BUGBYTES FROM BUGLIFE APRIL’S NEWS. IT’S ALL ABOUT INVERTEBRATES AND THEIR IMPORTANCE

Buglife Logo saving the small things that run the planet View this email in your browser Dear John Welcome to the April edition of Buglife's e-newsletter, BugBytes! This week sees the exciting conclusion of Buglife’s Big Give Earth Raise campaign, Invertebrates: The Backbone of Species Recovery. Citizen Science Month may also be coming to an end but there are still plenty of activities you can get involved with too. So, let’s buzz on over and take a look. Invertebrates: The Backbone of Species Recovery This week we have been absolutely blown away by your support and with just 24 hours to go we are currently sitting at 94% of our campaign target. Can you help us with one final push to achieve our fundraising goal? Double my donation today! Our supporters are amazing and we would like to "thank you" now, for supporting our work and our appeal in any way you can; whether that's by making a donation, forwarding the email you’ve received on to a friend, even liking or sharing our social media posts. Good to know: Once our campaign target has been reach, donations will no longer be doubled, but they will enable us to do more and possible secure additional funding in the future - so every penny counts and it all helps! Beyond Citizen Science Month It's a brilliant time to explore the great outdoors, spend time with family and become a Citizen Scientist, if you aren't already! There are lots of fantastic bug-gy activities to get involved with; check out some of our suggestions below: Bugs Matter Will the lack of insects be a hot topic again this year? There are a number of ways you can help support anecdotal discussion with science and data, starting with our very own Bugs Matter! (open 1 April until 30 September) Bugs Matter Search for the Strandline Beetle Heading to the beach in the South West? Keep your eyes peeled and let us know if you spot one of these strandline scuttlers. (open year round) Join the search Be a BeeWalker If you have a few spare hours every month, want to enjoy a short walk and help monitor the abundance of bumblebees with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, this is the survey for you! (open March until October) Be the Bees Knees Bilberry Bumblebee (Bombus monticola) © Charlotte Rankin Short-necked Oil Beetle (Meloe brevicollis) © Peadar O’Connell Oil Beetle Hunt Have you spotted a strange looking blue-tinged beetle whilst out walking? Be sure to take a picture and log your sighting. Whilst our Buglife Scotland Team are keen for reports of Scottish Oil Beetles, records can be submitted from across the UK! (open year round) Join the hunt PoM Scheme FIT Counts No running required! Help monitor how pollinator populations are changing with PoM Scheme Flower Insect Timed (FIT) Counts! With your help data is being gathered on a wide range of flower-visiting insects. All you need is a flower and 15 minutes. (open April until 30 September) Let’s get counting! Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus) © David Price (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Nature Connectedness at Night The University of Derby are currently running two surveys, Buglife Safari and Curious Craneflies, exploring how nighttime nature experiences affect our wellbeing, environmental awareness and our relationship with the natural world. (now open) Step outside after dark… Ham or Jam? Bring a little Citizen Science to your summer picnic with this quick survey brought to you by Professor Seirian Sumner. Learning about the type of food wasps are after tells us about their life-cycle and predicting behaviours may help us live together more harmoniously. (open soon) Find out, is it Ham or Jam? Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) © Sid Mosdell (CC BY 2.0 DEED) Yellow-legged Hornets making the headlines The media are once again sharing information about sightings of the non-native Yellow-legged Hornet (Vespa velutina), here in the UK. As a result of these early sightings conservationists feel that it is highly probable the hornets have overwintered and may now be successfully breeding in the UK. A native to Asia, this Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) was first recorded in the UK in 2016. Since this time sightings have increased and during 2025, 544 credible sightings were recorded. As the Yellow-legged Hornet has now been reported as active, we would like to ask our followers to report any suspected sightings as soon as possible; vigilance is particularly required in southern parts of England, Northern Ireland and Wales and around major ports, but they could be found anywhere across the UK. Reporting sightings is easy to do and can be done either via the Asian Hornet Watch App or via an online form. Yellow-legged Hornet (Vespa velutina) © Gilles San Martin (Flickr, CC) Identifying a Yellow-legged Hornet Learn more… Visit the map Exciting opportunities for Buglife supporters! We will shortly be starting our first One Million Steps 2026 challenge and we’re inviting you to join us! Walk, jog, run, hop or dance your way to a million steps in 100 days. That's 500 miles or the distance from London to Zurich, Switzerland BUT it's just the 10,000 average a day; or, if you need another comparator or two: 🗺️ Brighton to Inverness, Scotland; 🚶‍♀️ More than 18 marathons. It really is something to be proud of and to add a bit more incentive you could help us save the small things that run the planet by taking part and asking others to sponsor you! Go solo or sign up with friends to support each other to that finish line! Take the first of One Million Steps… Giveaway details: As a thankyou to you, our supporters, we have a small number of FREE entries remaining to help you along your way. Just sign up via the One Million Steps website and enter the code Buglife50 when asked for payment details. Get in there quick to avoid disappointment - registration closes Monday 18 May 2026! Browse our Bug Directory Did you know that we have almost 200 invertebrate species profiles on our website, and counting? Let’s meet one of the species that you’ll like be seeing a lot of at the moment! St Mark’s Fly (Bibio marci) © Jaybee www.phocus-on.co.uk This month we’re taking a look at the St Mark’s Fly (Bibio marci), so called because they emerge around St Mark’s Day, on 25 April every year, and can be seen in flight in May. The St Mark’s Fly is a species of true fly, known as Hawthorn Flies. Found around woodland edges, hedges, rough grassland and wetlands the St Mark’s Fly can be seen throughout the UK in spring, these flies are quite distinctive. Males are around 12mm in length with clear wings, have large eyes and long dangling hind legs whilst the females are around 14mm in length, with smoky brown wings and much smaller eyes and legs. ℹ️ Did you know: The male’s eyes are divided by a groove and have separate connections to the brain; this allows the males to use the upper eye part to look out for females and the lower part to monitor their position in relation to the ground, allowing them to hover in the same position. For more information about this not so speedy fly with an eye on the calendar, visit our Bug Directory. Take me to the Bug Directory! Which bug would you like to see added to the directory next, there's plenty to choose from! ICYMI ~ When does protection mean protection? Earlier this month a report from Wild Justice made headlines when it revealed that the Government’s environmental advisor Natural England has stopped designating Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). ...there hasn’t been a single new SSSI designated in England since 2023! While SSSIs are often called ‘the backbone of our protected sites network’, do they actually serve the needs of the creatures without backbones – the invertebrates – that Buglife is dedicated to protecting? Join Buglife Programmes Manager, Jamie Robins, as he explores this question in our latest blog, "When does protection mean protection?" Read the blog… Swanscombe © Julie Preston Upcoming events Friday 1 May ~ Plantlife’s No Mow May begins Sunday 3 May ~ Spring Community Celebration at Brockwell Park with Brockwell Park Greenhouses (Brockwell Park London) Thursday 5 May ~ Orbweb Spiders with The Biological Recording Company (online) Wednesday 6 May ~The Bug Bunch! For Home Ed Families (Canvey Wick, Essex) Wednesday 6 May ~ Invertebrate Study Day with The Biological Recording Company (Natural History Museum, London) Thursday 7 May ~ Pollinator FIT Count workshop with Bright Green Nature and Buglife Scotland (Selkirk, Scotland) Tuesday 12 May ~ Bookworms! preschool story time at Canvey Island Library (Canvey, Essex) Wednesday 13 May ~ Walk the Wick! Spring 2026 (Canvey Wick, Essex Thursday 14 May ~ Blue Ground Beetle Identification at Bovey Valley Woodlands with Moor Invertebrates (Bovey Tracey, Devon) Monday 18 May ~ Blue Ground Beetle Identification at Dart Valley Woodlands with Moor Invertebrates (Newbridge Hill, Devon) Wednesday 20 May ~ The Bug Bunch! For Home Ed Families (Canvey Wick, Essex) Wednesday 27 April ~ Walk the Wick! Spring 2026 (Canvey Wick, Essex) Thursday 28 May ~ Underexplored Freshwater Habitats in Ireland: Case Studies Using Riverflies with The Biological Recording Company (online) Tuesday 2 June ~ Friend, Foe, or Freeloader? The Flower Crab Spider with The Biological Recording Company (online) a person holding up a cell phone displaying the words Bugs Matter Please do remember that our website Events Page is being updated all the time so, to keep up to date with both current and future Buglife events, as well as events from partners and supporters, be sure to visit regularly. What’s the buzz? Anger as potential Site of Special Scientific Interest sand dunes are destroyed Wildlife experts have been left devastated by the continued intentional destruction of dune habitat on the Ardeer Peninsula in Ayrshire by its landowners – despite the dunes being ear-marked as part of a potential Site of Special Scientific Interest. Local community groups and national wildlife organisations called on Scottish Government agency NatureScot to designate the special habitats of the Ardeer Peninsula as part of a Garnock Estuary SSSI back in 2022, building on a long-running local campaign to protect its wildlife. Report front cover: The effects of veterinary tick and flea treatments on freshwater invertebrates and ecosystems Damage to Ardeer Peninsula Read the story… Open letter, veterinary parasiticides in the environment March Brown Mayfly (Rhithrogena germanica) © Richard Bartz (CC BY-SA 2.5) Earlier in April Buglife joined many other voices, writing to the Environment Minister Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to raise concern about chemicals in common flea and tick treatments contaminating the UK’s rivers, lakes, ponds, and wildlife. Together with SongBird Survival, WildFish, we stand alongside leading environmentalists, academics, and veterinary professionals calling for action. Find out more and read the full letter Read the story… For all our latest news please visit our website News Pages. Buglife shop The Buglife Shop is open for all your invertebrate needs, offering more ethical options and ways for you to support bugs. Whether you’re looking for clothing, insurance, home accessories or gifts for a loved one; there’s something for everyone! a packet of native wildflower seeds Nurture the Night Shift Jute Bag Visit Buglife’s shop Adopt a Bug Exciting shop news: In addition to our usual offerings our Spring/Summer Brochure, brought to you in partnership with Red Robin, is here! From stationary to home furnishings, bee hotels to clothing - bring a little cheer to your home and support Buglife in the process! Spring/Summer Brochure Don't forget you can stay up to date with the work of the Buglife team via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube! Thank you for your continued interest in and support of our work; together we can save the small things that run the planet! The Buglife Team Donate Join the Buglife Community Facebook icon Instagram icon LinkedIn icon YouTube icon Website icon Buglife Logo Copyright © 2026 Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust. All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive Member communications electronically following becoming a Member. Thank you. Our mailing address is: Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust Allia Future Business Centre London Road Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 8AN United Kingdom Company No. 04132695 | Registered Charity No. 1092293 | Scottish Charity No.SC040004 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe