27th April Amateur Entomologist's Society Members' Day, MShed, Bristol

Snapped by Joe whilst setting up!

 All ready to go.

 Centre back: 'Handle with Care', June 2012. 

Front left: Red and pink 'Bee's Pods,' April 2013.  

Far right: Colour graduation 'Bees' Pod Boxes,' (contains 5 bees' pods) April 2013.

 Left front and back: Orange and Pale Violet Graduations 'Bees' Nest' wall sculptures, April 2013.  

Centre back: 'Handle with Care' small frames, November 2012.  

Centre front: Multi-coloured freestanding 'Bees' Pod Group', April 2013.

 Chatting to visitors.

Just wanted to post some photos of my stand at the Amateur Entomologist's Society Members' Day and thanks to the organisers Dafydd Lewis, speakers and other stall holders for their great company and kind comments about the 'Handle with Care' and 'Offerings to the Insects' work I had on display.

This time I didn't pluck up the courage to hold one of the stick insects, but I can see that if I am going to continue in the field of entomology I will have to face my insect handling fear head on!  Joe got full marks for handling and identifying British slugs during the morning workshop.  Now there's a creature I can not hold!

March of the Beekeepers

 In Parliament Square

 The 'Mountain of Evidence' - scientific studies done into 

the effects of pesticides on bee populations in Europe

 In Parliament Square

Today I took part in the march in Parliament Square to try and sway the vote in Parliament next Monday on banning certain pesticides from farming practice in the UK.

As the Soil Association outlines in its leaflet 'Keep Britain Buzzing' published in 2012 to raise awareness of the decline of bees in the UK:

"1990's Neonicotinoids such as Imidacloprid and Thiamethoxam are in routine use.  Scientists are now discovering that even very low doses of neonicotinoids, well below what many used to consider a 'safe' level of toxic chemical, can disrupt bee behaviour."

Needless to say, bees and insect pollinators play a huge role in our food production and it is for these reasons that I am making the 'Offerings to the Insects' collection of sculptures.