Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust

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Buglife - The Invertebrate Conservation Trust

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Buglife is the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates. Invertebrates are facing an extinction crisis.

There are more than 40,000 invertebrate species in the UK, and many of these are under threat as never before. Invertebrates are vitally important to a healthy planet – humans and other life forms could not survive without them. The food we eat, the fish we catch, the birds we see, the flowers we smell and the hum of life we hear, simply would not exist without bugs. Invertebrates underpin life on earth and without them the world’s ecosystems would collapse. Today, thousands of invertebrate species are declining and many are heading towards extinction. Worldwide 150,000 species could be gone by 2050 if we do nothing. Each invertebrate species plays a unique and important role in the web of life, but once lost, they cannot be replaced. Many invertebrates have incredible life stories yet to be told, and we literally don’t know what we are on the brink of losing. Buglife’s aim is to halt the extinction of invertebrate species and to achieve sustainable populations of invertebrates.

02/11/2026

Calling all Cornwall locals! Would you like to help us sow wildflower seeds at Par Beach? 🌱

It's time to get your hands dirty for a great cause! Join us at Par Beach, tomorrow, to sow wildflower seeds with Buglife Kernow Wyls, The Friends of Par Beach and the Cormac Countryside Officer!

Together we'll prepare the ground and sow a Cornish wildflower seed mix.

🗓️ Tuesday 3 November, 2026
🕙 10:30 - 14:00
📌 Meet outside Friends of Par Beach hut, Par Beach, PL24 2AN

This is a free, drop-in event, so come anytime and stay as long as you can. Just make sure to dress warmly and wear protective footwear.

02/11/2026

Thieves have removed a nest of England’s rarest ant from Devon Wildlife Trust’s Chudleigh Knighton Heath nature reserve, the last stronghold of Narrow-headed Ants. 🐜

A single nest can hold 1,000 to 5,000 ants and breeding queens that live up to 25 years, so each mature nest represents many years of growth that can’t quickly be replaced.

Chudleigh Knighton Heath is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and the Narrow-headed Ant is Nationally Rare. Disturbing or removing material from the site is a criminal offence.

Laura Krusin, Buglife’s Conservation Officer for the Moor Invertebrates Project, said: “Narrow-headed Ants are an extremely rare species, only known from one site in Devon and a handful of sites in Scotland. Therefore, removal of any nests can have a catastrophic impact on the population.”

We’re working with Devon Wildlife Trust to secure the future of this species, with support from the Government’s Wild Again initiative. This incident makes us even more determined that it succeeds.

🚨 Devon & Cornwall Police are investigating. If you have any information, or have seen anything suspicious at the site in recent weeks, please call 101 or fill in the form on the Devon & Cornwall Police website, quoting crime reference 50260284768.

👉🏻 Read the full story on our website: https://www.buglife.org.uk/news/thieves-strike-at-ants-last-english-stronghold
📷 Photos: Narrow-headed Ant Nest ©️ Laura Krusin | Location of stolen Narrow-headed ant nest ©️ Devon Wildlife Trust | Narrow-headed ants (Formica exsecta) ©️ Laura Larkin

30/10/2026

We have met many invertebrate-inspired characters over the years, in books, film and TV. From the endearing, like 'Francis the Ladybird' in A Bug’s Life 🐞, to the fearsome, like 'Shelob' in The Lord of the Rings 🕷️.

But have you ever come across them in folklore and myth? 🧙🏻‍♂️

As we approach All Hallows' Eve, let's explore some of these enchanting creatures of dark and mysterious legends by revisiting our blog: https://www.buglife.org.uk/blog/folklore-and-myth-the-invertebrate-edition/
📷 Devil's Coach-horse (Ocypus olens) © Smudge 9000 (CC BY-SA 2.0)

29/10/2026

New exemptions to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) on brownfield sites in England were quietly announced this week in the UK Government’s budget, despite many brownfields being vital, wildlife-rich refuges. 🦗 🦋 🪲

The charge towards unchecked growth and the “build, build, build” drive has introduced policies that sweep aside the importance of brownfield sites. They are often the last green spaces in our cities and a refuge for some of our most threatened invertebrates.

Buglife has long said that sites should be considered on their own merits. While many brownfields are suitable for development, others provide valuable habitats and stepping stones for wildlife. There is likely to be an exemption for “Open Mosaic Habitat on Previously Developed Land”, the Priority Habitat that captures wildlife-rich brownfields. However, this habitat is routinely overlooked or misidentified by ecologists, and local authorities can lack the ecological expertise to tell the difference.

The case for the exemption also doesn’t stack up. Research from Verna shows that most brownfield developments already exceed the 10% BNG requirement, delivering a median 39% on-site biodiversity gain, compared with 13% for other developments. Each new exemption shrinks the area of habitat BNG would create, and this one removes an opportunity to deliver nature and green space where they’re often needed most.

There is plenty of evidence that BNG isn’t a barrier to development at all, including on brownfields. It’s time to move past the oversimplified brownfield versus greenfield debate and recognise the value of these places for wildlife.
📷 Photo credit: Wildlife-rich brownfield ©️Jamie Robins

29/10/2026

The Government has responded to the House of Lords’ Inquiry on pesticides in pet medicines, and while there are some welcome steps forward, much more action is needed. 🪲🐟

The good news is the Government has agreed with six of the report’s eight recommendations, including the need for improving environmental monitoring, publishing anonymised sales data and strengthening environmental risk assessments.

What’s still missing? We’re concerned that progress could be delayed by further research and future regulatory plans, while unnecessary routine treatments continue to expose the environment to harmful chemicals. There is no actual commitment to action.

What needs to happen next? 💚

🔹 Reduce unnecessary use of parasite treatments through more appropriate, risk-based decisions.
🔹 Strengthen environmental risk assessments and monitoring.
🔹 Improve transparency around sales, regulation and environmental impacts.
🔹 Protect wildlife by stopping unnecessary use of products containing toxic chemicals that were banned in outdoor agriculture almost a decade ago.

Buglife welcomes the Government’s recognition that environmental harm is a real concern. Now we need clear, timely and enforceable action to protect the invertebrates and ecosystems that keep our natural world thriving.

Responsible pet care and a healthy environment must go hand in hand.

👉🏻 Read our full assessment of the Government’s response: https://www.buglife.org.uk/news/government-response-to-the-house-of-lords-report-on-pesticides-in-pet-medicines/
📷 Photo: Dog receiving flea treatment ©️ Cindy Shebley (Getty Images)

29/10/2026

Autumn is spider mating season, so that big one in your bath is just looking for love. 🕷️💘

👻'Spooky Season' may be upon us, but male house spiders don't venture into your home with a wish to frighten you, even though they might make you jump when you don't expect them.

House spiders like the Common house spider (Tegenaria domestica) and the Giant house spider (Eratigena atrica) begin their search for a female around this time of year.

They have no interest in humans and will typically try to stay out of your way in quiet, dark corners.

House spiders eat smaller invertebrates that wander into your home, like flies and woodlice; they don't have a taste for people.

If you do encounter a house spider, try to leave them be. They may have a mate nearby, since both house spider species usually mate more than once while they are together, before the males die from either exhaustion or old age. If you do need to move it, then gently collect it and place it outside.

Just... think of Terry!
📷 Photo: Common house spider (Tegenaria domestica) © Dean Morley, CC BY-ND 2.0

28/10/2026

Do you help look after a green space in your community? 🌼

Next Wednesday (4 November) at 12pm (GMT), our B-Lines Officer Rachel Richards is giving a free online talk to The Great Collaboration, which is aimed at parish and town councils, community councils and community groups across the UK.

She’ll cover:
🐝 What B-Lines are (connected, flower-rich habitats for pollinators)
🦋 The UK’s pollinating insects, and why it’s not just about bees
🌱 How to create climate-resilient, pollinator-friendly habitats in gardens and public green spaces

There’s a Q&A after the talk, and the session will be recorded for anyone who can’t join live.

📆 Register for this event (via Zoom): https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpcu2urjMvGdJH09t0GQ72fBJSFr9zzIDj

📷 Photo credits: Common Blue Butterfly (c) Claire Pumfrey | Wildflower meadow, Bilton Hall Sunderland (c) Suzanne Burgess | Green backyard wildflower meadow (c) Steven Falk | Tiger hoverfly Camelon Park meadow (c) Claire Pumfrey.

27/10/2026

Calling all Cornwall locals! Would you like to help us sow wildflower seeds at Par Beach? 🌱

It's time to get your hands dirty for a great cause! Join us at Par Beach to sow wildflower seeds with Buglife Kernow Wyls, The Friends of Par Beach, and the Cormac Countryside Officer!

Together we'll prepare the ground and sow a Cornish wildflower seed mix.

🗓️ Tuesday 3 November, 2026
🕙 10:30 - 14:00
📌 Meet outside Friends of Par Beach hut, Par Beach, PL24 2AN

This is a free, drop-in event, so come anytime and stay as long as you can. Just make sure to dress warmly and wear protective footwear.

22/10/2026

Fantastic news for Scotland’s wildlife! 🎉

The Scottish Government has refused plans for a golf course at Coul Links, ruling against the development for a second time.

The planning reporters’ 164-page report found that Coul Links is of exceptional importance to biodiversity, and that the development would have significant adverse impacts on the species and habitats there. This includes its invertebrates like the Small Blue butterfly (Cupido minimus) and, in particular, the globally endangered Fonseca’s Seed Fly 🪰, an endemic species known from less than 10km of dune grassland on this part of the coast.

Craig Macadam, Co-Leader and Director of Conservation at Buglife, said: “This was never the right place for a golf course, and we’re delighted that common sense has prevailed. Now plans can be put in place to make sure it is managed for future generations and its special invertebrates.”

We’ve been fighting developments on this site for over a decade, so it’s wonderful to see the Scottish Government back biodiversity once again. 💚

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped as part of the Conservation Coalition (RSPB Scotland, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Marine Conservation Society, National Trust for Scotland, and Plantlife Scotland), as well as the 20,000+ people who contacted the Minister. Special thanks to Buglife Saving Sites Officer Gemma, who joined Craig at the public hearing nearly two years ago (pictured!).

Read the full story: https://www.buglife.org.uk/news/one-of-scotlands-most-important-places-for-nature-saved-from-destruction/

📷 Photo credits: Sand dunes at Coul Links © Andrew Weston | Craig and Gemma at Coul Links © Craig Macadam | Small blue (Cupido minimus) © Scott Shanks

21/10/2026

Are you coming along to enjoy a cuppa and some cake, TOMORROW, whilst learning how to identify and survey the beautiful Wormwood Moonshiner (Amara fusca), a true Breckland rarity?

🪲 Join Buglife Species Recovery Officer, Caroline, for a project update, followed by a session led by expert Brian Eversham. The early evening indoor session will focus on how to identify the beetle, understanding its life history and confusion species.

🔦 The indoor session will be followed by a torch-lit visit to a local wildlife site where your new found ID skills can be applied!

🗓️ Thursday 22 October
🕙 19:00-22:00
📌 St John's Community Centre, Mildenhall, Suffolk, IP28 7NX

We hope to form a team of surveyors willing to help with ongoing monitoring in the Brecks each autumn.

ℹ️ Places are limited, so booking is essential. Please email [email protected] for more information and to book your place.

Address

Buglife, Allia Future Business Centre, London Road
Peterborough
PE28AN

Website

http://www.buglife.org.uk/

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