NEWSLETTER30

January2004

larvalfoodplant, Bird's-foot Trefoil. Unlike the ClearwingsRecorded in Leics. Yellow-leggedClearwing, this species was very in 2003 stronglyattracted to thelure, swarming around it andreluctant to flyaway. Later that same Membersmay recall Chris Gardiner's article in day,I luredanother 8 at a roadsideverge near Newsletter23 ("Experienceswith Clearwings") BloodyOaks that was carpeted with Bird's{oot in whichhe describedthe success he hadwith Trefoil.Mark Skevington also had success with recordingClearwings in Northamptonshire. thisspecies, luring 3 on theGreat CentralWay, Despitethe searching that this subsequently Leicester(to the south of thecity), 20 at Ketton prompted,together with attempts to reproduce Quarryon 29thJune and a further30 atthe thesuccess with pheromone lures that had samesite on 9thJuly 2003. beenreported from other areas of theUK, by theend of 2002,I wasbeginning to thinkthat manyof thesespecies were absent from Leicestershire.However, 2003 proved to be somethingof an eye-opener!

AndyMackay was the f irst to havesuccess, at lastwith, pheromone lures: on 20thJune 2003, ( 5+ Yellow-leggedClearwings Yellow-legged Clearwin g (Synathedon were attractedto a lureat vespiformis) vespiformis) UlverscroftN.R (SK 494127).Keen to seethis myself,I re-visitedthe site with Andy species Encouragedby these successes, I decided to on21st andwe successfully lured June tryagain at someof overgrownallotments in another3 andobserved a femaleovipositing theCity, where in previousyears, I hadfailed in stump.lt wasapparent that whilst on an oak myattempts with pheromone lures. Entering an thesemoths are attracted to thelure, they are areafull of oldcurrant bushes and apple trees relativelyinconspicuous in flight and often withinSt Mary'sAllotments in Leicester makeonly fleeting visits to thelure. Mark (betweenSaffron Lane and Aylestone Road) Skevingtonhad furlher success with this on 26thJune I lured2 CurrentClearwings Park,with 9 comingto a speciesat Bradgate (Synanthedontipuliformis) and at least4 Red- lureclose to the NeMownLinford entrance (SK beltedClearwings (Synanthedon Havinggone nearly 50 yearswith 524097). myopaeformis).Again these species paid only onlytwo county records of thisspecies, within fleetingvisits to the lures,never actually thespace of 4 daysin 2003,18 had been settlingon the lureitself. The following day recorded. MaggieFrankum found a Red-beltedClearwing onthe pavement outside of herhouse in Thenext species to makean appearancein ChapelLane, Knighton. Prior to 2003,both of 2003was the Six-beltedClearwing (Bembecia thesespecies had only been recorded on a ichneumoniformrs),the speciesmost handfulof occasionsin the last50 years. commonlyencountered in recentyears, albeit at a limitednumber of sites.I choseone of Anotherspecies recorded in 2003was the theseknown localities, Ketton Quarry, on 25th LunarHornet (Sesra bembeciformrs): on Juneand was easily able to lurea total10 25thJune Tony Diebel photographed a pair in mothsin two areas of thesite with plenty of its copuliin hisBelgrave garden. This is the other clearwingmost commonly recorded in the County,albeit most recordsare of larval boringsin Sallow. Onespecies that eluded me in 2003was the Orange-tailedClearwing (Synanthedon andrenaeformis),which Chris Gardiner describedrecording via emergenceholes and LEICESTERSHIRE pupalcases in WayfaringTree at Castor ENTOMOLOGICAL HanglandsN.N.R. I attemptedto "getmy eye SOCIETY in"for this speciesby visitingone of the late DonTozer's favoured localities (the margins of Affiliatedto: CollywestonGreat Wood, Northants) in the Leicestershire& RutlandWildlife Trust Springof 2003,but failed to findany emergenceholes in the Viburnurnthere. Later Chairman& attemptsto lurethe moththere, and at a couple LES OccasionalPublications Editor: of Rutlandsites with ViburnumDresent. were Ray Monis 142Hinckley Road, Barwell, alsounsuccessful. Leics. LE9 8DN Telephone:01455 842145 To end on an intriguingnote, Monica Gillham of Email:ray.morris @ ntlworld.com the LoughboroughNaturalists Club has Secretary: reportedfinding an interestrnginsect in long John Kramer grassat WanlipMeadows on 7thJune 2003: 31 Ash Tree Road,Oadby, "...bodyc.1cm long, with transparent wings Leicester LE2 sTE suffusedwith brilliant red at thetips....". Telephone:01 16 271 6499 Email:jk @ chezejog.demon.co.uk Unfortunately,it disappearedbefore she could take a closerlook at it, but it seemslikely this Treasurer: may have beena Red-tippedClearwing Stuart Poole (Synanthedonformicaeformis). This is a 18 CroftDrive, Wigston, LeicesterLElS 1HD specieswhose larvae feeds in the stemsand Telephone:01 16 288 0236 trunksof Willows,and has not been recorded [email protected] from the Countysince 1931 ! Clearly,it would be good to con{irm this record in 2004. Other Committee Members: speciesthat may be presentin the Countyare: Dave Budworth 121Wood Lane, Hornet Moth (Sesraapiformis) (larvae feed on Newhall,Swadlincote BlackPoplar, not attractedto pheromonesand Derbys. DE11 OLX last recordedfrom the Countyin 1982),White- Telephone:01283 215188 barredClearwing () Email:dbud01 @aol.com (Alderand ,no Countyrecord) and Maggie& Roy Frankum Large Red-beltedClearwing (Synanthedon 3 ChapelLane, Knighton, culiciformis)(Birches and occasionallyAlder, '1940/50s Leicester LE2 3WF lastrecorded from BardonHill in and Telephone:01 16 270 5833 royfrankum @ tiscal i.co. uk SpringWood in 1981/84).

Derek Lott HollyHayes Environmental ResourcesCentre, 216 BirstallRoad, Birstall, Leicester LE4 4DG Teleohone:01 16 267 1950 Email:dlott@ leics.gov. uk

Newsletter Editor: FrankClark 4 Main Skeet, Houghtonon the Hill, Hornetmoth (Sesiaapiformes) LeicesterLE7 9GD Telephone:01 16 243 2725 [email protected] [email protected] I hopethis note will encourage local entomologiststo recordclearwing in the County.Pheromone lures, sold in setsof 6 Next Copy Deadline: (differentlures for differentspecies) can be obtainedfrom AnglianLepidopterist Supplies (checkout theirwebsite in earlySpring: ber 2004 www.anqleps.btinternet.co.uk).But the traditionalsearching methods, as describedby ChrisGardiner, can be employedin winterat Gravel extractionhas uncovereda varietyof no cost- at leastwe nowknow that there are palaeochannelscontaining organic sediments; plentyof clearwingspresent in theeounty! theseyielding fragments in abundance. Colourfulbeetle elytra, wings, head and thorax, are oftenstriking (e.9. Chrysomelidae, Ieaf beetles).Head capsules of chironomids, scleritesfrom caddisflylarvae and mandibles from the alderfly,Sra/is sp., are alsocommon. ldentificationis basedupon the size,shape, colour,pattern (if any)and microsculptureof eachfragment. Red-beltedClearwing (Syn anthedon myopaeformis)

Adrian Russell Towardsan Environmental Historyof the RiverTrent (Asummary of a presentationto theLES November2003) Mixedfragments of insectremains, mainly Insect1ossils',preserved in water-loggedpeats Coleoptera. of oldriver channels offer an intriguinginsight intothe past ecology of theriver system. Along Thecase study reported in thistalk centred withseeds, plant fragments, pollen grains, uponthe useof caddisfliesas environmental diatoms,shells of molluscsand mites, the most indicators,an insectgroup hitherto abundantinsects are Coleoptera, understudied. Chrionomidaeand Trichoptera, with occasional Twosites from the middle Trent, with fragmentsof Hemiptera,Homoptera and radiocarbondates of +/- 11.SKyrswere Hymenoptera.All materialis fragmentedwhich described,the first at Aston-upon-Trentand the addsan interestingdimension to theprocess of secondat Hemington. identificationand limiting the usefulnessof At Aston-upon-Trentthe caddisfly species conventionalkeys. The most reliable process assemblagegave indications of a fast-flowing for namingmaterial in thisform is thematching gravelbed river with macrophytes, such as of theunknown fragments against a validated mossesand aquatic Ranunculus spp. At referencecollection. Hemington,the species assemblage was indicativeof a weedystill/slow flowing oxbow Historically,the catchment of the RiverTrent lake,a habitatdominated by the case- hasprovided an interestinginsight into our constructingspecies of theFamily understandingof climate change. Using Limnephilidae.The two sites therefore ofler an radiocarbondating techniques a series of sites exampleof twostages in the developmental or togetherwith their associated beetle successionalhistory o{ the mid-Trent at the assemblages,has demonstrated a rapid timeof thelate glacial period. switchingof airtemperature from warm to cold, in as shorta time-spanas +/- 100yrs. Taxa, particularinterest was the finding of the whosepresent distribution is in Siberiaare Of Brachycentridcaddisf ly, Micrasemasetiferum, seento alternatewith assemblages whose a speciesno longerfound in UK.Tracking its moderndistribution is Meditteranean. moderndistribution, it is currenlly found at high in Europe,the Ural Mountains Anychange in climate will impact on the altitudes Central andCarpathians; also in Fennoscandia.Such a developmentof theriver system. Floodplains suggesta preferencefor colder illustratethe dynamics of thisevolution in the distribution andit is thereforetempting to formof oldpalaeochannels. Some retain the conditions suggestthat river water temperatures were characterof a fast{lowing,gravel bed river, lowerthan those of thepresent day, whereasothers e.g. meanders, accumulate somewhat duringthe Late glacial period. organicdebris and form an oxbowlake. In the rangeof water-bodyleft behind as the river of environmentalreconstruction are systemevolves, discrete assemblages of Studies clearly 'multi-proxy'exercise where data from insectsdescribe and characterise each habitat. a iscollated; one data-set It is ourknowledge of theseinsect a numberof sources perhapsvalidating another. lt is importantfor assemblagesand their ecology that allows us thatour knowledge of to reconstructthe floodplain environment. suchhind-casting floodolainand wetland habitats is as detailed as possibleand offers rich pickings for a (Convolvulusarvensis and Calystigiasepium) Societysuch as yoursto catalogueand respectively. investigatemany of thesesites. Therecan be few who did not see hummingbirdHawk moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)this summer and, with global warmingset to continue,who knows what will beseen in summer 2004. Send me your observationsfor Newsletternumber 31.

BritishWildlife 15 (2) December2003 pp 128-

Phrygaea blprnctata 129.

1.0 '*-'' FrankClark -.".;,*r1il r " ;l .:

Grammobulllsso Limnephtlu956cenhlis

,::: :,!. ,.'',ili, 1.", & v st 3 h# t.f \rj w Sub-fossilTrichoptera fronto-clypeus

Malcolm Greenwood Departmentof Geography,Loughborough University. Convolvulussurprise Agriasconvolvuli at rest Whilstholidaying at SennenCove, Cornwall (Gridref. SW 358267)in September2003 | GreyShoulder Knot was fortunateto witnessa massmigration of - the ConvolvulusHawk moth (Agras (Litophaneornithopus) An convolvulll.Many thousand of this species overvrew wereseen at thistime alongthe southwest coastof Englandeven featuring in The St lves This noctuid species was recorded in times& Echoand HayleTimes (September Leicestershirein the VictorianCounty History '19'n 2003)as this spectacularinsect (wingspan but more frequentoccurrences have been circa1Ocm) was discoveredon washing notedsince 1992. The speciesis nowreported hangingon washinglines, on fencesetc. annuallyat about5 locationsthroughout the Leicestershireand Rutlandalso had theirshare two vice counties(A.Russell, pers comm). of visitsfrom this soecies.and some other althoughit has been predominatelywithin notablemigratory hawk moths, including Rutland.The latestrecords for 2003however StripedHawk moth (Hyleslivornica) at lbstock wereone at Countesthorpe(SP584953) on 8'" (firstcounty record since 1964) the larvaof a Novemberand 2 more westerlyones from DeathsheadHawk moth (Acherontiaatropos) Ravenstone(SK401 138), in October. on potatoin KirbyMuxloe and a Bedstraw Hawk moth (Hylesgalliil al Barrowden.For full This northwesterly spread can be seen on detailsof the abovevisit the Leicestershire& examinationof the data from the counties RutlandMoth Group web site at immediatelyto our north.Nottinghamshire had http://www.pintail- hadno recentor historicrecords of thespecies close.freeserve.co. uk/vc55m oth o rou p/ (S.Wright,pers comm).and the lastreport in '19'10-1919 The December2003 issueof BritishWildlife Derbyshirewas between from reoortsrecord numbers of A. convolvuliwith Reptonin the south,(Harrison & Sterling, larvaebeing found in Cornwall,Dorset, 1986).Since the 1980smore records of the Wiltshire,Norfolk, Buckinghamshire and mothhave been reoorted from the countiesto Oxfordshireon eitherField or HedgeBindweed 4 the southand south east of our region.There Angliaand partsof the Midlands,from Wales are usuallybetween 10 and 30 reportseach and from much of lreland. Derbyshireand year in Berkshire(S.Nash, pers comm).. Nottinghamshirelie in thecentre of thecountry Lincolnshirehas had 34 recordssince 1991 but probablythe Penninesoffers a partial with most of these occurringin the north barrierto its westerlyspread. lt is suggested (R.Johnson,pers comm).However, in the far that the Lancashireand Cheshire data southwest in Cornwall,it is stillfound to be a representsthe approximatenorthern limit of scarceand locally distributed species, with only westerlyexpansion from the southand south '1900's about 28 records since the early east. The width of the Humberappears to (J.Herbert& P.Bogis,pers comm). In Sussex presentanother natural barrier to its spread the moth is muchmore widespread although intoYorkshire and it willbe interestingto seeif morefrequent in the westof the county(Pratt numbersincrease more in Lancashireand west 1999).lt hashad a varyinghistory in thisregion Yorkshirebefore east Yorkshire. Further throughoutthe 20'n century,where it has researchinto the historyof otherrecords from disappearedfrom its easternsites but then the countiesin the southernhalf of England returnedsome 40 yearslater. These population might give more clues as to the apparent dynamicswould not be obviousin the midland spreadingof thisspecies. countieswhere records are few but the underlyingreasons could be part responsible for appearancesat these more northerly locations.To the west the Lancashireand v Cheshirerecords total only five singlessince 1989 but there have been 11 reportsfor Staffordshirein the last decade (D.Emley, pers.comm).and further north in Yorkshirethe specieswas recordedas a vagrantin the 19th Centurywith specimens from Leeds, Pontef ract and York (Sutton& Beaumont,1989). There hassince been a recordfrom Sheff ield in 1965 and two from SpurnBird Observatory(1999 Photocredit KiethTailby, Ravenstone. and2001, B. Spence, pers comm). Thetwo Shoulder Knots shown together at rest A southDerbyshire specimen was caughtat for comparison.Left Grey Shoulder Knot and MV lightat Newhallnear Swadlincoteon the rightBlair's Shoulder Knot. 1OthNovember 2002. Thiswas the onlymoth in the trap which had been turned on ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS throughoutthe night;no moth specieswere caughtthe followingnight. The specieswas The datamentioned in this shortaccount has also trapped 24km to the south east in been kindlyprovided from the variouscounty Leicestershireat Markfield eleven days LepidopteraRecorders and I am gratefulfor previously.Up until2002 there had stillbeen these records.They were Phil Bogis,Barry no occurrencesof themoth in Nottinghamshire. Dickerson,Dave Emley,Jane Herbert,Robin However,a newcounty record came from the Howard,Mr.Rex Johnson, Colin Pratt,Steve gardenof M. Kennewellat Suttonon Trent, McWilliam,Caroline Moscrop, Steve Nash, near Newarkon the 19'nMarch 2003. Since DorothyPhillips, Adrian Russell, Barry Spence, then,another was recorded by M. Ginnswhich KeithTailby and Sheila Wright. cameto a lightedwindow at Tollerton,SE of Nottinghamon the 28'nOctober 2003. There REFERENCES werealso two reportsfrom Lincolnshire during Septemberof 2002 at a latitudeincluding Harrison,F. & Sterling,M.J. 1986.Buftertlies Sheffield(Yorks) and Retford (Notts). and Moths of Derbyshire,2. Derbyshire Entomological Society. It would appearthat the speciesis moving Pratt, C. 1999. A revised History of the northwardsfrom the southeast of the country. Buftertfiesand Mothsof Sussex. Forsome reason it appearsto be movingmore Skinner,B. 1998.A Colourldentification Guide quicklynorthwards than westwardsaccording to Mothsof the Biltish/s/es. Viking. to the data from Cornwall, Berkshire, Sutton,S.L. & Beaumont,H.E. 1989 & 2002. Huntingdonshireand Lincolnshire.This adds Butterfliesand Mothsof interestingdetail to the nationalliterature Yorkshire. (Skinner,1998),where it is recordedas locally widespreadin the south of England,East DavidBudworth Untilrecently these galls were only known in OrangeFootman (Eilema mainlandEurope and they were not found in thiscountry until 1990 when they first appeared v sororcula: Arctiidae)new for in Kent.Only four records are noted in the new vc55. Aidgapkey to BritishPlant Galls published in 2002,trom Kent and Surrey. The latest count in2003 is 1Blocations, all in southern counties. Thediscovery of a newspecies of macromoth In2003 the living fly was captured in inthe County is a fairlynotable occurrence, Middlesex,believed to be a first record {or the especiallyif it is of a potentialnew resident UK. species. Thismay be the most northerly collection of 29thMay 2003 whilst moth trapping at On thesegalls. At thetime of findingit was PickworthGreat Wood (SK 980148) with Andy thoughtto bethe first record north of the Mackayand Mark Skevington, a single Thames,but a wordof mouthrecord has since specimenof theOrange Footman was beenreceived from Buckinghamshire, also this attractedto oneof theMV lighttraps being autumnat aboutthe same time as ourRutland operated.This species has not previously been record. recordedfrom VC55. On the very next night (30thMay) another was recorded in Tim Theinsects appear to bespreading rapidly but MeltonMowbray garden trap (SK Grove's it is difficultto besure of theirdistribution as 748199),followed by another on 1stJune. onlyf ungus enthusiasts are likely to come Thena fourthindividual was taken by Oscar acrossthe gall growths, and even then the Orridgein hisgarden moth trap, also in Melton fungusis so commonthat specimens are Mowbray(SK 760187). seldomcollected. The usual method of determinationof the fungus is to cutoff a small However,it appearsthat this is nota migrant sectionof thebracket for examination of the species;the Orange Footman appears to have structureand to getspore samples. The gall- beenexpanding its range in recentyears and fly maybe spreadingover much of thecountry therehave been additional records of thismoth andthe galls may be sittingthere waiting to be in 2003from other new localities within the UK found! Hopefullya little publicity will (WaringP., BritishWildlife, 14, page 441). encourageboth mycologists and gall enthusiaststo keepa lookout for them. Reductionsin ambientlevels of sulphurdioxide inthe atmosphere in recentdecades have Richardlliffe benefitedlichens, the larvalfoodplant of most speciesof footmanmoth, which have also beenincreasing their numbers in recentyears. What gall is that?- The story It willbe interestingto seeif recordsin 2004 unwindson a fascinatingbit of confirmthat the Orange Footman has been successfulin itsattempt to colonise detectivework! Leicestershire. Backin July1999, Roy and I wenton a AdrianRussell LeicesterLiterary & PhilosophicalSociety [NaturalHistory Section] field meeting to Raregalls recorded in Rutland CressbrookDale in Derbyshire.As usualat that time,we were on the look-outfor the gallspecimensneeded by Mike On21" September2003 a specimenof the remaining Society],to bracketf ungus Ganoderma applanatum, was Bloxham[British Plant Gall the artworkfor the new F.S.C. collectedby LeicestershireFungi Study Group complete to BritishPlant Galls'then in froma fallenrotten tree trunk at PriorsCoppice AIDGAPKeys preparation Redfernand Peter reserve(SK 833049). This bracket is by Margaret a distinctivebright commonlycalled the Artist's Fungus because Shirley.We came across gall rose(,9osa thewhite fertile under-surface darkens when red stem on burnet pimpinellifolia)that to us lookeda bit like the scratchedand it willaccept quite fine "finger- gall Lasiopterarubilound on bramble nail"sketches. midge (Rubussp.), however uncertainty meant that it proper We photographed Theunderside of thefungus carried a layerof needed verification. for the artwork,who prominentcells some 3mm in diameterand the gall and sent it to Mike then it to protrudingfrom the under-surface by 7-8mm. then sent it on to Margaret,who sent the important Thesecells are typical of thoseproduced by KeithHarris [B.P.G.S.], to allow processto continue.Keith thef ungus in responseto a gallf ly called verification fromthe Agathomyiawan kowiczii. managedto isolatefour cecidlarvae gall but they were not Lasiopterarubi Intriguing!- just what was causing this gall? References: Keithneeded more specimens in orderto rear It out the larvaeto adultsand finallyobtain a KeithM. Harris,2003, A NewSpecies of Gall positiveidentification. Watch this space! Midge,Janetiella frankum| inducing stem galls In August2001, we were on a naturalhistory on BurnetRose (Fosa pimpinellifolia) fieldcourse at FSC Orielton,in Pembrokeshire. Cecidology of the BritishPlant Gall [Journal'18, On the lastday, we visitedthe coastat Penally Societyl,Volume No.2.,pages 51 - 55. and GiltarPoint, overlooking Tenby and Caldey M. Redfern,P. Shirley, & M.Bloxham,2002, lsland. Burnetrose was commonin the sand- BritishPlant Galls [Field Studies Council duneareas and many leaveswere galledby AIDGAPSeriesl. cynipidwasps (Diplolepisneruosa/eglanteriae andD. spinosissimae)but the mostexciting Roy & MaggieFrankum findwas anotherlocality for the stillas yet unidentifiedstem gall. Furtherspecimens were Leaf-cutterbee sp.l sentto Keithand I alsotried to rear-outa gail lMegachrle but it was difficultand I was unsuccessful- workingovertime in a Knighton producingjust a not-too-happycecid larva and garden[SK596014] a parasiticwasp (Torymussp.)! lt wouldseem that gallscollected late in the seasonare likely lv'ejust been sorting out my Oxford Bee Co. to parasitised. be Keithalso found the gallat beeboxes [sited on thesouth-facing wall of the otherlocalities in Walesand aftertwo houseand on the greenhouse roofl, putting v unsuccessfulattempts, finally managed to rear- themin the shed for the worst of thewinter out adultsin April2003. period.There were > 50 tubesneatly filled with Osmiarufa cells [using mud as the nesting Keithdid a searchof Europeanliterature, which materiall;several filled with Osmia showedthat gall althoughthe actual had been coerulescens[using chewed leaf-mastic]; and knownfor morethan a centuryin Scotland someMegachile sp. cells [using rounded [Cameron1886; Bagnall & Harrison1922, piecesof leafcut from nearby vegetationl. 19311,the gallcauser had notbeen reared and identified.Keith has now writtena paper However,one leaf-cutter female had obviously describingthis new speciesof gall midge, gother directions wrong, because instead of whichhe has namedin recognitionof its recent usingthe labour-saving 8mm internal diameter finders,whose observationsinitiated his study tubeslike the - othershad done. she decided to Janetiellafrankumfl We acceptedthis honour usea ratherlarge triangular hole between two on behalfof all enthusiasticnaturalists, who tubesand the bee box wall. I foundthis out armedwith an overdoseof curiosity,ask whenI gentlydecanted the tubes from the bee questionsof experts!The storyends..... or boxto checkthem and was showered with doesit? loose,dry and still green leaf pieces. Slotted in betweenthe tubes and the curved box wall was Footnote:-Keith has e-mailed"Since thisnest structure, triangular in cross-section publlcation, I have been sent photographsof [measuringsome 7cm. long and 1cm. across two galls,almost certainly ol J. frankumlseen thewidth of eachof thethree facesl. I reckon on Colonsayby BrianEcott in 1998and l've thatit mustcontain around 4 cells,all neatly alsoreceived a letterfrom KeithBland saying parcelledup. [there were some 70 overlapping he'srecorded it in Scotlandup as far as leafpieces, as well as thelayers hidden from Cromarty.So it is aliveand well aroundthe viewand cell dividers, plus 28 loosebits used Britishlsles, especially up the westcoast". to packthe base of thehole prior to startingthe maincellstructure]. We oncewatched a female go offdown the garden on a leafcutting sortie andit tookher just under half a minuteto cut andbring back one piece of leafto thenest site.The triangular-nest bee surely worked over-time[maybe some 50i60 minutes plus the pollencollecting sorties as well?lfor just four cells.So the uniform size bee box tubes must be an energy-savingperk for these bees. I can'twait until next year to seewhich species builtthe cells[both Megachile centuncularis and M. willoughbiellause the gardenl.

Checkingthe nest-box tubes can produce one or twohidden surprises, including two large Matureunopened gall of J. frankumi. over-winteringVespula vulgaris queen wasps - it wasa RedSword-grass away he theylike to jamthemselves head first down at confirming gearneeded in wentwith the sPecimen. thebase of thetube [reverse LAsrRECoRDED lN 3 wereseveral spider species iEo swonD-GRAss spring!1.There BY HERBERTBUCKLER turt

So keepa lookout for this mothall you recordersl

Stuart Poole' THEROLE OF IN DISEASESPREAD t- (Asummary of a presentationto the LES January2004)

In orderto appreciatethe importanceof insec:s in the transmissionof diseasein Man'it is first necessaryto have an understandingabout whatdisease is. Manhas recogniseddisease for at least5,000 years with smallpoxbelng knownto boththe Chinese(1,0008C) and the Megachitesp. Tube removed from the beebox' Egyptians(the mummyof Ramsesll shows pock marks). Once European MaggieFrankum ch"iiacteristlc adventurerssiarted to roam the world other 30.11.2003 diseases,not knownat home,became all too familiar.Yellow fever was recognisedin West A HIGHLIGHTOF 2OO3 Africaand afflicted many of theslave ships that crossedthe Atlanticto the new colonlesIn eye' Seeingwithout looking I call it' A.naturalist North America. Influenza(la grippe) was mtss findinior seeingsomething most.people common in Europe in the 16th century' thatis)' I wasat that or disiriss.(Bari a naturalist However,it was not untilthe 19thcentury l- oneof thebranches I work for in Loughborougn the causes of diseases started to be thatknows (Ashbyroad to be precise).Anyone understoodwith the 20th centuryseeing the Lougnboroughat all Ashby road is notthat far of antibiotics,vaccines and to go Oevetopment from-tnecentre. I openedthe outer door Jisintectantsfor theircontrol' A successof the A leaf inwhen something fellto the ground' ' 20th centurywas the globaleradication of it had sweatpaper blowing about? No, a moth smallpox- in tne 21stcentury it is hopedthat beentiapped in thedoorjamb, its head.slightly poliomyelitiswill similarly be eradicated' squashed.But apart from that it wasa fairly freshspecimen. I always carry a-spare It is importantto understandthat disease is the (Forthe moths I soecimentube in myworkbag' ultimateoutcome of infection'Infection does mightadd). After tubing the moth up and, notalways lead to disease- manypeople have thiikingit lookedvery much like a Sword-,grass low-gradlrnfections that give no outwardsigns dinner intothj bagit went.lt wasnot until after of iiln".., whilst others become chronic aboutthe thatevenin-g I spoke to Adammy son carriers.In a few people(in some diseases as moth.As soonas he sawthe moth he said little as 1% of those infected)disease Red "Yournot going to believethis dad it's a manifestsitself through illnesswhich may checkin g SworO-grais " \Xyt e n a vetu sta)' After rangefrom colds,headaches, stomach ache' record theMot-hs of Leicestershireand Rutland muscularcramps, muscular paralysis, brain notbeen list,he told me RedSword-grass had damage and death dependingupon the Wella recordedin Leicestershiresince 1935' otgani-st. (the pathogen)that is involved' his ,. phonecallto Adrian Russell had him on Wio developsdisease varies according to the A{ter wayround to myhouse that evening' individual'ssusceptibility, how old they are' are theyimmunosuppressed (transplant and AIDS spreadof diseaseby f lieswhere pathogens are patlentsare particularlyvulnerable), how the pickedup on the feet and transportedto a new l} pathogenenters the body,how muchgets in site. There is no activerole for the insect- the andhow many of the pathogensare needed to pathogenis just a hitch-hiker.The other two causedisease (not infection). means of insect transmission of disease involves blood-suckerswhere the pathogen Table1: Some routes for diseasetransmission entersthe insectduring a bloodmeal. In some instances,the diseasetransfer is mechanicalin Route Examples that the insectpicks up the pathogenduring the Aerosol Influenza, colds, meal, it then sits in the insectuntil it is ejected Leqionnaire'sdisease into a new host at the next meal - no Faecal-oral(water, Cholera,food-poisoning developmentof the pathogentakes part in the food,contact) insect. The third option requires that the Skinabrasion Smallpox,warts pathogenundergoes some part of its life cycle Placenta Germanmeasles in the insectvector - biologicaltransmission - a Sexual Svphilis.thrush classicexample being malaria. Blood HepatitisB (transfusion), HIV(needles) Many types of insectscan be involvedin the transmissionof disease the most significant Diseasecan be spreadby numerousroutes being those with the blood-suckinghabit (Table1). For example,influenza and colds (usuallythe femalesbut not always!). Table4 l- tendto be winterdiseases associated with the gives an indication that the Diptera are aerosolspread of the pathogens(viruses in particularly important with the mosquitoes these cases) throughsneezing. In cold beingglobally important vectors. weatherpeople tend to stayindoors and come intomore contact with each other thus helping Table 4: Main vector groups thespread of thedisease. Group Type Disease Bloodis also the mainway that insect-borne examoles diseasestend to be spread(Table 2). Mosquitoes Malaria,yellow fever Table2: Diseasestransmitted by bitingrnsecfs River Blackflies Diptera blindness Disease Examples Sandflies Leishmaniasis OTOUD Horseflies Anthrax Nematodes Elephantiasis, riverblindness Tsetseflies Sleeping Protozoa Malaria,sleepinq sickness sickness Bacteria Typhus, plaque Bubonic Lymedisease, Siphonaptera Fleas Viruses Yellowfever, West Nile virus, plaque.tvohus MurrayValley Typhus,trench encephalitisetc Anoplura Lice fever Man has always had close relationshipswith insects. Some are beneficial, others are At this stage it is would be worth considering detrimentalwhilst insects have even aooeared some of the more importantof the insect-borne in culturalaspects of Man'sactivities (Table 3). diseasebut it is not my intentionto do this as most of it is availablein textbooksor on the Table 3: Relationships between Man and internet. However, I would prefer to insects concentrateon the future with resoectto the control of insect-bornediseases. Several Positive Pollinatorse.g. bees factors are consideredas being relevant in relationshio Pestcontrol e.q. ladvbird Man's ability to control (?defeat) such diseases. Cultural Scarabbeetles in Egyptian relationship history; amateur Entomol- oqists! The increasingresistance of the insectvectors Crop pest e.g. Colorado themselvesto pesticideshas necessitateoa Negative beetle. rethinkof strategies.The principleis that if the relationship Animalpest e.g. Warble fly vector can be eliminated then the risk of Diseasevectors e.q. malaria disease is substantially diminished. An example,which shows how easilyinsects can Transmissionof diseaseby insects can be (and are being)spread globally,is that of the v achievedin three ways. Firstly, there is Asian Tiger Mosquito(Aedes albopictus)which passivetransmission where the pathogen is enteredthe US fromJapan in the mid-1980sin spreadthrough contact. An example is the shipmentsof used automobiletvres intended for recycling.Water had accumulatedin the and weresent oldtyres, mosquitoes had bred E to th; USwhere the insectib nowfound in half 1 of the stales. lt has achieveda degreeof notorietyin the US becauseof its abilityto use containers) patchof water(typically - j - any small 1:-::--'\ foi breedingand it has takenover the roleof transmittingsome o{ the encephalitisviruses in that partof the world. That mosquitoescan breedin a widevariety of wateryhabitats from old tin cansto mangroveswamps means that habitat control would be a major, if not impossible,task - couplethis with the effortsof conservationiststo protecVcreatewetland habitats! Anophetes maculipennis, mosquito vector of worse bY the The situation is made Malaria. developmentof resistant strains of the - is increasingly pathogensthemselves malaria final considerationin the spreadoJ insect- for its control A iesistintto mostchemical used borne diseasesis the increasedmigration of (quinineis no longereffective for instance)' populations. lnternationaltravel is ls to human ihe main ways of preventingdisease commonthan 25 yearsago: more l' - travelto much more minimiserisk of exposure do not politicaland economicreiugees are n"oving there is no areas with high incidenceor if whereinsect-ccre c seasesoccur precautions- the from areas choice,then take all available to the more affluent areas Eco-tourism is perhapsthe most 'r'nere use of insectrepellents exposesmore people to s i-a: c^s there bitten' effectiveway to avoidgetting is more risk of acquirlngc sease ano tnen takingit home. Finaily.rc'easec irDanlsallon the emergenceof ':ove Of particularconcern is allowsvector'borne dlsease :c Intoareas beingWest Nile "new"diseases an example highpopulation. Otter s-c^ areashave little transmittedby of virus. Originallya birddisease way of infrastr'"c:-'eand usuallyno developed in thL Culexspecies, a Ugandanwoman to instigatecontlo i-eas-lresto aooress that time,the money severeillness in 1937. Since an increasinglydesperaie s :-a:ron' virushas been transmitted by othermosquitoes Balkansand the untilit is now presentin the So what are the realistic03: o's rn controlling the late 1990sthe Mediterraneanareas' In insect-bornediseases? Firsl eiiminationof the with TV newscarrying ' virusreached the US breedinghabitats of the veciors easier said Parkin NewYork imagesof sprayingof Central done! Secondly. irnprovedhygiene As of thestart than to Xittott the carrier mosquitoes. throughestablishment of soundinfrastructures throughoutthe - of 2004,the virusis nowfound to limltthe spreadof all disease unfortunately free' ln severe US withonly 4 statesstill virus you need economicand politicalwill! Thirdly' the elderly)have a v cases,people (especially ieduce poverty - again politicalwill! Lastly' nastyhabit of dYing. avoidconflicts, Jamine and minimisethe effects of naturaldisasters - but Manbeing Man"" Howmuch effect global warming is having(or discussed' lt has will have)is beingmuch lnsect-bornediseases have always had an beenargued that modernmethods for control Man and will continueto do the adverseeffect on (insecticides,antibiotics etc) will limit of the risk is paramountbut diseases' so. Awareness spreadof manyof the insect-borne the means to take effectiveaction to unless sucn without Others, however,argue that exposure, to control the vectors changes control controlis appliedglobally, then habitat and the politicalwill (and economic wellresult themselves andinsect distribution changes may to apply controls globally then the diseases ability) in moreof the "tropical"insect-borne adverseeffect will continue. appearingin moretemperate regions' Another the spreadof an pbisibilityto be consideredis Ray Morris insectinto new areaswhere any diseasesit carriesare passedto humanswho are then Secretary bitten by local insectsthus establishinga Notesfrom the diseaseieservoir in a newinsect species' This is alreadyhaPPening! Sofar, our Winter Programme isrunning smoothlyand we havehad interesting talks on Subfosiils from old river channels by Malcolm \- Greenwood,and Insects and Disease, by our 10 C'a :oan, RayMorris. Many thanks are also distributeflyers around the County, please tell c-e:o PeterGamble who onceagain showed a memberof theCommittee. tD -s someof hisbeautiful slides of Mothsat our Temoerseventngs. JohnKramer Secretary Therehave been three committee meetings during2003. Apartfrom the organisationof the EXCHANGEPROGRAMME WinterProgramme, a numberof other decisionswere taken. The LES receives a The LES produces publications- numberof two the complimentarycopies of Newsletter(which Newslettersfrom groups, hopefullykeeps members up other e.g.the Derby to Entomological dateon itemsof generalinterest) and the Society.lt was decidedby the LESOPS(which publish Committeeto storethese in the aimsto morein-depth libraryat Holly studiesrelevant Hayesand to publish to VC55 entomology). In a listof thosereceived, recent years, and available. groups such as ours have poppedup aroundthe countryand in the case of some we have establishedan We alsodiscussed the possibilityof the exchange systemwhereby they send up their publications productionof a shorterNewsletter, to be in returnfor ours. These publications producedfour times ayear. However,it was are availablefor LESmembers to peruse decidedthat an importantlimiting factor was andhave beenstored at HollyHayes. However, there the amountof copyavailable to the Editor.We is a possibilitythat a new locationfor themwill thereforedecided, for the present,to staywith L haveto be foundat somestage in the currentarrangement, where the Newsletter the future becauseof thelimited space in Birstall. is releasedjust priorto the recordingseason, and just priorto the winterprogramme. Exchanges,at thistime, exist between the LES and - Lancashire& CheshireEntomological At the AGM on 2 December2003 our Society,Norfolk Moth Survey,Derbyshire Treasurer,Stuart Poole, reported that, with 55 & NottinghamshireEntomological Society, Pyralid paid-upmembers, we had a bank balanceof & PlumeRecording Scheme t2503 and therewas therefore,again, no need SuffolkMoth Group - maybe defunct? for an increasein the subscription.The balance existsprimarily to support publication the of RayMorris reportson the localinsect fauna, such as the LES OccasionalPublications. Extra cooies of theseare on salefor C2to non-membersand Grid References saleshave netted at leastC12 during 2003 I wouldlike to reiteratemy pleafor grid The presentcommittee were againelected to referencesto be givenwith all localitiescited in continuein officefor anotheryear. contributions.Those people receiving the News The latestLESOPS, distributed to members Letterout side of the county,our subscriberlist during2003, are bothby MaggieFrankum. No. now extendsas far as Germany,and I suspect 20: GardenBees Update 1998-200'1 : a good numberof memberswithin the county, ! Anthophoraplumipes and other SolitaryBees may not knowwhere a particularsite namedin the frequenta SuburbanGarden in Knighton, a contributionis located.A grid referencewill Leicester.Also No. 21: ForagingBehaviour of greatlyfacilitate finding the localityon the map. Bumblebeesand Cuckoo Bumblebees in a lf the locationis your homeand you do not SuburbanGarden in Knighton,Leicester 1998- want it knownprecisely where it is a four-figure 2001.These excellent reports are selling like gridreference (1Km square) will suffice. hot cakes,which must be an extrareward for Thanksfor co-ooeration. Maggie'shard work. FrankClark (Editor) OurfinalWinter Meeting, led by DerekLott and Tony Fletcher,will take placeat the Collection BELATEDOBITUARY ResourcesCentre, Barrow on Soar (SK593163).A mapshowing the locationof the It is with regretwe haveto informyou of the Centrewas shownin the last Newsletter(Sept deathof a member.Kenneth Cooper, a life 2003)and is given againin this newsletter. memberof the L.E.S.died 31" July2001 . He Comealong to find out whatcollections are was alsoa memberof his localDerbyshire and available, and how to accessthem. NottinghamshireEntomological Society. A keenmoth recorderhe producedsome fine A finalthought;it is quite gain difficultto records.Thanks to DavidBudworth for bringing publicity for the Society,so if anyoneis willing thisobituary to our attention. * to act as PublicityOfficer, or is ableto Stuart Poole. ll L.E.S.Meetings 2004

All indoormeetings are heldat HollyHayes, 216 BirstalRoad, Birstall,starting at 7.30pm.Exhibits are welcomeand refreshmentsare included.

2004

Thursday12 February ChrisO'Toole'The Red MasonBee: Taking the Stingout of Beekeeping'

Thursday11 March 'Buddonthen and Now'. Talk by PeterGamble

Thursday15 April TheLeicestershire Insect Collections. A meeting led by DerekLott and Tony Fletcher at the CollectionResources Centre, Barrow on Soar.

Thecollections will be exhibited,their use, and the role of the Y LeicestershireEntomological Society will be discussed. An important meetingfor everyone concerned about insects and their conservation, in Leicestershire.

Belowis a mapof howto getto TheCollection Resources Centre, Barrow on Soar,grid ref . SK593163.

Lookingfor adviceor information? The followingare willingto act as an initialpoint of contactfor providingadvice and informationto members.As vouwill see, this list is far from complete - lf youthink you can help, please let us (4qw- Coleootera DerekLott, Holly Hayes, 216 Birstall Road, Birstall, Leicester LE4 4DG Telephone:0116 267 1 950 Email:dlott@ leics.qov.uk Diptera JohnKramer, 31 Ash Tree Road, Oadby, Leicester LE2 5TE Teleohone:0116 271 6499 Email:[email protected] Hymentoptera(Bees) MaggieFrankum, 3 ChapelLane, Knighton, Leicester LE2 3WF Teleohone:0116 270 5833 Email: rovf rankum @tiscali.co.uk AdrianRussell, 15 St. Swithin's Road, Leicester LE5 2GE Teleohone:0116 241 5101 Email:adrian @wainscot.demon.co.uk BiologicalRecording DanruynSumner, Holly Hayes, 216 Birstall Road, Birstall, Leicester LE4 4DG (andother orders) Teleohone:0116 267 1 950 Email:dsumner@ leics.qov.uk

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