Visit to Blera project sites - December 2003

The 2003 Annual General Meeting of the Malloch Society was held on Saturday 6 December in Strathspey. A highpoint of the meeting was a visit to some artificial breeding sites set up for the endangered hoverfly Blera fallax. These breeding sites include holes cut in the surface of pine stumps and seeded with sawdust and wood chips. For two years running, these sites have been used by Blera for breeding.

P1010063.jpgOne of the holes with wood chips in water.

In the first year they were set up we recorded three Blera larvae and two adults emerged successfully. The number of larvae we saw during the visit was much greater, over 100. The situation is being monitored but it is an encouraging sign that the technique can be used to increase numbers at localities where lack of breeding sites is identified as a factor limiting abundance.

P1010071.jpgA larva of Blera fallax on wood chip in hole.

We found other hoverflies using these artificially created sites. They include: Callicera rufa, Sphegina clunipes, Xylota sylvarum and Myathropa florea.

1P1010085.jpg
At one of the treated stumps, left to right: Steve Hewitt, Kenn Watt, Keith Bland, Graham Rotheray and David Robertson. Geoff Hancock is next to and concealed by Steve; Dave Horsfield took the picture.