Mastodawn

🐝⚔️ #UCL researchers studying #tropical paper #wasps in the #Caribbean found that removing a queen triggers violent fighting among females.

But, hidden helpers called “compensators” skip the power struggles entirely, instead gathering #food and caring for #larvae – saving the colony from collapse.

👉 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/05/260526021958.htm

#polistes #panama #insects #animals #science #biology #nature #study #research

Queenless wasp colonies explode into chaos but hidden helpers save them

When a queen wasp suddenly disappears, her colony doesn’t calmly choose a successor — it erupts into chaos. Researchers found that female wasps immediately begin battling for power, shattering the colony’s social order in a frenzy of aggression. But while some fight for the throne, others quietly become the colony’s unsung heroes, stepping up to gather food and care for the young so the society doesn’t collapse.

ScienceDaily

TKSST • seethis.tv 🌈🪐✨May 20

🐝👑 Researchers at #PennState discovered that worker #bumblebees control which #larvae become queens by feeding them juvenile hormones.

When workers received the hormone, they passed it into larval #food, producing heavier larvae that grew into queens. The finding shifts our understanding of #bee colonies from a strict hierarchy to a more decentralized system where caregivers shape the colony’s future.

👉 https://www.popsci.com/environment/worker-bees-pick-queen/

#bees #entomology #biology #insects #nature #science #hormones #research #pollinators #evolution

Worker bees have power to pick their queen

Bumble bees either become the larger and fertile queen or a smaller and sterile worker.

Popular Science

John

May 16

My plans for spraying the #feijoa for #GuavaMoth #larvae & #LeafRoller #caterpillars have gone out the window with the rain.

Ditto whipper snippering. “Do not use on wet grass!” it says on my machine, so I’ll heed the manufacturer’s advice.

The #BigPear #tomato might come down today. We had a final harvest last night of 11 large, but still green, tomatoes.

It’s planter will become home to one of the Feijoa.

The rest will go into the ground where the #JerusalemArtichokes are now.

Lies Van Rompaey May 9

I saw these larvae after I stepped on a snail shell.

Any ideas what they could be?

#larvae #insect #snail #nat

Thomas May 6

New on my #blog: https://aspi.blog/2026/05/06/surrey-ruthless-against-sussex/
A look back at the closing stages of Surrey's victory over Sussex in the last round of county championship matches and a photo gallery.
#cricket #CountyCricket #CountyChampionship #SurreyvSussex #SURvSUS #photography #birds #swans #GreylagGeese #Oystercatchers #heron #robin #sparrow #insects #bees #larvae

Surrey Ruthless Against Sussex

A look at the final stage of Surrey’s ruthless disposal of Sussex in the county championship and a photo gallery.

aspiblog

Lamotano May 2

Ladybug larvae and pupa. Several shrubs beside a nearby river were so covered in them. There were also a few black aphids on those shrubs. Apparently the larvae were having a feast.

// 30-April-2026, 10~21°C //

#insektensamstag #insects #ladybugs #larvae

Lamotano May 2

Ladybug larvae and pupa! Several shrubs beside a nearby river were so covered in baby Ladybugs. There were also a few black aphids on them. Apparently they were having a feast.

// 30-April-2026, 10~21°C //

#insectensamstag #insects #ladybugs #larvae

ghost with camera 👻📸Mar 25

*Caliroa cerasi* (https://w.wiki/J2n8) is probably just gross and pesky to people who grew up with them every autumn, but I was quite fascinated to find this weird little slug has legs and isn't a slug at all 👀

#PNW #USA #WA #OlympicPeninsula #ClallamCounty #WestEnd #Outdoors #Autumn #Nature #Animals #Arthropods #Insects #Larvae #Photography #MobilePhotography #Wikipedia

Stefan F. Wirth Mar 16

RE: https://scicomm.xyz/@dantheclamman/116196703399022292

How do #animals #aggregate?#Mites can find each other based on #pheromones, while #sight is important for herd-forming #mammals. In #marine #habitats, #hearing plays a major role. D.McAfee et al.(2022) showed that #oyster #larvae react to the #soundscape of a healthy #reef via #statocysts in front of their bodies, thus finding their adult conspecifics for #reefformation. Reef formation can be artificially #stimulated via artificial #soundwaves.
©#StefanFWirth 2026
Ref
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14307

Grand Rapids Punk Flyers Feb 26

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