Casey Forster

Masters of Research Student at Macquarie University. I have a passion for invertebrates and particular interest in both wild and managed bees

[NSW Climate Change, Energy, Environment & Water @nswdcceew]

The #threatened #MountKaputar land snail and slug ecological community was impacted by the 2019/20 bushfires 🐌🌿Thankfully, this unique community is showing signs of recovery, with recent #SavingourSpecies and #NSWparks surveys finding lots of snails and slugs in the area!

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

@BeeBabette @ColinTheotime @pipilika_aj Neat! Thanks for the info kit 😁

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

Thyreus nitidulus. The neon cuckoo bee. As the name suggests these Australian bees are not only gorgeously striking but they lay their eggs in the nests of blue banded bees to feed on the resources intended for the blue banded bee larvae. Sneaky! #insect #bee #australia

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

@ColinTheotime @BeeBabette @pipilika_aj One of the easiest ways is number of bands. Males have five bands while females have four. You can also get a good idea based on their facial markings. Behaviours can be another good indicator too as I think males tend to roost together like more this than mixed sex groups.

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

@ColinTheotime @pipilika_aj Brilliant footage 😁👌

[Steph Bagala @SeaSteffers]

Super happy that I've been able to start fieldwork looking at the effects of eco-engineered panel designs on benthic fish assemblages this week, with an amazing team of volunteers behind me! @MQBiology @LivingSeawalls

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

Great Natural Pest Management workshop at the Sustainability Hub at Grantham Heritage Park. Covered issues, preventions, and treatments. It was also fantastic to hear recognition and support for the sustainability of our beneficial insects in urban ecosystems. @blacktowncc

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

@Faemourmourakis @westsyduhie Don’t worry I’m sure next year will be fantastic too!

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

Great time at Sydbee held at @westsyduhie today. It was fantastic to hear what great bee and pollinator projects are happening around Sydney. Already keen for next year! #sydbee#bee#pollination

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

My Masters of Research project is now underway folks! I’m looking at the physiological effects of the neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, on honey bees with the hope of improving biomonitoring of insecticides. #neonicotinoid #insecticide #biomonitoring #mqbiology

[Dr Lizzy Lowe @LizyLowe]

Stumbled across this amazing mass of native bees in our community gardens today 😍😍😍 are they... halictid bees? @ManuSaunders?

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

A cool fact about masked bees is that unlike most other bees who carry their pollen back to their nests in pollen baskets or specialised hairs, these bees swallow it. #bee #australiannative #pollination

[James Listy @BaronBotany]

How cool are Sarracenia!! The ant was lucky enough to avoid being gobbled up. #Carnivorousplants #sarracenia #flytrap #ant

[Dr Lizzy Lowe @LizyLowe]

Such a cool find on my balcony: mud dauber nests CHOCK-FULL of paralysed spiders to feed the wasp larvae inside!
In the 4 nests there were 48 spiders!!

[Remember The Wild @RTW_Aus]

Many #insectenthusiasts are wondering where all the #Christmasbeetles are. Have you seen any this year?

https://t.co/V7ZpWEWhOd

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

I love watching stingless bee hive entrance shenanigans in slow motion. Tetragonula carbonaria bees kind of just headbutt their way into the hive but it appears to be effective as well as adorable nonetheless. #stinglessbees #bee #insects

[Russ McSpadden @PeccaryNotPig]

Long-horned bee mating behavior.
🤔🐝😍 Some serious next-level tips on becoming a better bee in the bedroom.

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

Finding cheeky Gasteruptiid wasps searching for bee nests. These parasitic wasps poke their ovipositors into unsealed resin bee nests and lay their eggs. The wasp young develop and eat the young of the bee #parasitic #insect

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

Was lucky enough to witness Australian native metallic carpenter bees nesting. There were 5-6 individuals coming and going from the one nest. About 5 were inside at once which impressively suggests how large the internal structure is. Here are some images of the males. #bee

[Casey Forster @CaseyForster10]

Open day was a great success at Macquarie University today. Lots of brilliantly curious minds came to chat to us. Found a few wonderful people interested in our Australian native and managed bees too @MQBiology @MQSciEng #bee #pollinators