Biodiversity Booster Blog: Bug Hotel Creation

(One of the completed Bug Hotels made with recycled wooden pallets, terracotta pots, collected leaves and Jerusalem Artichoke stems)

According to the Wildlife Trust, an average garden space in the UK, has the ability to accommodate more than 2000 species of insects. At Kent Community Oasis Garden (Kent COG), a lot of work goes in to increasing the habitat diversity in order to increase the overall number of species that use our site. Creating habitats to support invertebrates is important as they play a key role in pollination, soil health and natural pest control as well as being a vital part of the food chain supporting the other wildlife that lives at Kent COG.

For the forth Biodiversity Booster session, we ran a bug hotel creation workshop where student volunteers were able to create new bug hotels out of the Jerusalem Artichoke stems that we had left after our harvest of this years’ bumper artichoke crop! During the session, they were also learning about the importance of supporting the invertebrates in garden spaces as well as discussing what species they were likely to see using these new habitats.

(Some of the Jerusalem Artichoke Stems that were cut down into more manageable sizes for making bug hotels)

As well as being grown as food for the people and the volunteers at Kent COG, Jerusalem Artichokes are actually a very important plant for supporting wildlife both as a food source and through providing habitat. The flowers, which bloom in late summer an autumn, provide an important nectar and pollen source for pollinators like bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies. The seeds are eaten by goldfinches and when cut, the stems can provide a useful habitat for solitary bees and ladybirds.

For this Biodiversity Booster Session, the student volunteers made two different types of Bug Hotel utilising a range of reused materials as well as the Jerusalem Artichoke stems. They were also able to add to the existing bug hotels and hibernaculum that we already have on site to full any gaps and add more micro-habitats within those areas. Adding things like deadwood, leaves and loose bark to the bug hotels means that they will be able to support a large variety of invertebrates by mimicking a variety of natural habitats. The bug hotels were also placed in areas of Kent COG that had different light levels and a range of nectar-producing plants.

(Bug Hotel in progress and a table full of bundles ready to be placed around the garden)

 

Autumn Pollinators: Moths On Campus

(A table full of moths!! This photo was taken during our second moth survey. Each line is a different species, but we ran out of table space and pots!!)

This year, as part of my placement I am going to be surveying and recording as many different species as I can across campus. One of the species that I am going to be regularly recording throughout the year is moths!! We have around 2500 species of moths in the UK and according to Kent Moths, 2167 of these species have been recorded in Kent. So far, at the University of Kent we have recorded 223 species of moths using our site.

Moths are a very important pollinator, as they are the main invertebrate pollinator at night. Additionally, compared to butterflies, many more UK moth species are active throughout late Autumn and Winter since they have adapted to be able to fly with a colder body temperature. Due to their hairy bodies, they are a very efficient pollinator as pollen is able to easily stick to them and plants like Honeysuckle, Evening Primrose and Ivy rely heavily on the pollination by moths.

(From left to right: Green-Brindled Crescent, Sallow, Merveille du Jour)

To carry out moth surveys we use a large bucket trap and a type of moth trap called a Heath Trap. These traps work through setting up a very bright light which the moths fly towards and then get directed down into the main collection area that we fill with recycled egg cartons. The moths then stay there overnight, and we are able to come back in the morning to conduct our survey and record the species that we can see before we release them. This process does not harm the moths as they stay warm and sheltered in the egg boxes and then are released where we found them into the cover of bushes so they can hide away for the rest of the day.

(This is one of the bucket traps that we used, set up and ready for a night of attracting moths!)

On campus we have a large variety of habitats and so are able to support a diverse range of moth species. Kent Community Oasis Garden is especially important for moths as a lot of work goes into increasing the biodiversity of that area including planting with pollinators (like moths) in mind. On Wednesday 22nd October as part of the Biodiversity Booster series, I ran a session on moths and we were lucky enough to have caught nearly 50 individual moths overnight so we had a pretty good display to show off!! The session was enjoyed by student volunteers and community members and was a great way to highlight the range of species that Kent Community supports that people don’t normally get to see.

(On the right is a photo of student volunteers at a Biodiversity Booster Session enjoying seeing the moths)

In my first month of placement, I have carried out 2 moth surveys and recorded just under 90 individuals which equated to 32 species of moths 18 of which had not been recorded on campus before. I am looking forward to continuing these surveys throughout my placement and recording many more species!!

 

(Two very happy conservationists after a successful survey)