Limestone’s Living Legacies

In 2020, Buglife focused on surveying the fascinating Rock-rose Pot Beetle, which gets its name because both the adult beetle and the larvae feed on the Rock-rose plant. From late May, three sites with modern or historic records were surveyed, revealing an impressive 86 beetles. Incredibly, there were more sightings in 2020 than there had been since their initial discovery around 1857! Importantly, the Rock-rose Pot Beetle was re-discovered at Rodborough Common, near Stroud, an area where they had not been seen since 1985 and were presumed extinct. Given the number of sightings, the Cotswold can be considered a national stronghold for this endangered species.

In 2021, attention turned to the Rugged Oil Beetle to try and better understand it’s lifecycle. Like all oil beetles in the UK, the larvae of this beetle hitch a ride on foraging bees by climbing up flowers and waiting for visitors. Once back at the bee’s nest, they feed on the bee’s larvae. In spring, surveys focussed on which of the solitary bee species visited the Rugged Oil Beetle sites and which might be possible host species so that future management can be sure to cater for the needs of the right bees as well.