Heather Beetle
See the new Report from April 2010
Visit Simon Thorp's Blog to see the announcement
The Trust has long been concerned about the potential for heather beetle to devastate heather moorlands on a wide scale. Large scale outbreaks have the potential to undo years of careful moorland management in a single season.
In many areas, we believe that the heather beetle (Lochmaea suturalis) has been instrumental in driving the change from heather to grass dominated moorland. This is a particularly significant cause of moorland decline in the wetter areas, generally on the west side of the country, where there is often greater competition from grasses. Purple moor-grass (Molinia caerulea) is the chief culprit.
Heather Beetle Grubs
One scenario that appears to have taken place in many areas is for a beetle attack to occur after a fire. The heather - grass mixture will regenerate in approximate balance, but if a heather beetle attack occurs in the early stages of regeneration, it appears to be possible for the grass to become completely dominant and prevent a second crop of heather getting established after the beetle attack. In this situation there is no chance for the heather to re-establish and the conversion to grass dominance is complete.
ResearchWhat is clear is that we do not know enough about this heather pest. The Trust has promoted the need for more research on two levels: first, into the ecology of the beetle and second how best to manage moorland after a beetle attack, and even how best to manage to reduce the risk of an attack in the first place. The ecological research needs scientific input. We would be pleased to hear from anyone wishing to support this work.
GuidanceWe have prepared a guidance document that can be downloaded from here. Some photographs that show what to look for in late July - September to identify an attack can be found here.
Details of Recent OutbreaksTo give us as full a picture as possible about the extent of any outbreaks please could you send us details by completing the survey form available to download here. The form can be printed and returned to us by post, by completing online, or by simply emailing it back to us. A photograph of any damaged areas / plants would also be useful.
Returned Survey Forms
We have compiled the data of the forms returned to us to date. Below is a map showing the locations and details of the outbreaks. To see the responses from the survey questionnaire, click on the Heather Trust logo on the map to see details of the area. If you would like to see a larger map there is a link at the bottom that will take you there.
