Welcome
Try our NEW WEBSITE: https://www.dipterists.org.uk/
The Diptera ("di-ptera" = two-winged) or "true flies" is the largest order of animals in the UK with around 7,000 known species and new ones being discovered every year. They are found in all habitats from the sea shore to mountain tops. Whilst some are agricultural pests or vectors of disease, the great majority are beneficial. They are extremely important as predators on other pests and diseases, as pollinators, as food for other animals and the immature stages of the bulk of the species are involved in the decay of organic matter and the recycling of material back into the soil.
Entomologists who specialise in these insects are "dipterists". In 1993, a group of people who wanted to find out more about every aspect of their lives, including the habitats they require, set up the Dipterists Forum. There is a great deal still to learn about flies. Mapping the distribution of some groups is a major achievement of the Dipterists Forum to date, but the immature stages of the majority of species are still unknown. Many species are becoming increasingly rare as a result of habitat loss and climate change.
Why not join the Dipterists Forum and help us find out more about flies? There is so much still to learn; we welcome beginners and there are always people who can help you out in the early stages. You don�t need to be an expert, or even to leave your own garden, to contribute to our knowledge of these fascinating insects. Flies need your help! Read more ...
Take a look at our new flier on ... flies!
Watch our new video for more about the Dipterist's Forum
Flies are fascinating: Dipterists forum from NINA CONSTABLE MEDIA on Vimeo.
Identification Workshop at Preston Montford
Diptera Workshops 2020
Picture-wing flies (advanced) and Hoverflies (beginners)
Preston Montford Field Centre, near Shrewsbury
Friday 14th � Sunday 16th February 2020
Tutored by David Clements and John Showers (picture-wings) and Stuart Ball (hoverflies)
Details on Field Studies Council website: http://www.field-studies-council.org/prestonmontford from mid October (search in Courses, then Individuals & Families, then Natural History)
For more details on the courses see: https://www.dipterists.org.uk/events/pr … g-workshop
Bursaries for 2020
The Dipterists Forum holds an annual weekend course at the Preston Montford field studies centre near Shrewsbury. These courses cover selected families of flies in detail, and the 2020 course will be about flies with patterned wings, including the Tephritidae, Ulidiidae, Pallopteridae and Opomyzidae. It will take place from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th February. Running simultaneously with this will be a beginners� course on hoverflies (Syrphidae).
The Forum also has annual residential summer field meetings lasting for one week. These take place at various venues around the country, and the 2020 meeting is expected to be based in Falmouth from the 27th of June to the 4th of July. Attendees spend their days in the field collecting and observing flies, and evenings in a laboratory where they can identify their catches alongside other dipterists. Beginners are made very welcome and can gain valuable knowledge from more experienced members.
We offer up to two bursaries for the Preston Montford course and three for the summer field meeting. Each bursary covers half the total cost including accommodation costs. If you would like to apply for a bursary please send your application by e-mail to Howard Bentley, [email protected]
Your application should say what you hope to gain from attending, how you would expect to contribute to the Forum�s aims of the study, recording and conservation of Diptera, and why you would benefit from financial assistance. If you are currently involved in a research programme please include brief details. We will be looking for evidence of enthusiasm and interest in flies. Preference may be given to those who have not received a bursary previously. Applications should not exceed 300 words. Successful applicants will be expected to write a short account of their experience afterwards, and this will be published in the Forum�s Bulletin.
Applicants must be members of the Dipterists Forum. The closing dates for applications are: Friday 29th November 2019 for Preston Montford; Friday 27th March 2020 for the field meeting. If you would like further details of what is involved in these meetings please send a request to the e-mail address above.
Bulletin of the Dipterists Forum - contributions by July 31st
The deadline for the next issue of the Bulletin is rapidly approaching.
Please give some thought to any contributions you can make that our readership will enjoy.
It's a key issue regarding both our 25th Anniversary and needs a summary of all the Year of the Fly blogs
Rob Wolton has sent out a call for items related to his conservation items. Roy Crossley has done a jolly item related to his being the first Chair - 25 years ago. David Iliffe already has a 10 page Hoverfly Newsletter, Alan Outen has improved our image library by around 400 and others are working on other themes.
I've been working on several topics for some time, notably photo-sharing sites (e.g. Flickr), Scratchpads and a feature on saproxylic Diptera.
The review section is a handy place for a short piece - I'm doing Guy Shrubsole's "Who owns England" but you must have read something relevant - even an old book would be of interest, remember we're getting new members all the time who don't know about this stuff.
A summary of social media topics would be very handy to have.
Don't forget to put the phrase "DF Bulletin" in the title line to your email - my filter then helps me not lose stuff. Also make sure you send it to Judy Webb too, she finds stuff that I do lose.
Darwyn
International Year of the Fly 2019
There are some details of DF's contribution to the International Year of the Fly 2019 on the new DF web site at-
https://www.dipterists.org.uk/year-of-the-fly
The international site is at-
http://yearofthefly.org/
DF spring meeting, 17 - 19 May 2019, West Sussex
Please visit our new website for information about this event. https://www.dipterists.org.uk/events/di … est-sussex
Information on our summer field meeting, 22- 29 June can be found at https://www.dipterists.org.uk/events/di … l-scotland