The Royal Entomological Society recently announced the winners of the Insect Week photography competition 2022. Pete Burford, who only took up macro photography two years ago, won the contest for his stunning close-up shot of mating golden-tabbed robber flies, BBC announced.
According to New Scientist, robber flies are native to the UK and are found in heathland in the central southern and central eastern parts of England. He named the picture 'It Takes Two'.
See the winning picture here:
The annual amateur competition attracted more than 700 entries from 34 countries, with a total of 24 images receiving commendations this year, as per BBC.
Gustav Parenmark, 16, from Sweden, won the under-18 category with a picture of a blue-tailed damselfly, entitled Fresh Out Of The Shower.
See the image here:
Meanwhile, Marc Brouwer's picture of a hummingbird hawk-moth was awarded second place in the over-18 category.
"Each year this competition becomes more difficult to judge as the standard of amateur insect photography continues to improve," said Tim Cockerill, head judge and senior lecturer at Falmouth University.
"Interest in insects, in all their fascinating glory, is increasing as we begin to better understand the role insects play in our lives, and the role humans must play in theirs."
Here are the other images that made it to the list:
This year, Insect Week will take place from June 19-25.
