BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-08)

16 BBC Wildlife August 2020

Theirnestsdomakea mess,butwe

shouldalljustlearntolivewithit.

Housemartinsareinrapiddecline

intheUK,especiallyinEnglish

suburbia,andthey’veflownall

thewayfromWestAfricatoshare

summerwithus.Aswithswallows,

butunlikeswifts,theyraisetwo

familiesina season.Sothereporting

ratetotheBTO’sGardenwatch

projectinvariablypeaksinAugust,

ascolonieshavetwobroods’worthof

twitteringyoungonthewing.Some

pairsrisksqueezingin a third brood.

GETINVOLVED Buyormakenests:

gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/

how-to-make-a-house-martin-nest

ManyBritishgroundbeetles– andtherearea lotof

them,about 350 species– areessentiallyblackorbrown,

sometimeswitha metallicsheen.Buthere’sa stunning

exception.InDiaryof a YoungNaturalist, DaraMcAnulty

describeshowthisjewel-like,massive-jawed,goggle-eyed

predator“javelinsforwards”.Sunnypatchesofbare,dusty

earthareallthebeetleneedsforhunting,soit thrives

onex-industrialsitesandinotherabandoned,scruffy

cornersofcities.Furtherafield,checksandypathsand

heaths.Thelarvaelurk in killing pits, like ant-lions.

GETINVOLVED Spottedaninteresting insect? Report it

using iRecord:brc.ac.uk/irecord

Augustcanbea greatmonthtoseethefemaleofthis

spectacular4cm-longinsect.Alsocalledthegiantwood

wasp,it’sanexcellentmimic– infact,it is a verylarge,

harmlesssawfly.Thelong‘stinger’is thefemale’s

ovipositor,whichsheusestoinserteggsinpinetrees.

Hergrubswillspendthenextfewyearswood-munching.

Goodplacestofindthespeciesareconiferplantations

andstacksoffelledtimber,andforthisreasonforesters

considerit a pest.

FINDOUTMORE AllaboutBritishinsects:

buglife.org.uk/bugs/bug-directory

7 |HOUSEMARTIN

Pied poopers

5 |GREENTIGERBEETLE

Speed demon

6 |GREATERHORNTAIL

Gentle giant

NATURAL

HISTORIES

Thefascinatinglives

of beetles.

ONLINE

TWEETOF

THEWEEK

Weeklybirdsongpodcast

withguesthosts.

ONLINE

Beetle: Colin Varndell; horntail: John Bebbington; house martin: David Chapman