All About Beetles

When asked what could be inferred from a Creator, the eminent scientist J.B.S. Haldane replied "a great fondness for 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!

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. It is also the home of information on the Beetles of Pembrokeshire.

 

Latest News...

Please follow this link to the News Pages.

Dung beetle

Report of Darwin Initiative Trip to Zambia (January-February 2010)

Along with Professor Richard Wall (University of Bristol), I have just returned from a fabulous Darwin Initiative-funded visit to Zambia. The aim of the trip was to assess the feasibility of setting up a research project looking at the impact of intensive farming on invertebrate biodiversity. In particular the project would focus on developing sustainable parasite control in cattle and provising an advice system to Zambian farmers read more...

Sofia publishes on maternal choices in insects (January 2010)Ecology Letters

Dr Sofia Gripenberg, with whom I share an office at Oxford, along with colleagues from the University of York and Helsinki has published a paper in the January 2010 issue of 'Ecology' Letters'. The paper is entitled 'A meta-analysis of preference-performance relationships in phytophagous insects'. I have been privy to all the hard work that has gone into this paper which brings together all other comparable work on the subject looking at why insect mothers differ in their judgement. Follow this link to an interview with Sofia where she discusses the topic.

Dung Beetle article published in Welsh Country magazine (January 2010)

I recently jotted down a little bit of information on the importance of dung beetles, which has just been published in the Welsh Country magazine under the heading 'Home is where the dung is'. Follow this link to their website to read the introduction.

Ecology of Livestock Dung meeting a success (December 2009)Khepher spp.

The scientific meeting held in Oxford in December 2009 organised by Professor Richard Wall (University of Bristol) Darren Mann (Oxford University Museum of Natural History) and Sarah Beynon (University of Oxford) was a highly successful event. The two-day meeting was attended by scientists from across Europe working on many aspects of the subject, ranging from the chemistry to the ecology of dung. Many useful collaborations were formed and the meeting was finished off with a fascinating tour of the Hope Entomological Collections given by Darren Mann.  An offer to hold the 2010 meeting was made by Dr Helen West of Nottingham University, so it looks like it will become an annual event. For more information on the atendees and presentations given, please follow this link.

 

Filming for Sky (2009)

I am currently fronting the 2009 Sky Knowledge advertising campaign. Follow this link to watch the advert.

Sky Advert

 

Forthcoming Events...

Oriel-y- Felin Gallery Grand Opening

The wonderful gallery (owned by my Mum and her business partner Angela Samuel) has relocated from Trefin to St Davids. The grand opening complete with fabulous new work, wine and nibbles will be held on Friday 12th February 2010 from 10am-4pm. For more information please follow this link to the gallery website.

Talk to the Amateur Entomologists Society

Invited guest speaker at the Amateur Entomological Society (AES) & Bug Club Young Entomologists Day (Oxford University Museum of Natural History), Saturday February 20th 2010. Follw this link for more information.

All About Beetles Blog

Please follow this link to Old Blog Entries

05/10/09 - David Cameron, MorayOcypus olens

Q. I found a beetle about 20mm long, very distinctly segmented, black all over, short horns, when disturbed raised its tail section in the manner of a scorpion.

A. This is a Devil's Coach Horse Beetle (Ocypus olens). It belongs to the large family of beetles known as the Rove Beetles. It is one of our larger beetles, usually about 25-30mm long. Raising it's posterior end gave it its other common name, the Cock-tail Beetle. It is a highly voracious predator and is desirable to have in the garden as it can help control snail - one of its favourite foods! However, it will also eat carrion.

30/09/09 - Brian ClewsHarmonia axyridis spectabilis

Q. Is there a means by which I could send a picture of a beetle that I cannot find in my guidebook? It looks very ladybird-like but was bigger and I can't find any illustrations of this type of marking, even for the Harlequin.

A. This is the Harlequin ladybird, Harmonia axyridis colour form 'spectabilis'. It is similar to the melanic form of the 2-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata but bigger and the front two red spots do not extend to the front of its elytra (wing-cases) as in A. bipunctata. For more information go to the Harlequin Ladybird Survey website.

30/03/09 - Sarah Beynon

Check out the new Pembrokeshire Invertebrate Group (PIG) Blog


 To send a question or a comment for the blog, please fill in the form on the contact page.

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.

→For photograph galleries of beetles, other insects, landscapes and people from Pembrokeshire, Zambia, South- and Central America, look under the 'About' drop-down menu and click on 'Photography' 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: 03/02/10