http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/ British Insects Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:33:38 GMT Andy Horton http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4955 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4955 Hello, 2 November 2009 When the sun emerged from from behind the frequent clouds a Peacock Butterfly emerged from hibernation by the Ivy on the edge of the Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:07:36 GMT Stuart Roberts http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4954 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4954 BWARS has investigated the possibility of making its newsletters available online, but with a year's delay (so that members get the immediate advantage of Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:57:01 GMT Mike http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4953 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4953 Hi Group I frequently come across references to small journals and newsletters (e.g. Entomologist's Monthly, Bulletin of the British Arachnological Society, Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:40:36 GMT Atkinson, Will http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4952 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4952 Sounds like an excellent idea. Might be worth contacting the Royal Ent Soc who publish the handbooks for the identification of British Insects. Their Wed, 14 Oct 2009 06:51:38 GMT tipula_maxima http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4951 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4951 I wanted to ID some Ichneumonids so I searched for a key to the Diplazontinae on the web. I found a key to genera but the asking price for the 10 pages is Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:16:00 GMT Andy Horton http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4950 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4950 Hello, October 2009 Life for the declining number of butterflies was beginning to becoming more difficult. The Ivy was still an attractant but everywhere the Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:36:27 GMT colin_naughtymoose http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4949 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4949 Thanks for your input chaps. I will be conferring with my pals during mid-week, and will hope to have some further input then. Tim's comment about the pollen Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:25:31 GMT Mike http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4948 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4948 Could it have been the hoverfly Volucella zonaria? They are quite a convincing hornet mimic active in late summer. Mike Sat, 10 Oct 2009 21:18:40 GMT Tim Strudwick http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4947 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4947 Two more ideas - hornets are hairy on the thorax though this is not usually obvious; if they are seen against the light (as when the sun is low) they can look Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:27:49 GMT Malcolm Ogilvie http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4946 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4946 Maybe you did agree that, but now you have added that it made a noise that merely confirms me in my belief that it was a hummingbird hawkmoth. Have a look at Sat, 10 Oct 2009 16:22:48 GMT Bart van Herk http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4945 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4945 If furry, i think it cannot have been a wasp or other hymenopteran. Some moths are large, hum and may even have clear or partially clear wings Bart van Herk Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:57:03 GMT Malcolm Ogilvie http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4944 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4944 That was my immediate reaction. Hummingbird Hawkmoth to those who don't remember scientific names! Malcolm In message Sat, 10 Oct 2009 14:29:44 GMT naughtymoose@... http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4943 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4943 Philippe, we agreed on-site that it was not a moth.  It was also 'buzzing'. Do hornets/wasps/bees (presumably they are of the same order) ever get 'dusty' Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:51:25 GMT Philippe Moniotte http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4942 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4942 Macroglossum stellatarum ?? Philippe Sat, 10 Oct 2009 07:26:10 GMT colin_naughtymoose http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4941 http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/british_insects/message/4941 Hi folks. Last Friday at Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex, a couple of fellow birdwatchers and I saw a strange hornet. No pictures unfortunately, but I'll try