This tournament Insect Week It showcases the best insect photography by amateurs of all ages, shedding light on the miniature world of insects.
The overall winner of this year’s competition is Luke Chambers from the UK, whose piece “Sleeping Cuckoos” depicts two beautiful cuckoo bees resting on a blade of grass covered with morning dew (scroll down to see it).
The overall winner in the “18 and under” category was 17-year-old Gustaf Pallenmark from Sweden, whose work “Silence” shows a striped damselfly at rest.
The Royal Entomological Society exists to advance the science of insects through research and to increase public understanding and appreciation of insects and the vital role they play in the Earth’s ecosystems.
Here are this year’s fantastic contest winners and some other favourites.
Special Award for Under 18s – Purple Fire
Leaf-cutter wasp (Megachile lagopoda). This species is under threat due to intensive land use. Photo: Gustav Pallenmark
Portrait of Special Praise – Picasso Bug
The aptly named Picasso bug (Sphaerocoris annulus) was photographed in Louiru, Kenya. Photo by Robin Backhouse
Under 18 Runner-up – Robber Fly Breakfast
A spindly-legged centipede fly (Leptarththrus brevirostris) feeds on small insects. Photo by Jamie Smart
Special Award Portrait – Flowers of Evil
European mantis (Mantis religiosa) among cyclamen. Photo by Panagiotis Dalagiorgos
Honorable Mention Portrait – Brown Argus Roosting at Sunrise
A brown argus butterfly (Alicia agastis) warms itself on a stalk of grass as the sun rises, Martin Down, Dorset, UK. Photo by Richard Sheldrake
Particularly praised behavior – mating veins
Two mating Timandra comai moths. Timandra comai moths belong to the Geometridae family. They get their name from the distinctive reddish stripes that run from wing to wing. Photo by Heath McDonald
Specially praised environment – a pair of silverfish
These silverfish (family Bacillarioidea) appear to be stuck together in tiny clay nest structures. Some of their shiny silvery scales are frayed, which may indicate an imminent moult. Photographed in Western Australia. Photo by Frank Ashwood.
Under 18 Winner – Tranquility
A striped male Calopteryx splendens dragonfly photographed in Sweden. Photo by Gustav Pallenmark
Special Smartphone Award – Pollinator
A common Carder’s bumblebee (Bombus pascuorum) collecting pollen from a flower. Photo by Michael Wood
Particularly praised behavior – fatal attraction
A swarm of dead flying ants floats on the surface of a swimming pool. United States. Photo by Rosemary Haleem
Special Award for Under 18s – Camouflage Masters
An Indian praying mantis (Schizocephala bicornis) transforms into a leaf. The color of the mantis and the leaf are almost the same and it is impossible to spot the insect unless it is moving. The mantis’s body was following the veins of the leaf, making it difficult to identify. Photo by Kushaan A Ksheerasagar
Particularly praised behavior – Conopidae column
Male and female red-legged bees (Sicus ferrugineus) nestle after mating. The smaller male guards the female, making sure no other suitors ruin the night. Photo by Luke Chambers
Special Smartphone Award – Wasps join cream teas
A German hornet (Vespula germanica) joins a family enjoying a cream tea at a British cafe. Photo by Abi Batten
Special Smartphone Award – The Moth and the Mountain
A male wolf moth (Saturnia pavonia) rests on the heather on the slopes of Meal Buide. In the background you can see the summit of Stack an Lochaine in the Scottish Highlands. Photographed in Scotland, UK in May 2023. Photo by Marianne Cockburn.
Special Prize Portrait – Centipede
A brown heath robberies (Epitriptus cingulatus) resting on long grass in Droxford, Hampshire, UK. Photo by Stephen Mahy
Particularly rewarded behavior – Junk Bugs
Junk bugs (Chrysopidae) are voracious predators of the insect kingdom, so named because they wear vegetable matter and the exoskeletons of past victims on their backs as part of a complex camouflage to fool predators. Photo by Rosa Dunbar
Special Featured Portrait – The Third Eye
A photo of a velvet wasp (Ichneumonidae) in a moth trap in the UK. Photo by Ben James
2nd place overall – Caddisfly larvae
Spotted sedge caddisfly (Glyphotaelius pellucidus) larvae in a gelatinous egg sac. Taken on a leaf overhanging the water, this image shows newly hatched caddisfly larvae in a clear, gelatinous egg sac. The larvae fall into the water and live as aquatic insects through their larval and pupal stages. Photo by Tim Jonas
Overall Winner – Sleeping Cuckoo
A flying squirrel (Epeolus variegatus) sleeps on a leaf. Morning dew is visible on the surface of its eyes. Photo by Luke Chambers
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