Worcestershire Bumblebee Atlas and Grasshopper Atlas. Last call for records

Gary Farmer

2015 will be the last chance to gather records for the forthcoming Worcestershire Atlases for Bumblebees and grasshopper s. We decided to extend the deadline from 2014 as that year was quite disappointing for both groups of insects. Despite lots of sunshine there were also periods of cold and wet and August saw a steep dip in temperatures. This resulted in fewer records than we had hoped for so we are giving it another 12 months.

The maps show the recorded distribution for Bumblebees and all Orthoptera from 2010 to 2014 inclusive. You will notice that the two groups are generally recorded from the same areas; this is nothing to do with distribution of the species but of the people recording bumblebees who are also recording grasshoppers and bush-crickets! There are a few more records of bumblebees from urban areas where Orthoptera will be absent but earwigs (Dermaptera) will be present.

There remain many large areas unrecorded in recent times:

West Worcestershire:

Tenbury Wells

Stanford Bridge

Shelsey Walsh

Little & Great Witley

Martley

Berrow Green

Lower Broadheath

Knightwick

South West:

Upton upon Severn

Tunnel Hill

Eldersfield

Corse Lawn

Malvern commons and Ragged Stone

South:

Ashton Underhill

Bredons Norton

Bredons Hardwick

Strensham

South East:

Broadway

Wickhamford

Badsey

Offenham

Bishampton

North East:

Alvechurch

Rowney Green

Weatheroak Hill

Beoley

Oldberrow

North to South through the middle:

Woodgate Valley

Romsley

Frankley

Fairfield

Rubery

Marlbrook

Bromsgrove

Aston Fields

Elmley Lovett

Cutnell Green

Wychbold

Upton Warren (not NR)

Claines

Worcester

Crowle

Hopefully, using this list you will see that you could make a real difference to the records by just recording your local patch or adopting a patch for 2015.

We need all records for ALL bumblebees and ALL grasshoppers, bush-crickets, earwigs and cockroaches.

If you can add extra detail about bumblebee nesting behaviour and the flowers they were seen feeding from that would add greatly to our knowledge.

Images

01. 1 × 1 km squares showing all bumblebee records 2010-2014. Map prepared by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre.

02. 1 × 1 km squares showing all Orthoptera records 2010-2014. Map prepared by Worcestershire Biological Records Centre

03. Last call for records.

04. We need your records.