Articles in ‘insects of Britain’
March 1st, 2010
The Co-op is further expanding its Plan Bee campaign by providing aspiring urban bee-keepers with free training and equipment. Life in the city can be better for bees than in the countryside, points out Chris Shearlock, the Co-op’s Environment Manager:
They can find flowers in city parks and gardens, and they are away from some of the pesticides that are threatening them on farmland. It’s a misconception to think that they won’t thrive in cities and towns. I’ve heard of honey being sold from apiaries around King’s Cross station in London.
In the end, what’s going to save the British honeybee, whose population has dropped sharply in the last 25 years, is its value to the economy: as fruit-tree pollinators and annual producers of 5,000 tonnes of honey, they’re worth 165m a year. Independent
Beekeeping in Britain, insects of Britain, urban nature in Britain | Tags: beekeeping courses, Co-op Plan Bee, decline of honeybees in Britain, how to become a beekeeper, Urban beekeeping, value of bees to the economy|
November 15th, 2009
2009 has been the year of the Painted Lady butterflies, after unusually favourable breeding conditions in North Africa triggered a remarkable wave of migration that saw millions arrive in Britain. So it’s appropriate that this year a niggling mystery regarding this species has finally been solved. After breeding, do these butterflies attempt to survive the British winter, or do they migrate southwards?
With a huge response from the public, Butterfly Conservation have been monitoring the movements of Painted Ladies all year and have received numerous reports of the butterflies heading out to sea off the south coast of Britain and arriving in the Mediterranean and North Africa. Richard Fox of Butterfly Conservation:
This is exactly the evidence needed to lay this enduring mystery to rest. Painted Ladies do return southwards from Britain in the autumn enabling the species to continue its breeding cycle during the winter months.
butterflies of Britain | Tags: Painted Ladies in Britain, Painted Ladies migrate south, painted lady butterfly migration, public monitor butterfly movements|
November 9th, 2009
Instead of hibernating, bumblebees are showing increasing activity during British winters. Sightings are most frequent in the south-east and the west of England, but are also being recorded in East Anglia, Wales, the Midlands and as far north as Hull. Climate change undoubtedly has a role to play, but the trend is also being attributed to the British passion for gardening and the availablility of flowers all year round for foraging bees. The non-native shrub Mahonia is mentioned as being particularly popular with both gardeners and insects. The phenomenon, restricted to British urban and suburban areas, is shedding light on how certain species of bees might be adapting to climate change. More info in the Independent
Climate change in the UK, insects of Britain | Tags: bumblebees active in winter, bumblebees and climate change, gardening and bumblebees, how insects are adapting to climate change, Mahonia and bumblebees|
October 27th, 2009
The Queen of Spain Fritillary (Issoria lathonia), a rare migrant sporadically seen on the south coast of England, has been observed breeding in Sussex. With climate change, the butterfly’s range has been creeping ever northwards, and sightings in England have increased in recent years. The mating Fritillaries photographed by Neil Hulme, member of Butterfly Conservation, are believed to be the offspring of a migrant butterfly spotted in July. It now remains to be seen if this species will be able to establish a breeding colony, as the Clouded Yellow (Colias croceus) has done. Its success will depend largely on environmentally-friendly farming practices, such as not spraying crops at the edge of fields. More information on the Queen of Spain Fritillary at UK Butterflies
Climate change in the UK, butterflies of Britain, insects of Britain | Tags: climate change and butterflies, effect of climate change on British butterflies, Issoria lathonia in Britain, migrating butterflies in Britain, Queen of Spain Fritillary colony in England, Queen of Spain Fritillary in Britain, rare butterflies of Britain|
October 20th, 2009
Interesting slideshow from The Guardian on the harlequin ladybird, said to be the most invasive ladybird in the world. Visit
See also Harlequin Ladybird Population Explosion
Invasive species in Britain, insects of Britain | Tags: alien species, Harlequin ladybird, Harlequin ladybird in Britain, Harlequin ladybird in England, Harmonia axyridis, Ladybird parasites, Ladybird species in the UK, Non-native species in Britain|
August 24th, 2009
The population of the UK’s honeybees continues to fall, with almost 20% of colonies dying last winter, according to figures from the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA). The figure is an improvement on the 30.5% for winter 2007-08 but is way short of the 7-10% which until the last five years had been considered acceptable. Average national losses of 19.2% were highest in the north of England at 32.1%, and lowest 12.8% in the east of England. Mass bee deaths termed colony collapse disorder are blamed on disease possibly compounded by pesticides, changes in agriculture, and climate. Bees are estimated to be worth around £200m to the UK economy thanks to the job they do pollinating crops.
Beekeeping in Britain, insects of Britain | Tags: Bees of Britain, British Honeybees, colony collapse disorder, Honeybee numbers in the UK, Honeybee population in Britain|
August 19th, 2009
An airy place to stretch your legs, Rodborough Common is perched steeply over Stroud, on the edge of the Cotswolds. Any time of the year is good for extensive views of the Severn estuary and Welsh mountains on the horizon, but spring to summer are best, as the carefully managed chalk grassland is a haven for butterflies and wild flowers. Read the rest of this entry
England, Flora of Britain, Southern England, Walking in Britain, Wild flowers of Britain, butterflies of Britain | Tags: Autumn ladies tresses, Duke of Burgundy butterfly, greater horseshoe bat, limestone grasslands, Stroud Rodborough Common, walking with good views, walks near Stroud, weekend in Stroud, where to find orchids, where to see butterflies|
August 19th, 2009
This summer there’s good reason to be optimistic about the Duke of Burgundy (Hamearis lucina), on the list of endangered British butterflies. With the destruction of its preferred woodland habitat, the species hung on in areas of undergrazed downland in the south of England, favoured by the crash in the rabbit population. What’s unusual this year is that a second generation of the butterfly has appeared in one of its more northerly outposts, Rodborough Common, Gloucestershire, owned by the National Trust. Climate change seems responsible for the butterfly emerging earlier every spring and for this appearance of a second brood in summer, as occurs in southern Europe. Read more at the BBC, where you can also listen to the clearly thrilled conservation advisor Matthew Oates, as he talks about the revival of the Duke of Burgundy.
Climate change in the UK, Conservation issues in the UK, butterflies of Britain | Tags: Butterflies in England, butterflies on Rodborough Common, butterfly conservation, Duke of Burgundy butterfly|
August 7th, 2009
People are normally very well disposed to ladybirds. Their aphid-devouring habits make them a gardener’s friend. But patience towards the flying beetles is being stretched as millions settle on Norfolk, making it the biggest invasion of Bishy Barney Bees, as ladybirds are called locally, since 1976. Read in The Independent
insects of Britain | Tags: bishy barney bees, ladybird swarms, ladybirds in Norfolk|
August 5th, 2009
The natural habitat of Cimex lectualrius is furniture and matresses. Better known as the bedbug, this insect has been living with humans since pre-historical times, when it shifted its attentions from bats to cave-dwelling people. It largely disappeared from British lives after the Second World War, due to widespread use of synthetic insecticides. But in the last couple of decades it’s been enjoying a resurgence. The modern day bedbug takes advantage of our globe-trotting society and is not selective, hitching a ride in suitcases or rucksacks, and staying in 5 star hotels or backpacker hostels. Read the rest of this entry
insects of Britain | Tags: bedbug facts, bedbug infestations, bedbugs and globalisation, bedbugs in uk, history of bedbugs, how to recognise a bedbug, increase of bedbugs|
July 31st, 2009
Summer time is perilous, judging by some of the recent headlines in the Daily Telegraph:
Wasp Hordes poised to invade British Gardens, Army of Flying Ants descend on Britain, Swarm of Millions of Ladybirds infests farm.
It’s enough to make you flee indoors and hide, with all windows sealed shut.
But one invasion is described in words that don’t invite fear and loathing: Billions of Butterflies expected in Gardens. Read the rest of this entry
Wildlife in gardens in Britain, butterflies of Britain, insects of Britain | Tags: Butterflies in Britain, butterfly migration in Britain, insect invasions, Painted Ladies in Britain, Painted Lady migration, summer insects in Britain|
July 26th, 2009
A third of Britain’s dragonfly species are under threat of extinction. Why? The problem is threefold: pollution, pesticides and habitat loss. So the opening of a Dragonfly sanctuary in Wicken Fen, Cambridgeshire, is timely. In a pristine environment of ditches and ponds, 21 of Britain’s 42 species can be seen. Read more in the Guardian.
Conservation issues in the UK, East Anglia, insects of Britain | Tags: dragonflies in Britain, dragonflies in danger, dragonflies in the fens, loss of wetland habitat, Wicken Fen|
July 16th, 2009
With one third of everything we eat involved bee pollination, the current collapse in honey bee populations could cost country £200 million Hives in the UK and elsewhere have suffered massive losses in the last few years largely due to a disease known as varroa mite. Other factors blamed for the decline include the loss of habitat like wild flower meadows, climate change, pesticide use and a mysterious condition known as “Colony Collapse Disorder”. Daily Telegraph.
insects of Britain | Tags: colony collapse disorder, Honeybee numbers in the UK, varroa mite|
July 7th, 2009
According to entomologists, several once-rare species of crickets are spreading through England because of global warming, far faster than any other insect. Their chirping mating sound, more associated with the Mediterranean, is being heard further and further north.
Daily Telegraph
Climate change in the UK, insects of Britain | Tags: Climate change and insects, Crickets in England|
July 3rd, 2009
It is estimated that there are 274,000 bee colonies in the UK. These produce an average of 6,000 tonnes of honey a year, managed by some 44,000 beekeepers. Honeybee numbers in the UK have fallen between 10 and 15% in the last two years due to colony collapse disorder.
The Guardian
Beekeeping in Britain, insects of Britain | Tags: Bees of Britain, British Honeybees, colony collapse disorder, Honeybee numbers in the UK, How many beekeepers are there in the UK?|
The RSPB is gathering extensive information about exactly where swifts are nesting in the UK. It is suspected that their rapid decline in recent years is linked with a drop in suitable nesting sites, as buildings are modernised.
The first year’s survey reveals that of the houses where swifts are nesting:
A new generation of commoners will receive financial support to ensure animals continue to graze in the New Forest and so conserve its rich biodiversity.
There are now some excellent landscape blogs covering Britain. Here are a few:
With more and more people wanting to grow their own fruit and vegetables, the National Society of Allotment and Leisure Gardeners have over 100,000 people on their waiting lists. The National Trust have responded to this demand by allocating land for “super allotments” or community farms. In return for a monthly fee, members will decide what should be grown, and have the opportunity to work on the farms, receiving a share of the produce. 
