British dung beetles

All About Beetles

If every animal and plant on the planet were lined up in a row, every fifth would be a beetle, and every tenth a weevil (one family of Beetle)! Beetles represent one fifth of all living organisms and a staggering one quarter of all animals. By the most conservative estimate, approximately 350,000 species have been described since 1758. That is an average of slightly more then four per day! When asked what could be inferred from a creator, the eminent scientist J.B.S. Haldane replied "a great fondness for beetles!"

This website aims to enthuse everyone of all ages about these fantastic beasties as well as to act as a base for my ecological consultancy business and media exploits! It is also the home of information on the Beetles of Pembrokeshire.

Welcome to 'All About Beetles'

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Latest News...

Please follow this link to the News Pages to view old news items.

Earth Debates

On April 26th, I was lucky enough to be invited by the British Council to attend the Earth Debates closing debate and dinner at the Natural History Museum in London. These debates focussed international discussion in the lead-up to the Rio+20 Earth Summit. The four debates centre on how we plan a future that nurtures a healthy world alongside the needs of a growing population. There's not an easy answer to that!

I would advise EVERYONE, who has an interest in how we can feed the growing population without completely destroying our planet and its other inhabitants, to watch the debates which are available online by following these links:

1) Ecosystem economics: can we put a price on nature?

2) Beyond GDP - how can we measure progress?

3) Green cities in a green economy - how to pioneer a sustainable transition?

4) Food security - how do we feed 9 billion people by 2050? 

For more discussion, follow this link to the discussion board.

 

Springwatch 2012

I recently filmed for BBC1's 'Springwatch' where I went delving into a habitat that most people would overlook to unearth some extraordinary animal behaviour. It will be broadcast as an insert film during BBC Springwatch 2012.

Filming for Springwatch Filming for Springwatch

New publications

Beynon, S.A. (2012) Potential environmental consequences of administration of anthelmintics to sheep, Veterinary Parasitology, doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.03.040.

Beynon, S.A. (2012) Potential environmental consequences of administration of ectoparasiticides to sheep, Veterinary Parasitology, doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2012.03.041. 

If you are not able to access these articles online, please email me for pdf's.

New publication

Wall, R. & Beynon, S. (2012) Area-wide impacts of macrocyclic parasiticides in cattle dung. Medical & Veterinary Entomology. 26 (1), 1-8. Please follow this link to the online version of the article.

 Welsh Black bull for sale!

We have a superb, quiet 22 month old Welsh Black bull for sale from our Tyddewi Herd of Welsh Black cattle. Dam - Tyddewi Alwyn, Sire - Tyddewi Andy (sold as breeding bull). Photos are more information will be added shortly. Follow this link for more information about the herd.

Not quite "all about beetles" news, but he did produce some spectacular dung for my dung beetle experiments last year!

 



Also online at Twitter @Sarah_A_Beynon

  
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Forthcoming Events...

Ramsey Island Bug Bioblitz for National Insect Week 2012

There will be an exciting family Bioblitz day on Sunday 24th JUNE 2012. Booking is essential. We also invite school groups on Monday 25th June.

For more information on the Bioblitz and how to book a place, follow this link to the pdf poster of the event. More information is also available on the RSPB's website.

Previous publicity posters contained an error: the event is in JUNE and not MAY as stated in some posters.

National Insect Week 25 June-1 July 2012

National Insect Week, organised by the RES encourages everyone to celebrate Great British Insects with events being held throughout the UK. Follow this link to the National Insect Week Website to see what events are being held in your area. We have an event planned for Pembrokeshire, so watch this space for more details!

Royal Entomological Society meetings 2012

For more information on RES 2012 meetings, including 'Insect Declines in Agriculture', 'Ento'12' and the '10th European Congress of Entomology', follow this link to RES meetings.

  

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Quick Site Navigation

Just a few pointers to help you find your way around the site:

→For British beetle species photographs and a image-based identification guide, look under the 'Beetle ID' drop-down menu or click here.

→For general information on beetles, click on 'Beetles' on the menu bar or click here.

→For information on other insects, look under the 'Invertebrates' drop-down menu and click on 'Insect Orders'. You can then follow the links to the group that you are interested in or click here.

Please email me if you think that any of the information on the site is difficult to find and I will point you in the right direction.

Last updated: 29/04/12