Britain's Insects (WILDGuides): A Field Guide to the Insects of Great Britain and Ireland (WILDGuides, 23)

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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. Roy pointed to explosions in the number of ladybirds and painted lady butterflies that have occurred in the past as evidence. “There are huge variations in numbers of a particular insect species in a year and huge variation in the places you see them.” She also pointed to one study of pollinators that showed while 32% became less widespread between 1980 and 2014, 16% became more widespread. “It is not all doom and gloom,” Roy added. This concise photographic field guide helps you to identify the day-flying moths most likely to be seen in Great Britain and Ireland. It combines stunning photographs, clear and authoritative text and an easy-to-use design to increase... Wild Guides have come out with another gem. This time, there are 1,653 insects for you to enjoy with 1,476 illustrated in full colour. lt covers dragonflies, butterflies, moths, bees, beetles and wasps with everything in between. . . . There is even a section on helping you take photos of the species found, hoping that you will be able to match the incredible photos in this book. ---John Miles, Birdwatching Magazine

Britain’s Mammals is a comprehensive and beautifully designed photographic field guide to all the mammals recorded in the wild in Great Britain and Ireland in recent times—including marine mammals, bats and introduced species that... In addition to habitat changes, there are the dangers posed by pesticides, in particular neonicotinoid pesticides, which have already been blamed for recent crashes in bee populations. These chemicals are water soluble and so leach out of fields after they are applied to crops. A most wonderful book and must surely help to raise awareness towards protecting this precious insect biodiversity. * Bees for Development * Europe's Dragonflies: A field guide to the damselflies and dragonflies Dave Smallshire and Andy Swash

Discover more about UK insects and their relationships with trees

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”. Flight Identification of European Passerines and Select Landbirds: An Illustrated and Photographic Guide Tomasz Cofta Now in a comprehensively revised and updated new edition, Britain’s Spiders is a guide to all 38 of the British families, focussing on spiders that can be identified in the field. Illustrated with a remarkable collection of...

This is the go-to guide for entomologists, naturalists, gardeners, wildlife photographers and anyone else interested in insects, whatever their level of knowledge. For each species described though there is a species distribution map, a seasonality chart and a description of size, morphology, and habitat. Where known and relevant food plants are given as well as their conservation status and protection. Importantly, similar species to those included are given - many folks are keen to ID without careful attention and this highlights the need to exhibit caution with species level identifications. I like having the images next to the text . . . . A fabulous photographic guide for both beginners and 'experts' and a complete bargain. ---Erica McAlister, Bulletin of the Dipterists Forum The report gathers millions of records from moths caught in light traps by the Rothamsted Insect Survey and the National Moth Recording Scheme from 1968 to 2017. When the data was last analysed up to 2007, it revealed a 40% decline in southern Britain – south of Lancaster and York – but no overall change to moth abundance in northern Britain.

True bugs (Hemiptera)

It’s a bit of a mecca for entomologists,” says Earwaker as we walk through strong metal gates, designed to deter the motorcyclists who break in and tear around this wilderness. Inside, there’s a profusion of what almost resemble rooms: rough meadows of long grass, glades sheltered by sallow clumps, reed-filled ditches and huge, dark circles of asphalt. Britain's Butterflies: A Field Guide to the Butterflies of Great Britain and Ireland – Fully Revised and Updated Fourth Edition David Newland, Robert Still, Falk, S. (1992). A Review of the Scarce and Threatened Flies of Great Britain (Part 1). NCC, Peterborough.

These iridescent beetles were once widespread across the UK, but today are one of our most endangered insects. In fact, they’re so rare that they are currently only found on a stretch of the banks of the River Ouse around York. Despite their limited spread, in 2016 the number of recorded Tansy Beetles nearly doubled, showing that there might be hope for these bugs yet. Tansy Beetles are famous for the popular myth that their dazzling cases were so attractive to the Victorians that they were used for jewellery and fashion, attached to collars in place of sequins. While it’s hard to tell just how true this myth is, it’s a known fact that actress Ellen Terry wore a gown adorned with individual beetle cases in the 1880s during a production of Macbeth, so beetles certainly played a part in fashion at the time. 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.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 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 Just an amazing book. . . . The most amazing, and probably best, photographic guide there is to Britain’s insects."—Kate MacRae, Wildlife Kate

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. This guide is a marvellous book for both beginners and 'experts' and a complete bargain. ---Erica McAlister, Bulletin of the Amateur Entomological Society 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? Britain's Mammals Updated Edition: A Field Guide to the Mammals of Great Britain and Ireland Dominic Couzens, Andy Swash, Britain’s Hoverflies is a beautifully illustrated photographic field guide to the hoverflies of Great Britain and Ireland, focusing on the species that can be most readily identified. It is the perfect companion for wildlife...This view was supported by David Gibbons of the RSPB who agreed that not every investigation about insect numbers revealed a tale of irrevocable decline – though he added that he still believed the overall picture was worrying. “It is hard not to see a link between some of the bird number declines and drops in insect populations we are experiencing. There are very close correlations in many cases. But proving there is a causative link – in establishing the one effect is leading to the other – is much more difficult.” We appear to be making tracts of land inhospitable to most forms of life. If we lose insects, it all collapses This is a delightful if demanding book, a major work in fact. . . . Britain's Insects will surely become an essential and everyday guide for entomologists, naturalists, gardeners, wildlife photographers and anyone else interested in insects, whatever their level of knowledge. Britain's Insects upholds the superb presentation and finish we have come to expect from the WildGuides series."—Phil Slade, Another Bird Blog The tansy beetle, which is ‘nationally rare’, is the subject of a major conservation programme in Yorkshire. Photograph: Alamy Beyond the realm of historic soft furnishings and museum display cabinets, insect life has had to deal with changes in human behaviour both positive and negative – ranging from the drop in environmental disturbance and pollution caused by millions of Britons working from home to a pause in routine monitoring and the continuation of habitat loss and practices which have already had a devastating effect on pollinators from bees to moths.