Press release 2010/06
Issued by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
For immediate release - Monday 7 June 2010
School children and scientists join together in UK's biggest ladybird survey
Over the next few weeks thousands of children will be taking part in the biggest ever survey of UK ladybirds. The children will join forces with scientists from the UK Ladybird Survey to record sightings of one of the British public’s favourite insects.
This summer, children will be helping discover just how many there are in school grounds. They will also investigate the relationship between ladybird pupae and their parasites.
The school survey is part of the BBC Breathing Places Schools initiative. With over 10,000 Breathing Places Schools registered in all regions of the UK, it is hoped that the results will identify regional variations in ladybird populations, contributing valuable data to the UK Ladybird Survey, which is run by scientists at three institutions, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University, in collaboration with scientists at the University of Hull.
Dr Helen Roy, UK Ladybird Survey co-ordinator from the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, said, “The UK Ladybird Survey has been running since the 1960s with the assistance of volunteer entomologists and more recently many members of the public, who have helped track the arrival of the invasive Harlequin ladybird. The link with BBC Breathing Places is a wonderful opportunity to engage school children across the UK in collecting valuable scientific data and also inspire a new generation of biological recorders.”
Organisers of the survey expect that finding and recording which species of ladybirds their local environment attracts will give young people the opportunity to discover and contribute to our understanding of ladybirds.
Karen Gregory, BBC Breathing Places Campaign Project Executive said, “This will be a fantastic opportunity for school children to learn more about biodiversity through studying an iconic insect which is immediately familiar to everyone. We’re very excited about the prospect of this survey making a real contribution to providing a lasting legacy to our understanding of the importance of maintaining the variety of life on earth.”
BBC Breathing Places Schools joined forces with the RSPB two years ago and has been working with 40 other conservation and education organisations across the UK to deliver a ‘Do One Thing’ activity each term. BBC Breathing Places Schools decided to offer the Ladybird Survey as its new ‘Do One Thing’ activity as part of its summer of action in the International Year of Biodiversity.
There’s still time to get involved with the project. To take part in the ladybird survey all schools have to do is register at www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/schools. Registered schools will automatically receive teaching notes and other activity sheets are available on the website.
Notes to Editors
Further information for journalists can be obtained from the CEH press office.
Ladybird facts:
Britain has 45 different species of native ladybird, which play a key role in our ecosystem.
Many ladybirds are voracious predators of crop and garden pest insects, particularly aphids.
The UK Ladybird Survey (http://www.ladybird-survey.org/) has been running since the 1960s but ladybirds have been recorded in the UK for several centuries.
The first confirmed record on the Ladybird Survey database is a thirteen-spot Ladybird (Hippodamia tredecimpunctata) spotted in Oxfordshire in 1819. Thirteen-spots become periodically extinct in the UK and then recolonise. In recent years, they have mainly been found in the south of England (e.g. in the New Forest).
The UK Ladybird Survey passes records to the National Biodiversity Network (http://www.nbn.org.uk/). Over 94,000 ladybird records are currently freely available on the NBN.
In recent years a new ladybird arrival has been spotted in the UK. The Harlequin ladybird was introduced to North America in 1988, where it is now the most widespread ladybird species on the continent. It has already invaded much of north-western Europe, and arrived in Britain in summer 2004.
The public has played a key role in monitoring the invasion through the Harlequin Ladybird Survey (www.harlequin-survey.org), which was launched in 2005, and has now received more than 30,000 online records.
The harlequin can eat over 12,000 aphids in a year. Unfortunately, harlequins prey on more than just pest insects, and will eat non-pest and beneficial insects, including the larvae of other ladybirds.
Additional notes:
BBC Breathing Places is a five-year BBC Learning Campaign to inspire people to connect with nature. Developed in partnership with a huge range of wildlife and conservation organisations, the campaign encourages new audiences to get involved in doing one thing for nature. As well as environmental organisations, Breathing Places also works in partnership with other volunteer associations, city councils and education groups, visit: www.bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces.
Members of the BBC Breathing Places Schools UK partnership include government agencies, charitable organisations, volunteer groups and educational projects. A full list of partners can be found at bbc.co.uk/breathingplaces/partners.
Visit the International Year of Biodiversity website: http://www.biodiversityislife.net/
The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is the UK's Centre of Excellence for integrated research in the land and freshwater ecosystems and their interaction with the atmosphere. CEH is part of the Natural Environment Research Council, employs more than 450 people at five major sites in England, Scotland and Wales, hosts over 150 PhD students, and has an overall budget of about £35m. CEH tackles complex environmental challenges to deliver practicable solutions so that future generations can benefit from a rich and healthy environment. www.ceh.ac.uk
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) funds world-class science, in universities and its own research centres, that increases knowledge and understanding of the natural world. It is tackling major environmental issues such as climate change, biodiversity and natural hazards. NERC receives around £400m a year from the UK government's science budget, which is used to provide independent research and training in the environmental sciences. www.nerc.ac.uk
