Oil Beetles: project under development

Background

Violet oil beetle Meloe violaceus © Tiro Piirainen

Oil beetles reside predominantly along coastal areas, and can quite often be spotted along popular coastal paths. They are sensitive to changes in land management and are a good indicator of the quality of habitats in our countryside. All UK species of Oil beetle are in decline, and several are being considered for inclusion in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

Objective

To conduct a community based project focusing on developing a record of the number of Oil beetles seen by individuals pursuing leisure activities in areas favoured by Oil beetles.

Assessment of need

Although Buglife does receive Oil beetle records there is currently no strategic approach to dealing with these records. As it is suspected that Oil beetle populations are on the decline. A comprehensive survey of Oil beetle habitats will provide quantifiable evidence of whether Oil beetles are endangered and if so, will enable Buglife and others to take the appropriate action in order to secure their future before it is too late.

Aim

Violet oil beetle Meloe violaceus © D. Fenwick

• Through collaboration with local tourist boards in areas of natural habitat for Oil beetles which are mainly coastal areas such as Cornwall, Devon, Pembrokeshire launch a campaign each spring encouraging users of these areas to record the number and species of Oil beetles spotted and feed this back to Buglife.
• Once a certain number of sightings have been recorded at any specific area Buglife will carry out a specialist survey of the area to establish the size of existing populations and detect any threats. This information will be used to develop sustainable management advice to protect and enhance the populations for the future.

Benefits

The project will inform the general public on invertebrate conservation particularly the plight faced by Oil beetles and hence relating to the wider theme of the decline of solitary bees. Oil beetles are not currently a BAP species but we believe are a strong candidate for inclusion in the next review. This project will support Buglife’s position that UK species of Oil beetle should be priorities for conservation action under the UK BAP.

The project will improve on the existing data on the distribution of Oil beetles in the UK, it will also provide information to base habitat management advice on. Protecting and enhancing the right habitats will help us to conserve these fantastic beetles.