the cycle happens all over again.

The Long-horned beetle is posing a threat to the environment in the US like nothing before.  Why?  It attacks healthy trees and has no enemies there.  It has no regard for where it attacks, so your garden is just as likely a place as farmland - if it has trees in it. Oh - did we tell you?  It has a cousin which, like the smarties, comes in blue....

So, just one found in the UK?  What's the panic?  Let's put it in to perspective.  If you do the math here, you will realise that the Beetle, if allowed to spread could do untold damage to the environment.  No natural enemis means carte blanche to reproduce as much and as quickly as it can.

So, if you see one of the guys in your garden then call the Plant and Seed Health Inspectorate on 01904 465625.

Time For A Quick Drink

Sunday, 4 April 2010


Going out to work each day to provide for that huge (and growing) family back home is no joke.  In fact it's hard work and after a day's foraging there is nothing like a swift pint down the pub to put things back on track.  OK, so this ant isn't exactly in his local hostelry but the thirst is comparable at the very least.

Here he is taking a gulp of a mixture of honey and ant food.  Yes, the shot is posed (as it were) but you have to admit that for a shot of an ant actually drinking then this is posed to perfection.


Image Credit Flickr User Spettacolopuro

Sleepy Bee

Saturday, 3 April 2010

At first glance you might think that this bee has cast off this mortal coil and gone to honey heaven.  In fact, it is just having a light doze. This is a simply perfect picture of an Australian Native Bee, caught as the sun goes down, down under (as it were!).

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