A gallery of insects from the summer of 2023-24

A search for the identity of a small male cricket leads me to characterise its mating call and learn how it is generated

The seasonal transformation begins in August, and with each passing week we welcome arrivals. Here is a compilation of my favourite sightings from the past two months.

A look at some of the activity in the forest and its adjacent river in the cooler months of the year.

Like most Crabronids, Cerceris are solitary wasps. Intriguingly, however, a few species display behaviours reminiscent of social insects. Our local species, Cerceris antipodes, is one such. I delve into the research literature to learn more about their nesting habits.

Yet again the mud nest of a Pison wasps yields up a surprise. Melittobia australica (Eulophidae) displays simple forms of social insect traits, including sib-mating and cooperative behaviours.

A single regenerating eucalyptus bush has provided the home for 3 different species of sawflies to rear their young.

An unfamiliar sand wasp leads me to investigate Crabronidae … and develop tools I can apply to related puzzles in the future.

One small patch of sandy ground, so many ground-nesting insects! Seven species of crabronid, three bees, velvet ants … and more.

In the natural garden of the forest floor this month, Tetratheca and Stackhousia are islands of calm amid a hectic sea of bees and peas. So I set out to discover more about the pollination strategies of these very different types of flowers.

Sawflies are much more than spitfire grubs. They’re an ancient, diverse group of insects with a fascinating biology.

A selection of images from late Sept to mid Oct 2022

We discover a tiny, sand-nesting wasp and record unique photos and observations of a rarely seen crabronid … Rhopalum coriolum.

A dispersal flight from our long-lived termite mound demonstrates that it still houses a reproductively active colony

The return of the bees, forecast for late August, has been quite dramatic this year. Just a week ago, I couldn’t find a single native bee. Now the Leucopogon flowers are alive with a variety of native species.