News Pages

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)

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)

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.

October 2009: Delving in dung over for another 6 months

I am now coming to the end of my first PhD field season looking at the impact of conventional cattle wormers and alternative feed supplements on dung invertebrate biodiversity and dung decomposition. During the summer I have carted over a ton of dung from the field site, into  freezers in my gran's garage and back again!!

I have successfully completed a number of trials, many using novel methods, and the results are looking very interesting! I'm now looking forward to getting stuck into a winter of lab work and analysis, so hopefully before too long I can start presenting some results. Follow this link for more information on the PhD.

October 2009: Scoping trip to Zambia funded by the Darwin Initiative

Working with Professor Richard Wall of the University of Bristol, I have been successful in achieving Darwin Initiative funding for a scoping project to Zambia in January 2010. The week' long visit will involve meeting with the government, the British consul, the University of Zambia, the Zambian Wildlife Authority, ZAMBEEF and Chipembele Wildlife School. We will assess the feasibility of starting a large-scale research project looking at the impact of pyrethroid treatment for tsetse fly and tick control on dung invertebrates and the breakdown of dung. We will also look at the possibility of setting up an entomological collection in Zambia and providing training for a curator back in the UK. We will then have to submit a full application, and if it is successful, the project will start in 2011.

March 2009: Filming for the Sky Knowledge Advert

I have recently been taking part in an advert for Sky's new 'Nature' package. Included in this package will be the popular National Geographic and Animal Planet channels.

Acclaimed director Peter Lydon (Shameless, Teachers, Ballykissangel, The Bill...) directed a day-long shoot in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. The day started with hair and make-up followed by lots of walking, talking and handling insects and arachnids. The following day was the still photo-shoot (photographer Fergus Padel - Sony Music, Virgin Records, Adidas, Cosmopolitan...).  The advert was aired on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and various Sky channels  on April 3rd 2009 and has run throughout the summer of 2009.

November 2008: Radio interview for BBC Radio Wales and article for the Farmers Weekly

Reporter Debbie James popped round to my lab last week in order to write an article for the Farmers Weekly 'Farm Life' on my work with insects, and the benefits of specific insects to farmers. She also came armed with a microphone and sprung it upon me that we would also be doing a short interview for BBC Wales's farming programme. The interview was then followed-up with a subsequent interview at Furzy Mount with Roger Mathias, speaking abou the survey work that I am doing on his farm. Please follow this link to read the article.

October 2008: Baby Goliaths!

I am pleased to announce that my Goliath beetle pair have been very 'busy' and I now have my first larvae. I had a suspicion that the female had been laying eggs when burrowing deep within the leaf litter in the tank, but this is the first concrete proof!

The larvae is about 1cm in length and is your typical c-shaped scarab larvae. I have removed it from the main breeding tank, as larvae of this species are canabals and will wiggle their way around the tank eating each other! The larvae (named Ivor) now has his own comfortable residence (a small yoghurt pot) and is being fed on semi-moist cat food pellets. To read more about these wonderful creatures, and to see some superb photos, follow this link to the goliath beetle breeding manual.

September 2008: West Wales Biodiversity Information Centre (WWBIC) Recorder Day

The recorder day at Furzy Mount Farm, Camrose that was scheduled for last week has been postponed due to the terrible weather we have been having. It is being rescheduled for Tuesday 2nd September.

The recorder day will be taking place on a private farm, enabling recorders and interested individuals to have unique access to land that is otherwise off-limits. We hope to record as many species as possible and provide the farmers with full reports of the findings. In that way, both farmers and recorders will benefit. If you are interested in coming along, please get in touch with me via the 'contact' page.

August 2008: All About Insects Stall and the Really Wild Festival 30th-31st August 2008:

I had a display at the Really Wild Festival in St Davids. The stall had information about beneficial insects in garden and farm. Live insects, including a pair of hercules beetles and a large goliath beetle (confusingly named 'Hercules') drew in the crowds. The stand was packed with interested  youngsters and adults on both days, and left me shattered! The edible cheese and onion flovoured grubs, barbequed crickets and scorpion lollipops definately provoked some interesting reactions, and surprisingly sold out on the first day read more...

September 2008: Other talks

It's been a busy time for talks recently. I was invited to give talks to the St Davids Cathedral Womens Fellowship and at the FWAG Cymru South Wales meeting. I managed to cart a collection of live insects to the talk in St Davids, and gave a presentation to the benefits of insects to farmers for FWAG.

September 2008: From cocktails to cockroaches: from St Davids to South America

I gave a talk to a group of about 50 friends last week, which included a slide-show of my work with insects in Pembrokeshire and beyond, live goliath beetle, rhinoceros beetle, dock beetle and dung beetle specimens and edible insects for all (well not quite all) to try! The event was kindly hosted by Val and Wyn Buick, who also provided some lethal cocktails inspired by insects! Many thanks to all that came along. I hope you had as much fun as I did!

August 2008: Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society Student Bursary

I am thrilled to have been awarded with the Pembrokeshire Agricultural Society's Student Bursary for 2008. This financial award will enable me to trial an additional treatment in my doctorate which tests the impact of both chemical and natural cattle wormers on dung beetle populations.

August 2008: Stall at the Pembrokeshire County Show 19th-21st August 2008:

As part of the FWAG stand at the show, I will be displaying the importance of insects to farmers and providing some examples of insects as natural pest control. Live insects will also be on display. Come and find us in the Environment section of the showground.

June 2008: Interview on BBC Wales

I was interviewed  by Jamie Owen on BBC Radio Wales about my work and my appearance in Not In My Nature. To listen to the interview online, please follow this link.

May 2008: BBC Wales Filming with Iolo Williams

Iolo and the BBC Wales team came to St Davids to film for their series 'Not In My Nature'. It follows a group of 6 members of the public as they experience a variety of Welsh wildlife challenges.

The team spent a superb, sunny day filming with me, hunting for the wonderful insect life that lives in this part of the world read more...

To watch clips from the programme showing the recruits hunting for insects and digging in dung, follow this link.

April 2008: Talk to the St Davids Cathedral Mens Society

I was asked to give a talk to the St Davids Cathedral Mens Society about my work and travels in South-and Central America, and ended up having a great evening with a complimentary meal at the Old Cross Hotel - wonderful!

April 2008: Egyptian Grasshopper found in local garden centre

I received a call from Bernie who owns St Davids Garden & Nursery saying that he had found a very large grasshopper or locust in his greenhouse. I quickly pulled together a net, collecting tub, camera, tripod and book on Orthoptera and jumped in my car! It really did feel as if I was an insect detective! The creature in question was rather cold, so stayed obligingly still to be photographed and subsequently captured. It was later identified with the help of Darren Mann as being an Egyptian Grasshopper, Anacridium aegyptum. It is a very easy species to recognise, as it is about 4cm long with stripey eyes read more...

March 2008: PhD funding guaranteed

The University of Oxford have awarded me the Professor Sir Richard Southwood Scholarship in Insect Ecology, starting October 2008 to study the impact of anthelmintic treatments on Dung Beetles read more...

March 2008: New Welsh BAP species to Pembrokeshire

I have unearthed a specimen of the species Carabus monilis from the depths of my freezer!