beetles

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Pollinators in peril!

Pollinators do ‘so much ‘ for humans – they enable us to have flowers, honey, fruit, our morning coffee! Yet, we are often totally unaware of these mini-industries of the Natural World. What are ‘pollinators’? Why are they so important? Arguably there’s no better time to ask …. when it’s National Insect Week in the UK, and Pollinators Week in North America. The Pollinator Partnership explains Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, beetles, and other small mammals that pollinate plants are responsible...

Should we kill ‘pests’ ?

Should I swat a fly? How do you deal with ‘pests’ if you love wildlife? This question, posed by BBC Wildlife online, was similar to my own experience of a cane toad‘s visit to my own garden Helen Pilcher explains: A few months ago I did a terrible thing. I was tending to my patio plants, barefoot, when I disturbed an ants’ nest under a pot. The feisty invertebrates were furious. They flung themselves at my toes, sinking their mandibles...