TAKING ENTOMOLOGY TO NEW HEIGHTS
With Covid-19 restrictions, my entomological fieldwork was restricted to a few days mostly in June when the restrictions were eased. Overall a very frustrating year so far - UK experienced the longest, warmest spring in living memory but C-19 restrictions prevented me getting out into the government forest areas I have been studying, even though I would probably be the only person there and would have travelled from home (where I was isolated) in my car (isolated) and into the forest (isolated).
During summer 2018 and 2019 I surveyed a local National Nature Reserve - Moccas Park - on behalf of our government conservation agency (Natural England). I recorded biometric data for about 380 ancient oak trees, many dendrochronologically dated to 400 - 800+ years old. I also searched for a 2mm long beetle - Hypebaeus flavipes - which in England was known to live on only 6 trees in Moccas Park. I found it on 4 of those 6 plus another 10; 16 trees in total.
Hypebaeus flavipes - female on left, male on right. Body length ca 2mm.
This summer the survey was to be extended by five days and employing a hydraulic platform to get me up into the tops of trees I though likely to have the beetle living on them (it breeds in the red-rotten fungoid interior of certain trees, the adult beetles run aound on thin twigs around cavities and rot-holes in the tree, they feed on small soft bodied invertebrates, but unlike many dead-wood associated insects, do not visit flowers to feed from nectar).
Work in progress. The highest I altitude I achieved was about 12m. Thankfully, weather on both days was hot, dry, summy and, importantly, without wind.
Such work is not without a deal of red-tape. I needed an Nature Reserve entry permit and a licence issued under Section 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act, 1981 to "disturb Hypebaeus flavipes in its natural habitat." Natural England is the agency responsible, but the contract is devolved to the chairty "Buglife" but my manager works for another charity "Plantlife" so liaises with "Buglife". To use the hydraulic platform, permission was required from Natural England, Moccas Estate (landowner), the tennant farmer, and Buglife. All I had to do was keep a week in my diary free of appointments and turn up on the day with my entomological equipment and let others do the organising.
During summer 2018 and 2019 I surveyed a local National Nature Reserve - Moccas Park - on behalf of our government conservation agency (Natural England). I recorded biometric data for about 380 ancient oak trees, many dendrochronologically dated to 400 - 800+ years old. I also searched for a 2mm long beetle - Hypebaeus flavipes - which in England was known to live on only 6 trees in Moccas Park. I found it on 4 of those 6 plus another 10; 16 trees in total.
Hypebaeus flavipes - female on left, male on right. Body length ca 2mm.
This summer the survey was to be extended by five days and employing a hydraulic platform to get me up into the tops of trees I though likely to have the beetle living on them (it breeds in the red-rotten fungoid interior of certain trees, the adult beetles run aound on thin twigs around cavities and rot-holes in the tree, they feed on small soft bodied invertebrates, but unlike many dead-wood associated insects, do not visit flowers to feed from nectar).
Work in progress. The highest I altitude I achieved was about 12m. Thankfully, weather on both days was hot, dry, summy and, importantly, without wind.
Such work is not without a deal of red-tape. I needed an Nature Reserve entry permit and a licence issued under Section 1 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act, 1981 to "disturb Hypebaeus flavipes in its natural habitat." Natural England is the agency responsible, but the contract is devolved to the chairty "Buglife" but my manager works for another charity "Plantlife" so liaises with "Buglife". To use the hydraulic platform, permission was required from Natural England, Moccas Estate (landowner), the tennant farmer, and Buglife. All I had to do was keep a week in my diary free of appointments and turn up on the day with my entomological equipment and let others do the organising.