The bee lab at Ento25 – Exploring insect science in Glasgow

In September, our lab was represented at the Royal Entomological Society’s Annual Conference, Ento25, held in Glasgow. Researchers from around the UK and the rest of the world came together to discuss all things insects, from ecology and evolution to conservation and climate change.

Matthew presented his talk titled “Do mother Bees Provisioning Young Tailor Their Pollen to the Nesting Environment?” which involved some data from our previous field season (among others) exploring how foraging mothers might adjust their nesting behaviour and offspring’s nutrition in response to temperature conditions of the nest.

Jamie presented some of his work on how developmental temperature stress can have long-term consequences for bee reproduction, titled “Lasting Impacts of Sublethal Pre-pupal Heatwaves on the Fertility of the Solitary Bee, Osmia bicornis”.

This conference was a fantastic opportunity to share some of our initial findings, learn from other researchers studying insects, and discuss emerging challenges for pollinators in a changing world.