It certainly is a very useful tool, and it has an excellent index. . . . All things to all people; it is crammed with snippets of information: life cycles, descriptions, maps, definitions, status, distribution, seasonality, habitat, food plants, behaviour, etc."—Mike Smith, Phasmid Study Group

A. crabroniformis is associated with a range of open habitats such as heath and various types of grassland with rough shrubby vegetation, and is associated with old dung with females laying their eggs on or under the crust, particularly cow dung, though also horse and (if in mounds) rabbit. Despite this fairly broad habitat requirement, it is a local species rarely found in large numbers. The map below (courtesy of the National Biodiversity Network) suggests a fairly widespread distribution in southern Britain; however, some of these records date from before the loss of much of its habitat (especially in East Anglia) - most recent records are from the heaths of Dorset, Hampshire (as here) and Surrey, plus chalk grassland in Hampshire and Wiltshire, with scattered records elsewhere. Britain's Hoverflies: A Field Guide - Revised and Updated Second Edition Stuart Ball and Roger Morris Must-have . . . impressive Britain’s Insects, which really will help you identify almost every insect you are ever likely to come across in the UK.The addition of other flowering plants will increase the wildlife value of lawns. These establish best if raised as small plants in seed trays and transplanted into the lawn. Prevent excessive scrub invasion of suitable habitat while ensuring a range of vegetation type/structure. Such figures give strong numerical support to the veracity of anecdotes about splattered car windscreens and moth-plastered patio windows becoming a thing of the past. Equally stark is the fact that although meteorological patterns fluctuated to some degree during the years of the study, it was clear that weather was not the cause of the declines. Insects make up about two-thirds of all life on Earth [but] there has been some kind of horrific decline,” Professor Dave Goulson of Sussex University, said at the time. “We appear to be making vast tracts of land inhospitable to most forms of life, and are currently on course for ecological armageddon. If we lose the insects, then everything is going to collapse.”

The WILDGuides are among the very best field guides available, offering multi-access identification to relatively small groups (60–150) of organisms, for example butterflies, dragonflies, day flying moths. Larger groups of organisms have been taken on, such as the spiders, where 440 of the 680 species are dealt with, the missing 240 species belonging to the Linyphiidae (the tiny money spiders that require microscopic examination), and birds, where 631 species are dealt with. Challenges indeed, but ones that the WILDGuides take in their stride and deal with exceptionally well. However, when the bar is raised to a group like ‘insects’,readers could be forgiven for wondering if the WILDGuides had taken a step too far. Europe's Sea Mammals Including the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde: A field guide to the whales, dolphins, porpoises and seals Robert Still, Hugh Harrop, The pandemic is thought to have had a dramatic effect on one particularly unwelcome insect highly reliant on the pre-March 2020 normality of frequent international travel. Pest control companies across the western world, including the UK, reported a dramatic drop during the pandemic in calls to deal with bed bug infestations as hotel and flight bookings plummeted. Of course, squashing bugs with your car isn’t a good thing, but this realisation - called The Windscreen Phenomenon (and, yes, that’s what entomologists call it) - is just one small indicator that Britain’s bugs are in trouble. In the UK, insects are currently struggling to survive (as are lots of animals, plants and birds) against increased urbanisation, use of stronger pesticides in farms and gardens and the ongoing effects of climate change. The State of Nature Report suggested a 59% decline in insects in the UK since the 70s, but how many of us noticed, and how many of us cared? Stag beetles are probably one of the most famous beetles in the world, known for their fierce looking pincers, dark wing-cases and long legs. You’ve probably seen stag beetles on TV or maybe at a zoo or animal park and they get their name from their distinctive, antler-like mandibles. In Japan, these beetles are often popular pets and can be found in pet shops and even department stores! It might surprise you to learn, then, that these impressive beetles are actually a native UK species. Often seen flying around at dusk in the summer months as they search for a mate, these giant insects prefer warmer temperatures and low rainfall so are most common in the south, but can be found all over the country.Britain's Reptiles and Amphibians: A guide to the reptiles and amphibians of Great Britain, Ireland and the Channel Islands Howard Inns He said: “Fumes from vehicles, particularly diesel engines, have been shown to mask the scent from flowers making them undetectable by pollinators. A reduction in traffic will have meant that flowers will have been more attractive to pollinators, boosting not only wildflower populations, but also those of their pollinators. The fact that insect biomass has been declining at a steady rate for almost three decades strongly suggests some profound influences must be at work. Most entomologists believe habitat change lies at the heart of the problem. “There have been massive alterations to the way we use the land and it is hard not to believe these are closely involved in what we are seeing,” said Leather.

Fox said the 22% decline in abundance now recorded in northern Britain over the 50-year-period was “a real concern”. This lavishly illustrated photographic guide provides a comprehensive overview of the natural history of wildlife habitats in Britain and Ireland. Now completely redesigned in a handy field-guide format, and featuring revised and... We cannot afford to lose them and that’s what makes this issue so urgent and so important,” Leather concluded. “That’s worth keeping in mind as the summer evenings begin – and we see hardly any insects.” Ladybirds A game-changer of a book, a truly significant contribution to the study of our insects . . . . Anyone interested in insects will find Britain's Insects of value. ---Dr S G Compton, BiologistThis innovative photographic guide covers the most common wild flowers and other plants found in Great Britain and Ireland, as defined by the very latest distribution maps. It is designed so that anyone faced with an unfamiliar wild... Britain's Hoverflies: A Field Guide to the Hoverflies of Great Britain and Ireland Third Edition Fully Revised and Updated Stuart Ball and Roger Morris One of the biggest problems I found when growing certain vegetables was the slugs eating all of my crop. As a proud organic gardener, I refused to use chemical repellant and only wanted a natural deterrent. We tried everything from paprika, thorns around the plant, beer traps, you name it. However, ground beetles actually love slugs and snails. They eat by vomiting on their prey and waiting for their digestive enzymes to make their food more fluid and easier to eat. Only very few ground beetles can actually fly, and their long legs and powerful mandibles allow them to be voracious predators. Even the larvae of this insect have pincer-like mandibles which allow it to eat soil-dwelling organisms. Plant a wide range of plants too, with a mix of native and non-native, evergreen and deciduous. Here are five inspirational wildlife-friendly plantsto get started.

These are simple enough in concept, but of course not so straightforward to implement. Asilus-friendly habitat management should be quite easy to achieve (at least in principle, assuming the time and resources to control scrub etc) , though beyond the bounds of the nature reserve it is less clear how the loss of cattle dung can be reversed. However, education of land-owners is important and simple measures can ensure a continuous supply of horse dung, although again it will require a considerable change in behaviour to reduce the use of avermectins which are popular broad-spectrum treatments. In the end, this is a charismatic species which, with a little effort and creativity, could be more widely known and popular as 'Britain's biggest fly'. Then the weight of the insects caught in each sample was measured and analysed – revealing a remarkable pattern. The annual average weight of insects found in the traps fell by 76% over the 27-year period of their research. Most alarming, however, was the discovery that the decrease was even higher – 82% – in summer, a time when insect numbers should reach their peak. Britain hosts a diversity of freshwater environments, from torrential hill streams and lowland rivers to lakes and reservoirs, ponds and canals, and ditches and estuaries. Britain's Freshwater Fishes covers more than 50 species of... But perhaps the most alarming aspect of the research was the realisation that these grim drops in insect numbers were occurring in nature reserves – in other words, in areas where the landscape was highly protected and should be the most friendly of habitats for insects. Conditions elsewhere were likely to be a lot worse, the scientists warned.According to Fox, positive developments for moths include the hope that post-Brexit financial support for farmers will be based around “ public money for public goods” which could incentivise more nature-friendly farming, and afforestation efforts as long as it is “the right tree in the right place”. In this beautifully illustrated introductory guide, Jens Petersen shows how to successfully identify and forage for edible mushrooms, and then how to prepare them for the table to ensure a delicious culinary experience, even if you're a... Looking at dragonflies, a group I'm very familiar there is mention of Southern Migrant Hawker which it describes as a rare immigrant which is no longer true & now has well established resident populations in parts of the south-east & turning up more widely each year. Vagrant & Lesser Emperors are described as rare immigrants that have bred. The former has been seen ovipositing but hasn't been proved to successfully breed here whereas the latter I would describe as scarce & probably resident in a few places. This book has immediately winged its way onto my ‘ absolute favourites’ book list. It’s the only one I will need to take with me on holidays and insect-spotting trips and ganders in the countryside. It really is a superb book, and I must say, a tremendous achievement. Heartily recommended!"—Amanda Williams, Buzz About Bees Although it has no specific legal protection, it was listed as Notable (scarce) by Falk (1992) who noted key threats as: