Hoopoe – A blog by nhbs – Page 3 – The NHBS Conservation Hub

Bat Box Basics: A Guide

Whether you are planning a construction project, are in the middle of a new–build or are looking to update an existing structure, you may be exploring options for providing bat habitats. We have an extensive range of bat boxes available on our website, in a variety of formats and materials. Here we explore the different types, how they may be used and where they can be installed.

Bat Box Material Properties

Bat boxes are constructed with a variety of materials, each with differing properties.

Most commonly used for external boxes, wood is lightweight with good thermal properties for inhabitants. However, it does rot without treatment and therefore does not last as long as other materials.
Woodcrete (also named woodstone or woodconcrete) is a very durable material with exceptional thermal properties and is often the material of choice for built-in boxes. It can also be used externally and can last several decades once installed.
Eco-plastics are used to create lightweight boxes, typically designed for external use. They have good weather resistance and longevity, although less durability.
Concrete is exceptionally durable and is used for built-in boxes. It has good thermal properties but due to its weight, is unsuitable for external mounting.

Maternity Boxes

Typically larger in size with multiple internal chambers, maternity boxes are designed to support breeding colonies by providing a well-insulated roosting space for raising young.

These boxes are mostly made for external installation but are also available in a built-in format which is installed into the brickwork and can be rendered over.

Since these boxes are mostly available in an external form, they can be installed once construction has taken place. Built-in boxes should be fixed during the construction process and installed directly into the brickwork.

Example:

Improved Roost-Maternity Bat Box

#187787

An FSC certified crevice box, suitable for roosts or maternity groups.

Bat Tubes

Bat tubes are longer internal cavities with multiple sections or crevices. These are often made of woodcrete and are available in modular versions which can be connected in the facade allowing for side-by-side or a longer tower format.

These boxes come built-in and are incorporated into the building’s brickwork during exterior wall construction where they can be rendered over.

Example:

1FR Schwegler Bat Tube

#178018

A modular option available in multiple depths and styles for crevice and cavity species.

Bat Bricks

Constructed to industry standard size, bat bricks have a dome-shaped access hole to allow bats into a suitable cavity.

These products are designed to be incorporated into the brickwork of a building, whether this be a new build or an existing structure under renovation, and are available in standard colours enabling them to seamlessly blend into existing walls. When installing bat bricks, it is important to ensure that a chamber free from insulating material is available behind the access brick to allow bats to safely roost.

Example: 197697

Bat Access Brick

#197697

A standard-sized brick available in red, golden and brown colours.

Access Tiles and Panels

Similar to bat bricks, these tiles provide an access point to open roof space or the underfelt of the roof, allowing bats to roost in confined spaces beneath the tiles. They can be installed within the roof or ridge tiles during construction, or they may be used to replace tiles on existing structures, and are available in multiple colours to blend seamlessly into existing tiles.

Bat access panels are also available to provide bats access to a roosting site, and are particularly advantageous for renovation projects with existing roosting colonies. These panels can also be rendered over, and can be installed at any point during construction.

Access tiles and panels require an insulation-free cavity behind the product to provide roosting space.

Examples:

Bat Access Tile Set

#187127

This set includes three tiles available in five traditional roof tile colours.

1FE Schwegler Bat Access Panel

#180333

A woodconcrete access panel with an overall depth of just 8cm for easy integration.

Bat Box

These boxes are available as external or built-in designs and consist of a simple box with an entrance hole and varying interiors. Bat boxes can come in a range of forms, and can have one large, single cavity or a multi-chamber interior and can cater to both crevice and cavity-dwelling bats. There are also hybrid options, where a box is designed with cavities for multiple species, for example a box may cater to bats and Swifts.

Built-in boxes are designed to be installed among the brickwork and can be rendered over. External boxes can be mounted to trees, fences and buildings with the appropriate fixings. It is important to consider the weight of an external box before mounting, more lightweight boxes (made from wood or plastic for example) can be fixed to trees, but heavier woodcrete boxes should be fixed to a solid structure.

Examples:

Large Multi Chamber Woodstone Bat Box

#246918

A large multi-chamber box that is also suitable as a hibernation, maternity or summer roosting space.

Kiki Bat and Swift Hybrid Box

#261420

A hybrid box designed to support multiple species, including cavity and crevice dwelling species.

PRO UK Build-in WoodStone Bat Box

#256321

A maintenance-free woodstone box designed to work with UK brick dimensions.

Elisa Bat Box

#259840

Features a single internal cavity that is suitable as a summer roost.

Rocket box

Rocket boxes are large, pole-mounted habitats that provide a large roosting area over multiple chambers. Typically made with a plastic shell, these boxes allow for 360 movement and are available with both crevice and cavity designs.

Rocket boxes are external and do not attach to any part of the building. They are particularly useful when there are no suitable trees for external boxes, and a wall mounted box is undesirable. They have also been used to provide an alternative roosting site near building works.

Example:

Eco Rocket Bat Box

#242611

A pole-mounted bat box available in a cavity or crevice design.

For more information on bat boxes and how to choose them, read our Bat Boxes Buyers Guide.

Our full range of bat boxes can be found here.

If you have any questions about our range or would like some advice on the right product for you then please contact us via email at customer.services@nhbs.com or phone on 01803 865913.

Author interview with Stephen Moss: The Starling

Marking the sixth volume in Stephen Moss’ Bird Biography series, The Starling delves into the fascinating life of one of our most talented and surprising birds. Starlings are renowned for their iridescent plumage, impressive vocal abilities and stunning murmurations, and this captivating tale explores how they’ve shaped our world, inspired art and music through the decades, influenced the agricultural industry and more.

Stephen is a naturalist, author and broadcaster well known for his work with the BBC Natural History Unit working on landmark programmes such as Springwatch and The Nature of Britain. He currently holds the position of senior lecturer in creative writing at Bath Spa University and is also president of the Somerset Wildlife Trust.

Stephen recently took time out of his busy schedule to answer some of our questions about his latest book The Starling, including what inspired him to write about this species, how his opinions of this bird has changed throughout the writing process and more.

The Starling marks the sixth volume in your bestselling Bird Biographies series. What inspired you to turn your attention to Starlings for this latest volume?

I always look for three things when it comes to choosing a subject for a bird biography.

First, does the species show some unusual or specific behaviour or habit which mark it out from other species? For example, the Robin’s habit of singing and holding territory in winter, the Wren’s bizarre breeding behaviour where the male builds several ‘cock’s nests’ for the female to inspect, or the Swallows’ epic migrations.

Second, does it have a strong cultural presence – in music, literature, mythology, popular culture and day-to-day society? Examples include the Robin’s association with Christmas, the Swallow’s position as a herald of spring, the Swan’s royal connections, and the owl’s reputation as a mysterious bird of the night.

And third, does the species relate to both me and the reader? Basically, is it one of Britain’s favourite birds, and if so, why? It also helps if I like the bird and have had a lifelong connection with it – which is true of all the species I have featured in the series so far – as then I can add personal anecdotes from my life as a birder.

Just like the previous subjects in the series – the Robin, Wren, Swallow, Swan, and owl(s), the Starling fits the bill in all three of these categories. It is a very sociable bird – more so than almost any other species during both the breeding season and in autumn and winter, when they gather in those famous murmurations. There are also plenty of historical and cultural references, including the fact that Mozart kept a pet starling which used to whistle his new compositions, and which he mourned in a solemn burial ceremony after it died. Most of all, we have a love-hate relationship with this bird, giving it a real ambivalence in our eyes – which makes it a fascinating subject for a book. And as you mention later on, like most of us, I grew up with Starlings. I now live on the Somerset Levels, just a stone’s throw from the famous winter gatherings, which I have now enjoyed for almost twenty years.

This book explores how starlings have influenced both farming and the arts throughout the years – were there any discoveries that surprised you on this line of inquiry?

The biggest surprise was that the widely known and oft-repeated story that Starlings were introduced into North America by a German emigrant who wanted to bring every bird mentioned in Shakespeare to the New World turns out to be mostly a myth! He wasn’t German (though he did come from a high-ranking New York family of German descent); he had no interest in Shakespeare, and most importantly he wasn’t the first person to release Starlings into the wild in the USA – that happened over 20 years earlier. Check out the chapter on ‘The Global Starling ‘to find out more details!

You mentioned having been around starlings for most of your life in the first chapter. Has your research and writing of this book altered your opinion of these birds?

Definitely! I do have a real soft spot for Starlings – though I also agree with the expert scientist Chris Feare that they look like second-hand car salesmen when they walk! I love the fact that they live alongside us but don’t really care about us – just going along with their day-to-day lives.

I also discovered a lot more about the science of their murmurations, and also about our human response to them, which ranges from loathing to love.

Finally, their ability to adapt to locations around the world where they have been introduced – including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as North America – is also very interesting, and again tells us a lot about our ambivalent attitudes towards these fascinating and often overlooked birds.

Starlings are often regarded with distaste and annoyance by many. Are there any common misconceptions impacting people’s perceptions of this overlooked species? And how can we move towards acceptance, and ideally, appreciation of these birds?

As my old friend and colleague Bill Oddie famously said, people think of Starlings as ‘bird table bullies’! And yet those same people who don’t like them in their garden love watching their spectacular murmurations! They are also often overlooked – like all common, familiar and widespread species, we tend to take them for granted.

Yet paradoxically, as we saw when another common and familiar bird, the House Sparrow, started to go missing from our towns and cities, when we begin to lose a species, we do begin to appreciate them more!

Starlings are in decline, and almost all urban roosts like the ones in the middle of London, including the famous one in Leicester Square that I used to see when I was growing up, are no more. Fortunately roosts in the wider countryside do appear to be making a bit of a comeback.

If anyone still doesn’t like Starlings, I would urge them to come down to Somerset on evenings between November and February, where we still get a quarter of a million or more Starlings murmurating together before going to roost on the Avalon marshes – it really is truly incredible!

How do you think the historical representation of ‘pest species’, such as Starlings, has affected our attitudes towards them, and how do you think we should approach the somewhat controversial topic of conservation vs agriculture vs pest control in the future?

I don’t like the word ‘pest’, though it is at least a bit less loaded than ‘vermin’! As I discuss in the book, Starlings have always been unpopular with farmers, even though they predate on many so-called insect pests in the soil, such as leatherjackets. They do eat fruit and can also cause problems with their droppings, but overall, I think they are less harmful than many people think.

I also believe that we tend to dislike species, especially those that live alongside us, that remind us of ourselves. This includes gulls, crows and of course starlings, which often seem to behave rather like us, and we don’t like that!

Starling Murmuration - Eastbridge. — Starling Murmuration – Eastbridge by Airwolfhound, via flickr.

I, along with many of your readers, will be excited to see where this series will go next. Have you begun working on the next book? And can you give us any clues as to what comes next?

I have, although I am taking a bit of a break from writing as I am trying to get a better work-life balance and travel to see birds around the world – including Starlings (exotic species in Africa and Asia as well as our own familiar species!). I have long wanted to do the House Sparrow, as it has such a fascinating historical relationship with human beings, and lives closer alongside us than any other species of bird. As a result – just like the Starling – we are very ambivalent towards it.

When we chose the Starling, we had a shortlist of three, the others being Skylark and Kingfisher; yet bizarrely, when I did an X/Twitter poll amongst 2,000 people, the vote split almost exactly to one third for each!

I can’t do some species that readers of the series have suggested, either because, like the Blackbird and Blue Tit, they don’t have very unusual or distinctive behaviour or cultural importance; or because others have already written similar (and excellent) books – such as Sam Lee on the Nightingale and Charles Foster and Sarah Gibson on the Swift.

Currently I am keen on either the Peregrine Falcon or the Puffin, both of which have really strong biological and cultural aspects to their lives – I’d be fascinated to hear which of these species NHBS customers – and your excellent staff – think I should choose!

STEPHEN MOSS is a lifelong birder, broadcaster and bestselling author, whose books have appeared in almost twenty different countries. The Starling is the sixth volume in his celebrated ‘Bird Biographies’ series, following the Robin, Wren, Swallow, Swan, and Owl – and of course The Twelve Birds of Christmas, which featured the dozen species in the famous festive carol. In total these have sold over 100,000 copies, and been translated into Dutch, German and Chinese.

The Starling is available to pre-order from our bookstore here.

Garden Wildlife Watching: Sabine’s Trail Cameras

Although widely used by ecologists, trail cameras are popular with naturalists, wildlife watchers and those who are simply curious as to what creatures can be found in their gardens. They allow us to monitor the wildlife around us without impacting their natural behaviours and can capture both images and video during the day and night, with the help of infrared imaging technology. Trail cameras are constructed to endure harsh outdoor conditions, including wind, rain and temperature fluctuations, making them robust and long-wearing.

With this technology we can observe wildlife that we may not otherwise be able to see. They allow us to watch easily startled species, like deer, or those that are nocturnal, like foxes. We can also record and observe a much broader, and more natural, range of behaviours without disturbance from humans.

Our colleague, Sabine, recently captured some excellent footage on two trail cameras around her home using the Num’axes PIE1060 Solar Wi-Fi Trail Camera and the Browning Strike Force Pro1080. The cameras were placed in her orchard, which has a small stream, and were left to record for around four months and one year respectively, capturing some exciting finds.

Here’s what Sabine found:

A pair of Magpies (Pica Pica) drinking and bathing in a stream, a natural behaviour which can easily be disturbed by human presence.

The Browning detected Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus) during both the daytime and night time around the orchard. Deer are easily startled by human presence and trail cameras allow us to observe their natural, relaxed behaviours.

Another day and night comparison of Pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). Videos recorded by the trail camera gave us a great insight into their breeding behaviours, not commonly seen in the flesh.

A possible Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus) emerging from its burrow. Usually sticking to their underground burrows, or dense surrounding vegetation, a carefully placed trail camera can even be used to capture the more unusual species found across the British countryside.

A Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) perched on a fence post to have its morning meal of a large nut. Another example of natural, undisturbed behaviour of a typically wary species.

For more information on how to choose a trail camera, see our buyers guide and our trail camera blogs on the Conservation Hub.

This Week in Biodiversity News – 30th September

Environment

Planet Earth may have surpassed seven of its ‘planetary boundaries’. These boundaries are described as physical or biological systems and processes that contribute to the stability of life on Earth and its supporting functions. There are nine boundaries in total, which are considered breached when the process can no longer function – these thresholds have been reached with six boundaries, and number seven, ocean acidification, is close to its threshold. Breaching this seventh boundary would reduce the efficiency of the ocean as a carbon sink, threatening marine ecosystems and global survival.

The first assessment of marine protection has shown that EU marine protected areas (MPAs) only provide minor security against harmful marine activities. This study revealed that over 86% of European MPAs have worryingly low levels of protection, with mining, dredging and bottom trawling present in most protected areas in the region. The study concludes that radical changes will be required to meet EU conservation targets, including the goal of protecting 30% of its oceans by 2030.

A brown otter laying on rocks on the river bed — Image by Alison Day via Flickr

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has launched a ten-year restoration plan to clean up London’s rivers. Inspired by New York’s Oyster project, the Mayor hopes that by encouraging Eurasian Otters, Water Voles, eels and mayflies throughout the capital, water quality will subsequently improve. Khan is also investigating the reintroduction of oysters, which were historically present in the Thames, as a means of cleaning the degraded environment.

Climate Crisis

Seabirds are having to fly further to find food sources due to the melting of sea ice in Antarctica. Researchers analysed the foraging data from over 2,400 trips made by seven South Georgian seabird species from 1992 to 2023. They found that receding sea ice in the region is impacting species like Albatross and petrels as they now have to travel greater distances in search of breeding grounds and food. The data suggests that altered patterns of food availability could impact the presence of these birds in certain ecosystems however, with sea ice at a record lows, further research is needed to better evaluate the long-term impacts on seabirds.

an albatross with a pink beak, white body and brown wings. it is sitting on the surface of the water — Image by Bernard Spragg via Flickr

Young coral colonies bred using IVF technology have survived a record marine heatwave. These cultivated colonies were planted onto multiple reefs in the US and the Caribbean to restore degraded habitats in the region. Last year, the Caribbean experienced a mass bleaching event which resulted in significant losses of the reef– only 25% of older corals survived, however over 90% of cultivated corals remained healthy after the event, and researchers are hopeful that this technique may provide coral species with a greater chance of adapting to heat stresses over time.

Wildlife

The EU has made the first move toward legalising wolf culls. The proposal was put forward by the European Commission late last year, and this month member governments, including Germany and France, have voted in favour to downgrade the ‘strictly protected’ status of the Eurasian Wolf to ‘protected’ under the Bern Convention 1979. This amendment would allow the EU to revise the Habitats Directive to further ease the protection of the species, which currently permits culls only with specific authorisation in extenuating circumstances.

a brown and cream speckled butterfly on a blade of grass, it has some spots and is covered in dark brown hair — Image by Nikk via Flickr

Butterfly Conservation have announced a ‘butterfly emergency’. This year’s Big Butterfly Count recorded the lowest ever numbers since the initiative began 14 years ago, with an average of seven butterflies per count, compared to last year’s twelve. Partially due to a wetter-than-average spring, late summer and a long-term downward trend, the results indicate a significant decline in British butterflies and day-flying moths. Butterfly Conservation has responded by urging the government to ban neonicotinoid pesticides harming these indicator species for good.

Author interview with Richard A. Fortey: Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind

For years, Richard Fortey has found the uniqueness of fungi fascinating, from their strange forms, colours, reputation, rapid appearance and disappearance, to their often unseen role within the natural world. Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind takes the reader on an enthralling journey through Fortey’s forays searching for the strangest, most extraordinary and most delicious species. Focusing on a selection of the larger fungi and a handful of microfungi, this charming book celebrates their profusion, diversity and importance.

Richard Fortey is a palaeontologist, nature historian, writer and presenter who worked as the Natural History Museum’s senior palaeontologist until 2006. Richard has served on the councils of the Systematics Association, Palaeontographical Society, British Mycological Society and more. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1997 and was awarded an OBE in the 2023 New Years Honours for services to palaeontology and geology.

We recently spoke to Richard about his book, his first introduction to fungi, his hopes for the future of mycological research and more.

The fungal kingdom is enigmatic, and in recent years it has gripped the attention of naturalists and the wider public alike, thanks to books such as this one. Do you remember your first introduction to fungi that sent you on this path of discovery?

As a child in Ealing on the fringes of London, we were lucky enough to have a large garden. I remember wondering at a great clump of glistening ink caps that appeared around a rotting stump – apparently overnight. In a day or two they had turned into a black soup. About the only book available then (I must have been about ten years old) was The Observer’s Book of Mushrooms and Toadstools, but I managed to identify our stump fungus as Coprinus micaceus. Finding others in the book became a challenge.

Fungi are everywhere, spores floating through the air, mycelial networks underneath our feet, and even in the deep ocean. Can you describe one of your most unexpected encounters with the fungal kind whilst compiling this book?

At my sister-in-law’s house in the rainforest of New South Wales, there were a host of fungi on the ground and on fallen trees. One of them growing on a trunk seemed to be an old and edible friend – the Oyster Mushroom. But when I went out in the dark, I was amazed to see it glowing with a ghostly greenish light. It was an Aussie double of our oyster, and a decidedly poisonous one. I used a photo of it taken by its own light in the book, and it still looks quite unearthly even now I know its identity.

You open the book describing an enchanting trip to the hills of northern Italy for a celebration of the foragers’ favourite, the Bolete. If you were to organise a mycologically focused celebration in the UK, which location would you choose?

When it is in top form it is hard to beat the New Forest for variety and number of species. Boletes used to abound there, and every kind of milkcap and brittlegill still does, and it is about the only place to see the extraordinary Nail Fungus emerging from pony dung.

In your book, you allude to the challenges of understanding taxonomy as a novice or intermediate mushroom fan through the lens of species names. However, you also highlight the importance of both binomial nomenclature and common vernacular names. Do you have a favourite species name, both scientific and common? And to take this further do you have any personal/pet names that you find yourself using for species?

The common small bracket that grows in tiers on dead logs is known as the Turkey Tail – and it really does look like a fanned-out tail of this big bird, with a neat white rim and a neatly zoned dark upper surface. The best scientific name really doesn’t beat around the nomenclatural bush, and it must be Phallus impudicus. The Stinkhorn indeed resembles an upright human reproductive organ and even retains a distinctively scrotal sac at its base. And it smells like rotting meat – the species name refers to that. As for pet names, my young nephew always referred to the beautiful but poisonous scarlet Fly Agaric as “Killer Diller” – and that name seems to have stuck.

As someone with a long career in the sciences, a lifelong mycologist, and an inspiring naturalist, which direction would you like to see mycology take in the next few years as it expands as both a field of research and a subject of interest?

There’s no question that DNA studies are taking mycology into a new direction – not least enabling us to ‘see’ fungi even without having their fruitbodies, for example, by sampling soils in different habitats. I believe that fungi are even better indicators of environmental health than our plants, and I really hope that conservation bodies – and farmers – realize that they need to fully recognize the contribution of fungi to total biodiversity. There are so many different species that identification often poses a challenge, and I personally welcome the development of apps to help, but there is no substitute for getting down on hands and knees on the forest floor. If a fraction of those who make birds their hobby took up mycology it would do no end of good to public awareness.

Finally, what’s occupying your time at the moment? Are you working on any other projects that you can tell us about?

I have had an ongoing project raising fungus gnats – which are also very diverse. One large fungus can feed a hundred tiny flies, and these in turn feed insectivores. Their importance in the food chain has been underestimated. Which species of fungi feed which gnats is still incompletely known, however this is the kind of project I can do in a small woodland like my own.

Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind is available from our online bookstore.

Beyond the Cap: Is Mycology only about Mushrooms?

For many people, the mention of mushrooms conjures up images of stroganoff, druids, or damp housing. However, for those of us who are mycologically inclined, a vast kingdom of species, ecological interactions, and secondary metabolites awaits to boggle the mind. Fungi are everywhere, circulating through the air as spores, forming networks below our feet, and even influencing popular culture. But what is mycology?

three mushrooms on a bed of leaf litter. one is much larger than the others. they all have clean white stems and spotted red caps — Image by Bernard Spragg via Flickr

The History of Mycology

Originating from the Greek language, mycology translates to the study of fungus. The term was first coined in the early 19th century, but the study of fungi goes much further back. The Greeks pioneered written fungal observations, initially through records of poisonings. They were also the first to attempt to classify mushrooms (fungi), albeit as plants with missing parts, a narrative that persisted until the late 1960s when the fungal kingdom was first described.

Since the Greeks, theories about fungi origins ebbed and flowed throughout written history. From a modern taxonomic standpoint, Linnaeus (the father of modern taxonomy who formalised binomial nomenclature) and his contemporaries were integral to mycology, describing groups (genera) that still exist today, such as Boletus and Agaricus – though these have been heavily adapted from the original classifications. However, at this time, mushrooms were still classified as plants within the subcategory of ‘Cryptogamia’, due to the lack of apparent sexual organs, a similar grouping to that of the Greeks. But is mycology solely concerned with mushrooms, colloquially known as toadstools, the enigmatic, ephemeral fruits of fungal species?

The short answer is no. Once thought to be asexual plants, mushrooms are actually the reproductive structures of fungal species that form networks of organic strands called hyphae, collectively known as mycelium. When two sexually compatible hyphal strands from the same species meet, they twist and writhe, forming a knot. It is from this mycelial joint enterprise that the mushroom fruits, hence the term ‘fruiting bodies’.

a group of brown mushrooms growing on a fallen tree. they have dark brown stems and light brown caps with a yellow underside — Image by Lukas Large via Flickr

Fungal Groups

Boletus and Agaricus are prime examples of iconic toadstool-forming fungal genera. Once fully developed, the toadstool drops spores, either from pores (in the case of Boletus) or gills (as with Agaricus). These genera are members of Basidiomycota (the spore-droppers) that release spores to fall to the ground. The other major fungal group, Ascomycota, the spore-shooters, fire spores from specially adapted tissue into the wind. Fungi classified as Basidiomycetes do not exclusively form toadstools, there is a large variety of fruitbody formations, each with unique identifying features and characteristics. Examples include brackets, puffballs, earthstars, stinkhorns, corals, toothed fungi, jellies, rusts, and smuts.

Ascomycetes, the spore-shooters, exhibit a similarly large variety of fruit body forms. Many ascomycete fruit bodies are considered cup fungi, such as the morel – a forager’s favourite. Cup fungi belong to the Pezizomycetes. This subgroup also contains truffles, which are prized by chefs, foodies, and mammals of various sizes. Other intriguing forms include saddle-shaped fungi, earth tongues, and club- and finger-shaped fungi.

Ascomycete fungi are known for their propensity for parasitism and pathogenicity, such as the ever-fascinating Cordyceps (zombie ant fungus), made famous by The Last of Us, or Ergot (Claviceps Purpurea), a plant pathogen. Ergot is hallucinogenic when consumed by mammals and most famously caused a ‘dancing plague’ among villagers in the early 20th century. Some fungi do not produce hyphae and therefore do not form mycelial networks or fruit bodies. A famous example of an Ascomycete fungus that doesn’t produce spores, mushrooms, or mycelium is yeast (Saccharomyces). Yeast is unicellular and present in the air and has had a dramatic impact on human societies via bread and beer, a winning combination.

A group of small, white mushrooms with pleated caps — Image by Bernard Spragg via Flickr

Lichens

Lichens represent a fascinating intersection of biology, ecology, and mycology. These composite organisms are the result of a symbiotic partnership between a primary photo-biont, typically algae or cyanobacteria, and a fungal host. The photo-biont contributes photosynthetic sugars, while the fungus creates a stable environment for the photo-biont to thrive. This mutualistic relationship is an ingenious ecological strategy that allows both partners to survive in diverse and often extreme environments. Interestingly, as mycologists delve deeper into lichen biology, more complex partnerships are being discovered. Notably, 98% of the fungi associated with lichens belong to the ascomycetes, the group of spore-shooting fungi, and almost half of all ascomycetes participate in lichen formation.

a yellow lichen on stone. It has a flaky, seaweed like appearance — Image by Simon Lee via Flickr

Slime Moulds

Let’s touch on slime moulds, another group commonly mistaken for fungi. These soil-dwelling amoeba, originally described as ‘fast-growing fungus’, were integrated into fungal evolutionary history until the 1970s. Slime moulds share similarities with fungi in their lifecycles and ecological niches, but despite their name and popular belief, they belong to a different kingdom altogether – the protozoan kingdom. It’s easy to see why they were once considered members of the fungal kingdom, as they ‘fruit’ under similar conditions and are often found on rotten substrates in damp forests.

A yellow slime mould on a tree trunk. the top is a large blob of bright yellow shiny slime, trailing down through bright yellow veins — Image by Bernard Spragg via Flickr

The often-overlooked fungal kingdom has been a key component to the development of life on earth and is often cited as one of the drivers for terrestrial evolution. Alongside its significance in evolutionary history, this unique kingdom has also benefitted humans for millennia and is expected to play a vital role in future healthcare, farming and food security. In addition to these significant contributions to civilisation, fungi are a delight to stumble across in the wild and are an object of beauty and wonder for many. Whether you are a seasoned mycologist, budding enthusiast or a complete beginner, fungi are bound to captivate you with their peculiarities – so why not head out this autumn, explore the forest floor, and see what you can find?

Below we have listed some recommendations for popular field guides and recent titles suitable for mycologists, as well as the NHBS Beginners Field Mycology Kit:

Entangled Life (The Illustrated Edition)

This astonishing bestseller is now available in a beautifully illustrated gift edition and features over 100 spectacular full colour images

Collins Fungi Guide

This extensive guide covers the fungi of the British Isles in astonishing detail and is written, and illustrated, by leading mycologists and horticultural scientists

Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind

Acclaimed scientist and author Richard Fortey acknowledges the otherworldliness of fungi and marvels at their charm in this enthusiastic and passionate book

The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi

An illuminating account of the invisible fungi that share our world, this book explores the evolution and adaptation of these organisms, the latest research surrounding the fungal kingdom and more

The Little Book of Fungi

A beautifully designed pocketbook on the world’s fungi, this expertly written work contains an astonishing amount of information and covers a range of topics, including myths, folklore and modern culture

Bloomsbury Concise Mushroom Guide

An illustrated mini field guide packed with information on over 200 species found in Britain. A concise written account covers size, description, habitat and the season in which each fungus may be found.

NHBS Beginners Field Mycology Kit

This comprehensive kit equips you with the essentials to observe and document fungi in any weather. The kit contains a Singlet Loupe 21mm 10x Hand Lens, a Rite in the Rain Spiral Bound Notebook and four Field Studies Council Guides (The Fungi Name-trail, Distinctive Gilled Fungi, Distinctive Non-gilled Fungi and Distinctive Grassland Fungi).

Wild and Wonderful: A Spotlight on Endangered Mammals in Britain and Ireland

This blog focusses on forgotten species; those that are extinct, endangered or just urban, small and under-recorded. With climate change, habitat loss and invasive species threatening our native mammals, highlighting their importance is vital in driving their conservation, so we have chosen to spotlight three of the UK’s endangered mammals, discussing their biology and characteristics, current conservation initiatives and what the future might look like for these animals.

Eurasian Beaver (Castor fiber)

A beaver is swimming through a body of water leaving a wake behind it. Only the nose, top of the head and back are visible. It is covered in brown fur, with small brown ears, small dark eyes and a large button nose. — Image by Gertjan van Noord via Flickr

Habitat: Freshwater, particularly streams and rivers near woodland.

Diet: Aquatic plants and grasses during warmer months, tree bark and shoots during winter. Preference for willow, Aspen, Alder and fruit trees.

Conservation Status: Critically endangered in England, endangered in Scotland.

Distribution: Free-range populations in the River Tay, River Otter and Knapdale, Scotland. Enclosed populations in Kent, Essex and the Forest of Dean. As of 2023, Scottish beavers have established 424 territories, housing up to 1,500 individuals.

Breeding: Between December and April. Birth in early summer of up to six kits, sexually mature at two years old.

Description: With distinctive orange, chisel-like teeth and a flat, scaled tail, beavers are instantly recognisable. Similar in size to a medium dog with shorter legs and a rounder body, the fur of a beaver ranges from brown to black. Once widespread in the UK, the Eurasian Beaver was historically persecuted for medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The species was hunted for fur, meat and the oil from its scent glands, resulting in extinction by the 1600’s.

Did you know? High iron content in the enamel of their teeth gives them their distinctive orange colour. This addition provides the teeth the extra strength that is required for felling trees and eating.

Conservation of Eurasian Beavers

Beavers are talented ‘engineers’, able to transform wetland and freshwater environments. Through the alteration and modification of these habitats, beavers can create complex wetlands, ponds and nurture more resilient ecosystems. Their dams provide a natural filtration system for freshwater landscapes and water quality is shown to increase as it passes through dam complexes, helping to reduce diffuse pollution in the area. Through improved water storage, beaver activities can also maintain water flow to drought-ridden landscapes, increasing the habitat’s resilience to climate change related conditions.

A mound of sticks and twigs laid by beavers across a river to create a dam. The trees in the background are yellow and autumnal — Image by Tom Kelly via Flickr

Environments altered by beaver presence host significantly higher diversity compared to those without. Tree felling can shed more light onto aquatic areas, encouraging growth of wetland vegetation. Feeding on larger, fleshy plants can favour smaller, slow-growing species in the surrounding habitat, leading to more abundant, diverse plant communities in the long-term. Species richness and overall abundance of small mammals, amphibians and bird species are also found to be higher in areas close to beaver dams.

After 400–500 years of local extinction, beaver reintroduction has been gathering traction in the UK. There are a number of reintroduction projects trialling their release, including the 2009 Scottish Beaver Trial in Knapdale Forest (which introduced around a dozen beavers to over four hectares of land) and the Devon Beaver Project which introduced one family group to an enclosed area in West Devon. England’s first wild project, The River Otter Beaver Trial, was founded due to the discovery of wild beavers in the region. This 5-year project observed eight family units over 28,700ha and is seeking to demonstrate the effect of beavers on other wildlife, local landscapes, water flow, water quality and local communities. Further reintroductions across the country have established both wild and enclosed populations of this keystone species.

Looking Forward

Reintroduction projects across the UK have been successful. Populations are breeding successfully and have been expanding their territories. However, there is cause for concern with the potential of conflicts to arise over land management. It is likely that, with expansion, there will be human-wildlife conflict with landowners and other stakeholders in the future. The impact of beaver activities on the environment can cause flooding of pasture, risk to crops and the felling of trees can cause harm to livestock and structures. Natural England has advised a paced approach to beaver reintroduction, minimising impacts to land use, infrastructure, livelihoods or environmental features while maximising benefits for the environment.

Water Vole (Arvicola amphibius)

A small brown water vole with a long tail is standing on the edge of a shallow body of water. It is looking to one side, and is surrounded by small plants and foliage. — Image by Peter Trimming via Flickr

Habitat: Grassy banks along slow-moving rivers, canals and streams. Marshes, reedbeds, wet moorland, wetland.

Diet: Grass and waterside vegetation. Wetland plants in spring and summer. Roots, rhizomes, bulbs and bark in autumn and winter. Occasional invertebrates.

Conservation Status: Endangered in England and critically endangered in Wales.

Distribution: Found throughout mainland UK. Absent from Northern Ireland and most offshore islands. Estimated population of 132,000, range and numbers have declined by 94% from historical populations.

Breeding: March–October. Breed in spring, producing up to four litters a year.

Description: A small rat-sized rodent, the Water Vole has chestnut brown hair covering their entire body and tail, with a round nose and nearly hidden ears. This semi-aquatic rodent was historically widespread until the population saw a decline, resulting in nearly 90% reductions by 1998.

Habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation are key drivers of Water Vole declines in the UK. General infrastructure development, along with urbanisation of flood plains, have resulted in extensive loss of habitat for this species. Partnered with loss of vegetation and trampling around freshwater banks from grazing livestock, large areas of freshwater habitat are now unsuitable for voles. The unintended introduction of American Mink (Neovison vison) has also been pivotal in the collapse of Water Vole populations across the UK. Initially brought to England for fur farming, escaped mink have predated heavily on this species.

Conservation of Water Voles

Through grazing activities on grasses and rushes at the water’s edge, Water Voles manipulate their habitats, much like beavers but on a smaller scale. This manipulation can make space for a new community of wildflowers and grasses, attracting a host of invertebrate species to an area. As a valuable prey species, elevating Water Vole populations can support predators in the surrounding environment. Barn Owls (Tyto alba), Otters (Lutra lutra) and Pine Martens (Martes martes) are examples of native predators that would benefit from the repopulation of Water Voles.

A chocolate-brown mink with a patchy white chin and chest is standing behind a small patch of grass staring at the camera. — Image by Ryzhkov Sergey via Wikipedia Commons

A number of regional wildlife trusts have undertaken Water Vole recovery projects to support their repopulation in UK waterways. These typically involve recording and monitoring existing Water Vole activity, habitat enhancement, coordination of mink control, and in some cases, reintroduction of the species: 300 voles in the Yorkshire dales, over 600 in Essex, 200 in Gwent and over 1,000 individuals in Kielder Forest. The Forestry Commission has also pledged to make changes in Kielder Forest; improving the landscape by refraining from planting trees on river edges, providing much-needed habitat. In order to protect Water Vole settlement, the species is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), the UK Biodiversity Framework, and is listed as a priority species on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Looking Forward

Reintroduction efforts across the UK have had mixed results. A period of growth was observed following initial releases in Nottinghamshire, which has now slowed. Overall occupancy from 2006–2018 has declined by 23%. It is thought that the continued pressure of habitat loss and mink predation is preventing populations from settling successfully. Responding to the poor establishment of Water Vole populations, recovery projects are enhancing existing freshwater habitat and building new areas to establish populations. Breeding and release sites will also be created to facilitate the successful reproduction of Water Voles in a safe environment, away from predation. In addition to habitat enhancement, more widespread mink control is also expected.

Pine Marten (Martes martes)

A pine marten is standing on a fallen tree in a green field. It has a long, fluffy tail and its fur is chocolate brown. Under the chin and chest is a creamy yellow colour and it has large pointy ears. — Image by Caroline Legg via Flickr

Habitat: Native woodland, conifer plantations.

Diet: Small mammals, carrion, birds, eggs, fruit and invertebrates.

Conservation Status: Critically endangered in England and Wales, least concern in Scotland.

Distribution: Widespread and relatively common in Ireland. Populations recovering in the Scottish Highlands, some isolated populations in southern Scotland. Populations in northern England and Wales are fragmented and small. Populations estimated at 1,600–8,900 in Britain and Ireland.

Breeding: Mating season is during the summer months. One litter per year, born in March or April. Kits are fully grown at six months and sexually mature by three years old.

Description: Often confused with mink, Weasels or Stoats, the Pine Marten is a fellow member of the Mustelid family. Characterised by its chocolate brown fur and a distinctive, uniquely shaped light-yellow bib around the throat and chest, this elusive species has a long, bushy tail and large, rounded ears. Around the size of a domestic cat, Pine Marten are larger than both Weasels and Stoats and can be distinguished from mink by their chocolate coat.

Pine Marten populations underwent a major decline in the 19th century due to persecution by Victorian gamekeepers on sporting estates. Extensive habitat loss and fragmentation is another factor which contributed to the decline of these species in the UK.

Conservation of Pine Martens

The reintroduction of Pine Martens is favoured by many across the UK. The species is valued for their natural control of the invasive, non-native Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), which can account for up to 14% of a Pine Martens diet. This predation allows the native, endangered Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) to take hold. Eradicating competition from Grey Squirrels, and reducing the risk of the squirrel pox virus, has allowed the Red Squirrel to successfully repopulate areas around Pine Marten territory.

A red squirrel is perched on tree roots looking at the camera. It has bright orange fur. an upright fluffy tail and very fluffy ears. — Pine Marten reintroductions positively impact Red Squirrel populations. Image by Joachim Dobler via Flickr

The Two Moors Pine Marten Project, the South East Pine Marten Restoration Project, Back From the Brink and Martens on the Move are programmes founded to support the expansion of Pine Martens in England. A total of 35 individuals have been relocated from Scotland to the Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley, and further reintroductions are expected to take place on Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks later this year. Other projects aim to facilitate reintroductions through the enhancement of key habitats (Martens on the Move) or to undertake surveys and monitoring to inform on species distribution (Back from the Brink).

By 2017, around 50 Pine Martens had been relocated to woodland in mid-Wales from their original home in Scotland. The population was radio tracked throughout the first year, which monitored their movement and behaviour. The group have established a viable population, breeding every year since reintroduction.

Looking Forward

The future of Pine Martens in the UK is promising. Monitoring of existing projects shows successful breeding and expansion from Scotland into Northern England. It is expected that more Pine Martens will be released in the Forest of Dean, in addition to an estimated 40 individuals to be released with the Two Moors Restoration Project in autumn 2024. It is hoped that, with further expansion, populations may link with Welsh Pine Martens, boosting connectivity and genetic diversity.

However, as populations continue to expand, there is an increasing risk of conflict. With greater human populations, greater infrastructure, and greater exposure to protected species, concerns may arise among the public. The species are known to find their way into chicken coops and pheasant pens, damaging livestock and causing conflict with local farmers. The Vincent Wildlife Trust, Natural England and NatureScot recommend sufficient Pine Marten monitoring, active engagement and open communication with stakeholders to mitigate potential conflicts before they arise.

For more information on British mammals and their conservation, visit The Mammal Society website.

The Big Butterfly Count: NHBS Staff Results 2024

Each year, Butterfly Conservation urges the public to venture outdoors and record their local lepidoptera populations with the Big Butterfly Count – a UK-wide survey aiming to assess the health of butterflies and day-flying moths. The count involves recording the number and species of butterflies in a chosen area for fifteen minutes and uploading results to their official website.

There are around 130 day-flying macro moths and 59 species of butterfly in the UK. These highly sensitive animals are key indicators of environmental health and play a crucial role in pollination across the country. The latest State of the UK Butterflies report, an assessment on British butterflies, found that the group has declined by 80% since the 1970s. The Big Butterfly Count allows the health and trends of these species to be assessed, improving our understanding of their conservation and threats.

This year’s count took place between Friday 12th July and Sunday 4th August, and the results from nationwide counts can be found on Butterfly Conservation’s interactive map. Over 140,000 counts were taken during this time, recording nearly 1,000,000 butterflies. Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus), Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina), Large White (Pieris brassicae), Small White (Pieris rapae) and Peacock (Aglais io) butterflies were the most recorded species across all data points, accounting for over 670,000 sightings.

This years count revealed the lowest numbers on record, and has led to the announcement of a nationwide ‘butterfly emergency’. On average, seven butterflies and day-flying moths were seen per count, half of last years average. This years count observed significant downward trends in the group, with around 81% of species showing declines, and 600,000 less butterflies recorded than last year (which equates to around a third of 2023’s total observations). 9,000 counts did not record any butterflies, which is the highest number recorded in the history of the count.

We participated in the Big Butterfly Count this year, and are excited to share our results below.

Staff results

Sabine

a brown and orange butterfly sun bathing in a bush — Gatekeeper by Sabine

3 Small White (Pieris rapae)
2 Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
1 Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
1 Ringlet (Aphantopus hyperantus)

Guy

1 Small Skipper (Thymelicus sylvestris)
2 Green-veined White (Pieris napi)
1 Large White (Pieris brassicae)
7 Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
8 Meadow Brown (Maniola jurtina)
2 Peacock (Aglais io)
1 Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)

Laura

a small butterfly with red patches sits on top of a cluster of small flowers — Red Admiral by Laura

5 x Red Admiral (Vanessa atalanta)
4 x Peacock (Aglais io)
2 x Large White (Pieris brassicae)
1 x Small Copper (Lycaena phlaeas)
1 x Speckled Wood (Pararge aegeria)
1 x Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui)
1 x Comma (Polygonia c-album)

Elle

A creamy white butterfly feeding on a thistle — Image by Steve Byrne via Flickr

3 x Small White (Pieris rapae)

To find out how you can support UK butterfly conservation and to find your local branch, visit the Butterfly Conservation website.

This Week in Biodiversity News – 16th September

Environment

The National Trust has reached a significant nature target a year early. The charity strived to restore 25,000 hectares of crucial habitat across the UK by 2025, including peatland, woodland, wetland, meadow and saltmarsh, and succeeded in doing so in August this year. The restoration comes as a response to climate change and national conservation targets and seeks to expand meadows and woodland to create a connected network for wildlife.

Eighty Water Voles have been released to restore ancient landscapes in Cornwall. Considered ‘ecosystem engineers’ these mammals are known to positively impact soil health and plant diversity through grazing and enhanced nutrient transportation. The voles were released along the River Fowey to improve the surrounding wetland habitat created in 2022. A further 120 have been released near Megavissey, and more releases are planned for spring next year.

A light brown rodent is sat on a river bank underneath grasses, it has small black eyes and a small brown nose — Image by Peter Trimming via Flickr

Three years of restoration work have seen the return of endangered birds in Hertfordshire. Work has come to a close on the Ashridge Estate, the largest woodland maintained by the National Trust – over 24 hectares have been restored by clearing dense areas of plantation, which has allowed more light to reach the ground through the canopy. Greater access to sunlight has improved biodiversity and the availability of food sources, and the clearing will provide suitable conditions for many breeding birds, including Spotted Flycatchers which have been spotted on the estate after several years of absence.

Conservation

Conservationists are relocating Florida’s Queen Conches in a bid to support their reproduction. This iconic mollusc has undergone significant declines in recent years, accelerated by increasing ocean temperatures causing lethargy and infertility for individuals residing in warmer, shallow waters. By relocating these gastropods to deeper, colder waters, researchers are providing new mating opportunities in a more suitable environment. Listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, this project is helping to ease reproductive pressures on this species.

A grey badger standing on a bed of grass and clover — Image by Andy Morffew via Flickr

In August, the UK government announced a goal to end all badger culls by the end of this parliamentary run. The news was announced as part of a new scientifically–informed and evidence-based eradication strategy for bovine tuberculosis, which hopes to eradicate the disease by 2038. In the past decade, over 230,000 badgers and 278,000 cattle have been slaughtered, costing the taxpayer over £100m each year. Badgers will instead be vaccinated and released, and a dedicated task force will be formed to ramp up vaccination rates.

Wildlife

Five species of seabird have been added to the UK red list. Arctic Tern, Great Skua, Leach’s Storm Petrel, Common Gull and Great Black Backed Gull have joined the list of species most in need of conservation, following population declines due to a number of pressures including climate change, habitat loss and unsustainable fishing. Over 30% of all British birds are currently on the list including Kittiwakes, Puffins and Arctic Skuas, among others.

A large bird with mottled brown feathers and white patches on the palm of the wing — Image by Kjetil Rimolsronning via Flickr

Researchers have found promise in the medicinal plants used by critically endangered Western Lowland Gorillas in Gabon. The group studied the tropical plants eaten by gorillas in Moukalaba Doudou National Park and found four trees also used by local healers. They are high in antioxidants and antimicrobials, and one tree is a promising candidate for tackling superbugs. All four species (Fromager trees, Fig Tree, African Teak and Giant Yellow Mulberry) show activity against a resistant strain of E. coli and contain chemicals with medicinal effects useful for treating a range of ailments.

Book Review: What a Bee Knows

***** Tells fascinating tales of bee biology

Leon Vlieger, NHBS Catalogue Editor

The collectives formed by social insects fascinate us, whether it is bees, ants, or termites. But it would be a mistake to think that the individuals making up such collectives are just mindless cogs in a bigger machine. It is entirely reasonable to ask, as pollination ecologist Stephen Buchmann does here, What a Bee Knows. This book was published almost a year after Lars Chittka’s The Mind of a Bee, which I reviewed previously. I ended that review by asking what Buchmann could add to the subject. Actually, despite some unavoidable overlap, a fair amount.

Though I will leave a comparison and recommendation for the end of this review, I can already tell you that What a Bee Knows is a different beast altogether. Buchmann’s approach to convincing you that bees are sophisticated insects is to provide a general and wide-ranging introduction to bee biology, telling you of all the things they get up to.

What makes this introduction accessible to a broad audience is that Buchmann goes back to first principles. For starters, what even is a bee, and where did they come from? You might not realise that they evolved from carnivorous predatory wasps and likely did so some 130 million years ago, not long after the evolution of flowering plants. Another basic aspect Buchmann highlights is how myopically focused we are on social bees. The thing is, 80% of all 20,000+ described bee species are solitary. Their biology is the more representative one and Buchmann discusses examples from their lonesome lives throughout this book, many based on his observations working in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and elsewhere. He reminds the reader that “we should not think of honey bees as the pinnacle of bee evolution toward which all bee species strive” (p. 32). Theirs is the exception; a high-risk, high-reward strategy to making a living on this planet.

A close up of a bee in flight flying across grass. — Bee in-flight, by Nikk on Flickr.

This approach of introducing basic concepts is applied throughout the book. Thus, we get a brief tour of the gross anatomy of the bee brain, but not before Buchmann explains the basics of the human brain and the structure and workings of neurons. An introduction to sexual selection prefixes the discussion on the many sexual escapades of bees: from scramble competition in cactus bees involving bee brawls (which is exactly what it sounds like), to hilltop lekking in carpenter bees, to alternative reproductive tactics with different male morphs in Centris pallida. Bees can learn to solve problems, improve their performance, and even learn new tricks from other bees, but what is this process called learning, and how widespread is it? Similarly, chapters on sleep, pain, and consciousness all first discuss more broadly what these are and what we know about them in humans and other vertebrate and invertebrate organisms.

Buchmann is a pollination ecologist by training and he cannot help but indulge in a long chapter on pollination. He is on form here and gleefully reminds readers that, next to billboards for pollinators, “flowers are unabashedly plant genitals exposed on a stem for all to see” (p. xiii), while bees act as “surrogate flying flower penises” (p. 78). Though it is traditionally held up as a wholesome form of mutualism, it has elements of an arms race too. As Jeff Ollerton also points out, active pollination, where a pollinator deliberately places pollen on a flower’s stigma, is extremely rare. Rather, the norm is that both pollinators and flowers have their own interests (food and pollination), at heart first and foremost. Sometimes both parties will benefit, but this is not a given. Orchids trick male bees into pseudocopulation with flowers that look and smell just like female bees, dusting them in pollen in the process without offering any nectar. At the other extreme, carpenter bees have become nectar robbers, using their jaws to cut into flowers at their base to access nectar, and thus not providing pollination services. And here is an interesting recent development: studies on the bee microbiome suggest that bees derive some of the microbial life that populates their gut from the flowers on which they forage. In some cases, the proteins contributed by flower microbes might be more nutritious than the pollen grains.

A solitary bee coming out of a nest in the ground with grass and clover around it. — A solitary bee, by Nikk on Flickr.

A chapter on sensory biology is, of course, obligatory and Buchmann covers all relevant topics: the trichromatic vision of bees that extends into the ultraviolet, their perception of polarized light used in navigation, their excellent smell, their hearing (which is more a detection of pressure waves at close range), their taste and tactile senses, their to-us-alien detection of electrical charges (and the electrostatic footprints bees leave on flower petals after a visit), and the still contentious topic of magnetoreception. What was new to me is that the two mobile antennae produce a three-dimensional impression of an odour field, and some nifty experiments that involved crossing their antennae resulted in bees persistently walking away from the source of a smell, indicating that they really do smell in stereo.

Though an accessible and enjoyable romp into bee biology, I do have a few minor quibbles. There is a limited number of general black-and-white illustrations and photos, and the reproduction of the latter is so-so as this is a print-on-demand book. And though What a Bee Knows avoids getting too technical, I do feel that in some places Buchmann wanders a bit off-piste from exploring the inner world of bees into more general fascinating tales of bee biology. Nevertheless, the book achieves its mission of instilling a renewed respect and a better understanding of how bees live.

Having now reviewed both Chittka’s The Mind of a Bee and Buchmann’s What a Bee Knows, how do they compare and which one should you read? Both books broadcast the same message loud and clear: bees are darn sophisticated creatures and even individually are far smarter and more capable than you might initially give them credit for. As mentioned, Buchmann goes back to first principles on many topics and wanders into bee biology more generally, while I remarked that Chittka delivers an information-dense book with numerous explanatory illustrations that is very focused in its approach, talking bees, bees, and the occasional other hymenopteran. Consequently, Buchmann does not delve as deeply into many subjects, though he does discuss some experiments in detail (including Chittka’s work on several occasions). My recommendation would be that general readers with little background in biology or entomology pick, or first start with, What a Bee Knows. Biologists, in particular entomologists, might want to skip straight to Chittka’s The Mind of a Bee and get stuck in the wealth of detail there.

What a Bee Knows by Stephen Buchmann is available from our online bookstore.