I N S E C T S A N D O F
A R A C H N I D S B R I T A I N
Hana Hitchman
C O N T E N T S
1-2
What’s the deal with bugs?
3-4
Symbiotic relationships
5-6
Bug facts and information
7-8
What you can do!
9-10
Cockchafer and Flower Crab Spider
11-12
Elephant Hawk Moth and RedTailed Bumblebee
So what’s the big deal with bugs and why should I care about them? Arthropods, insects or invertebrates are often feared or misunderstood. Lots are needlessly killed or endangered due to misinformation or lack of general knowledge on them and their intricate lives. The truth is, insects and arachnids are a vital part of life on earth and account for 80% of the world’s species consisting of approximately one million species of identified insects with millions more still unidentified or undiscovered! There is so much we have yet to learn about insects, however, what we do know is that they are an important asset to the planet and that we should help conserve them as best as we can. Whether by building bug hotels, or donating to organisations that research and conserve the little critters.
1
Although conservation efforts are important for all groups of wildlife, the conservation of insects and arachnids falls short in comparison to their much fluffier counterparts that people often find more ‘cute’ and as a result, more ‘saveable’ (cows, polar bears, etc). It’s important to understand that all creatures are vital to the survival of the planet and that each and every one often work together in a web of symbiotic relationships. In this booklet, you will learn about a number of interesting insects you may have been unaware inhabit the UK—you may have walked past them on many an occasion. The booklet also aims to provide you with some information on what you can do to help bugs thrive.
There are so many types of insect and arachnid, here are just some of them!
2
Symbiotic relationships between bug and plant Insects and plants have long since relied on each other in a plethora of wild and wonderful ways. A caterpillar would not be able to pupate into a beautiful butterfly without the help of the plants it feeds on around it, and similarly the crab spider would die if it did not camouflage itself into the flowers it sits on ready to ambush its prey. There are hundreds of thousands of these small transactions that occur within nature on a daily basis that we often ignore. When was the last time you sat outdoors and observed an insect just living its life? An ant carrying food back to its nest or a bumblebee buzzing past with full pollen baskets looking for another flower to perch on.
3
Symbiotic (adjective) Involving interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association. “the fungi form symbiotic associating with the roots of plant species” Denoting a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups. “the reader can have a symbiotic relationship with the writer”
4
5
Bug facts and information—learn something new about the little creatures we share the earth with! The results from a short survey showed that people preferred butterflies to spiders and mantises to centipedes— perhaps this is due to quantity of legs? Out of 650 species of arachnids in the UK, none of them are very dangerous. In fact, only 3 are able to bite with risk of swelling and these are the false widow, the cellar spider and the woodlouse spider. All of which have a distinct look to them so can be easily avoided! There are 59 species of butterfly and a whopping 4000 species of beetle, again, just in the United Kingdom, representing the largest group of insects.
4 arthropods in particular will be discussed in more detail in this journal. The cockchafer, the flower crab spider, the red-tailed bumblebee and the elephant hawk moth. 4 common, yet often overlooked bugs with interesting appearances and traits!
There are 2500 species of moth in the UK, 900 of which are referred to as ‘macromoths’ and are very small. Hawk moths tend to be of the larger variety and there are only 26 hawk moths in the UK. Hawk moths, as per their name, have long, narrow wings for powerful flight.
Bees come in at only 270 species, 24 of which are bumblebees, one honeybee and the rest are solitary bees!
6
7
What can I do to help the bugs around me thrive? A guide to what steps you can take. There are a number of ways you can approach helping out the arthropods that scuttle, fly and wriggle around you. Often this begins by helping the potential habitat flourish in order to attract and
Why not start by making or buying a bug hotel to place in your garden? These provide a number of insects with a home, including some species of bee! If you have dandelions or other ‘weeds’ (wildflowers) in your garden, consider leaving at least a patch to grow wild as dandelions are a really good source of early pollen for bees. Organisations and charities such as the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and Buglife provide lots of helpful information on how you can help the insects in Britain thrive.
8
Cockchafer/Maybug Melonontha melonontha Hawthorn/Mayflower
The cockchafer is a clumsy flyer and can often end up landing in people’s hair by accident, however, it is a harmless beetle that feeds from flowers such as the mayflower. As suggested by their names, the maybug and mayflower begin appearing in/around May time.
9
Flower Crab Spider Misumena Vatia Ox-Eye Daisy
The flower crab spider does not spin a web, instead it sits on flowers such as the ox-eye daisy and camouflages itself while waiting to ambush nearby prey. Females can change colour ranging from different shades of white to green and pink. They are harmless and are seen May -August.
10
Elephant Hawk Moth Deilephila Elpenor Honeysuckle
The elephant hawk moth, seen from May to July is a beautiful pink and yellow moth that likes to feed on honeysuckle. The elephant hawk moth caterpillar has patterns that resemble eyes on its body to mimic a snake, even though they are harmless.
11
Red-Tailed Bumblebee Bombus Lapidarius Brown Knapweed
The red-tailed bumblebee, so called due to its orange-red bottom, likes to visit many flowers. One of them is the brown knapweed which you may see it visiting, among other flowers from April to November. These bumblebees nest underground in social hives.
12
References and Useful Links: https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/other-bees/ https://www.countryfile.com/wildlife/insects-invertebrates/british-beetle-guide/ https://www.nhm.ac.uk/content/dam/nhmwww/take-part/identify-nature/ spiders-in-your-home-id-guide.pdf https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-to-identify-cockchafer-may-bug.html https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/spiders/flowercrab-spider https://butterfly-conservation.org/moths/elephant-hawk-moth https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps/ red-tailed-bumblebee