Good bugs, bad bugs

There’s little worse than seeing new shoots and seedlings destroyed by garden pests. Research project The Big Bug Hunt is asking gardeners to log pest sightings at bigbughunt.com, so that nearby gardeners will be warned of bugs active in their area. The scheme uses weather data and methods developed at York University to predict where bugs will strike. However, some bugs are to be welcomed – the stag beetle, for example, is not only on the endangered list, but performs handy tasks, like pollinating plants or recycling decaying matter. The People’s Trust For Endangered Species is running a survey from April to August and wants volunteers to monitor stag beetle sightings. To join in and to see how to hold a stag (beetle) party in your plot see ptes.org or call 020 7498 4533.