Did you know that pumpkins, as an entomophilous crop, rely on insect pollination and are typically pollinated by a variety of bee species? All cultivated pumpkins (Cucurbita pecies) have separate male and female ( = unisexual) flowers, requiring pollinators to transfer pollen for fruit set. Pumpkin flowers provide abundant pollen and nectar resources to attract …
Between 16 and 19 September, I had the pleasure of attending the 10th Congress of Apidology (organized by the Estonian University of Life Sciences) in Tallinn, Estonia. It was a special gift for me to be able to present a poster, entitled ‘Buzzing under pressure: Investigating the effects of anthropogenic disturbance on the intraspecific behaviour …
Between 10 and 14 September, I had the pleasure to present two posters at two different conferences simultaneously: one in person at the 9th Student Conference on Conservation Science (SCCS) in Balatonvilágos (Hungary) and the other online at ENTO24 organised by The Royal Entomological Society. I enjoyed the SCCS’s strong focus on pollinators, which allowed …
It was a great honor for me to receive certificates for two of my submissions in the Rave Terceira 2024 – Matela photo competition organized by the Azorean Biodiversity Group. My photo, titled ‘So close, and so far away at the same time‘ received first place (1° Prémio Presenca Humana) in the “Human Presence” category. …
On a wonderfully sunny morning in early May, looking for a suitable location for my PhD fieldwork, I discovered a flower patch near the ocean where the wonderful ‘triumvirate’ of Glebionis segetum, Silene uniflora, and Lotus creticus lured a wide range of pollinators. While recording the bumblebees foraging on the Lotus, I tried to ‘catch’ …