I’ve been doing some gardening today and was moving bags of dirt and observing the critters underneath (a couple of trapdoor spiders, centipedes/millepedes and your normal grubs and bugs) when I came across what I initially thought was a cricket, then a roach and then I was scratching my head because what is that!
Looks to be maybe winged and was quite aggressive to my little twig I was using to picture it better.
It was maybe an inch and a half long.
I’m located Far South Coast NSW.

Am I the only person slow to realize that a swimming pool, while also being a bit of a La Brea Tar Pit for contemporary insects, can also be a great way to collect insects to document?

Yes, I've previously fished insects and spiders out of the pool, but recently, it hit me that slightly dazed and waterlogged insects pulled out of the pool are slower than usual, and it's easier to photograph them in that state than when they're in their element on leaves, etc.

I've included a selection of photos from two insect saving sessions:

• Male Neozeleboria cryptoides - first one in the water, with some tiny insects clinging to it, and second, as it recovered on concrete
• Male specimen from Oligotoma genus - probably O. nigra, but waiting for someone to confirm this on iNat
• Female velvet ant - iNat's computer vision says it's Odontomyrme genus (velvet ants are actually a type of wasp where the females are wingless)
• Iridomyrmex purpureus (yes, I even rescue ants from the pool!)

Potter wasp's nest which I had to remove from a bbq. Came off cleanly and the underneath revealed the doomed caterpillars inside. Campsite at Cooktown, FNQ.

Does anyone know any really variable invert sellers/breeders? speaking of niches beyond bug frenzy and minibeast, closer to Bugs4Pets for example.

Nth East Gippsland, quite remote. The first pic is of something that fell into the yard after high winds. The second pic is maybe the same thing still in a tree. Anyone have any idea?

Kind of looks like a lady bug but green?

Location: South Queensland.

Found this cheeky beetle when I was vacuuming. Been quite the eventful evening for insect finds. Safely relocated the beetle, a mite and a spider. I am a modern day Noah, just housing insects left and right. As an aside, It makes that hissing sound like a rhino beetle too.

Saw this crawling on the ceiling. Thought it was a spider. Got it down for closer inspection. Looked super alien so did some searching and apparently it is a rainbow mite! Never heard of or seen them before. Crazy stuff. kinda cute though how it walked all gumby.

I've never seen one of this colour before, why is it white? Adelaide, SA

Edit: I found this mantis while weeding, meaning my hands were dirty, my hands and nails have since been cleaned.

According to iNaturalist, this is a specimen of Catacanthus punctus. And according to what I can find out, it is a type of Shield Bug. Visitor to our campsite in Cooktown, Far North Queensland. Absolutely incredible colours. Went on its way unharmed, after kindly hanging around to be photographed.

Photo taken with Pixel 10 Pro. Cropped slightly, but not enhanced.

She just looks pleased as punch. Melbourne, VIC

I’m in arid South Australia. Is this a post-pupa moth that’s just inflating its wings?

Found this thing on my wet bath mat in Brisbane. Never seen anything like it? It’s about a third of the size of a pinky finger nail

Hello!! My boyfriend has a bug appreciation and i was thinking (with his permission of course) of getting some for his birthday. My question is what an easy starter bug is for someone who has never owned any. They need to be fairly low maintenance as he is a little busy sometimes. I also would like to know about some good websites i can go to as well to purchase all the equipment i’ll need :) we also live in victoria which i assume is probably important.

Thanks!!

Western Australia. Heard a fly buzzing/struggling in a plant nursery and followed the source of the noise. Pretty sizeable meal for such a little mantis.
Apologies for the shaky camerawork.

Found in south-east QLD. ~15mm in length, with 5mm of that being the mandibles alone.

I genuinely thought it was some type of grass seed on my bathroom mat until I picked it up. Thought it was dead until it began very slightly moving its legs when I flipped it over. It is now standing but not moving.

And I'm fairly certain that is debris from my medical marijuana on its back...

Had this beautiful little guy walking along my arm thought it was a bull ant originally but the tail curling up like that was wild.

Saw this guy crawling in my yard. Never paid much attention to caterpillars but in my head they were much larger than this. Any ID advice appreciated.

Located in south eastern suburbs of Victoria.