Last year I noted a change in local ant and wasp populations in my garden and nearby allotment.
For the last seven or eight years the plum trees in both areas have been heavily infested by aphids. These were well attended by the usual black ants. As the season developed wasps also clearly had a great interest in the trees. So much so that I had to be wary when doing any light pruning.
The day will be led by Steven Falk one of Britain’s foremost experts of bees and other pollinators. Steven recently wrote the first ever field guide to British bees and is also well known as an insect illustrator. Join us for our fantastic day looking at wild bees up close using microscopes and also learn more about their behaviour, ecology and conservation.
The course will provide an introduction to bees, then a chance to identify them under the microscope using the dichotomous keys and images in the new field guide and also the resources available on Steven's British Bees on Flickr site. A field trip (weather dependent) will allow you to see living ones and develop basic collecting and field identification skills and better understand their ecology and conservation. Lots of fun, the only long faces allowed are those of garden bumblebees.
The course will provide an introduction to bees, then a chance to identify them under the microscope using the dichotomous keys and images in the new field guide and also the resources available on Steven's British Bees on Flickr site. A field trip (weather dependent) will allow you to see living ones and develop basic collecting and field identification skills and better understand their ecology and conservation. Lots of fun, the only long faces allowed are those of garden bumblebees.
The course will provide an introduction to bees, then a chance to identify them under the microscope using the dichotomous keys and images in the new field guide and also the resources available on Steven's British Bees on Flickr site. A field trip (weather dependent) will allow you to see living ones and develop basic collecting and field identification skills and better understand their ecology and conservation. Lots of fun, the only long faces allowed are those of garden bumblebees.
The course will provide an introduction to bees, then a chance to identify them under the microscope using the dichotomous keys and images in the new field guide and also the resources available on Steven's British Bees on Flickr site. A field trip (weather dependent) will allow you to see living ones and develop basic collecting and field identification skills and better understand their ecology and conservation. Lots of fun, the only long faces allowed are those of garden bumblebees.
The Short-haired Bumblebee Project (Bombus subterraneus) is running an intermediate bumblebee ecology and identification course on 6th May at RSPB Dungeness. The course costs £12 and runs from 10-3pm.
Booking is essential so please email the course leader, Dr. Nikki Gammans to book your place. Joining instructions will be provided on booking:
