Dipterists Day and Annual General Meeting 2026 - Cardiff Museum

This year’s Dipterists Day, including the AGM, will be held at National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP on Saturday November 14th. We will be hosted by Dr Thom Dallimore, the Senior Curator in Entomology, who specialises in the Culicidae. The Museum Diptera collections will be available for those wishing to view them on Friday 13th, with the Dipterists Supper that evening.

Please sign up if attending Museum Collections Friday day, the Dipterist Dinner Friday eve and/or the Dipterist Day and AGM on the Saturday in the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdD-A1UjTtsOxUh331XSd4LBp7jkX7svWMtBrqm3xe-pmnFmg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

The Friday programme includes a visit to the Museum Collection and The Dipterist Dinner in the evening - see schedule below.

The Saturday programme will include talks on Bee-flies and Climate Warming, 50 years of the Hoverfly Recording Scheme and much more - see schedule below. Members are encouraged to bring posters and exhibits and in honour of the late Peter Chandler, displays of Fungus Gnats, Flat-footed Flies or other appropriate fly groups or topics would be particularly welcome. There will be plenty of time for viewing exhibits and socialising over coffee and lunch break.

The AGM agenda, Committee posts for election and the draft Treasurers Report are all available on page 6 of the Autumn 2026 edition of the Bulletin (102) which has been sent by post to those members subscribing to this service or is available to all members online on the DF website here: https://dipterists.org.uk/for-members

There is guidance on travelling to the Museum, a map and suggestions for accommodation below.

We very much look forward to welcoming you to the National Museum of Wales this year.

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Collections visit schedule Friday 13th November

10:30-16:30

For the collections – anyone accessing the collections must go through the security lodge (aptly named “The Lodge”) at the rear of the museum. Please do sign up to the form to let Thom know who is coming and what they would like to look at. Depending upon how many sign up we may need to have two sessions – please therefore indicate on the form AM/PM/all day (very keen)

Recommended Pub for imbibing between collection rummaging and curry eating is the Pen and Wig pub which has a ‘half decent beer selection’.

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Dipterists’ Dinner, Base Camp Curry House - Friday 13th November 

18:30pm

• Starters: A selection of starters served pre-plated as a trio for each guest, so nobody needs to choose in advance.
• Mains: A selection of vegetarian and meat dishes served to the table for everyone to share. These are served in generous portions rather than as individual standard portions and they are happy to provide refills where required, so everyone has plenty to enjoy.
• Rice & breads: Served alongside the main dishes for the table to share.
• Dessert: If you would like a dessert course, this can be individually pre-plated by our chef for each guest.

Price is £35 per person . if any one like to add dessert £5 extra

(This restaurant has been thoroughly tested to determine its suitability)

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Dipterist Day schedule Saturday 14th November

10:30-15:00

Access will be available from 09:30 onwards. Please enter via the museums main entrance (Gorsend Gardens Rd). On entering the museum, go through the double sets of doors straight ahead and down the stairs into the old restaurant area. There will be a registration table and Pemberley Books. There will be plenty of signs, so you can’t miss it. 

10:30 Welcome and Orientation. 
10:35 Thomas Dallimore – Welsh Mosquito surveillance
10.55 Roger and Stuart – Celebrating 50 years of the Hoverfly Recording Scheme
11.15 Ash Kirk-Spriggs – The Diptera Collection of the African Natural History Research Trust - a developing resource
11.35 Ash Kirk-Spriggs – ICD11 and the Dipterists Society
11.40 Coffee Break – tea and coffee will be provided

12.05 DF AGM

12.30 Lunch (posters/exhibits)

13:30 Matthew Sparks – I Spy with My Compound Eye: Recreating Musca Colour Vision to See Their World
13:50 Yacine Ben Chehida – Update on the Poll-A-Gen project: sequencing Britain’s pollinators
14:10 Martin Harvey - Update on Bee-fly Watch 
14:20 John Bloomfield - Citizen science data reveals that earlier and shorter flight periods correlate with climate warming in the Dark-edged Bee Fly
14.40 Erica McAlister – A thank you to Peter Chandler  
15:05 Closing Remarks - Erica McAlister

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How to find Cardiff Museum 

• Address: Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NP [1]
• Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Closed on Mondays) 
• By Train: The nearest station is Cathays Station, about a 5-minute walk away. Cardiff Central is about a 20-minute walk.
• By Bus: Take local bus services or the Bay Car (Number 6) from Cardiff Bay to the city centre, then connect to local routes serving Cathays Park.  

• By Car: Leave the M4 at Junction 32 and follow signs for the city center (use postcode CF10 3NP for satnav). On-site parking is available behind the museum off Museum Avenue for a flat rate of £6.50 (free for Blue Badge holders).

  

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Accommodation suggestions

Please sign up if attending Museum Collections Friday day, the Dipterist Supper Friday eve and/or the Dipterist Day and AGM on the Saturday in the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdD-A1UjTtsOxUh331XSd4LBp7jkX7svWMtBrqm3xe-pmnFmg/viewform?usp=publish-editor

Any questions or concerns, please contact Erica McAlister e.mcalister@nhm.ac.uk