Beetle Research and Conservation Virtual Symposium

Join us for a virtual symposium on Beetle Research and Conservation, bringing together beetle specialists, researchers, and conservationists to explore the fascinating world of beetles. This event will cover the latest advancements in beetle ecology, taxonomy, and biodiversity, as well as strategies for conserving these vital yet often overlooked insects. The audience will have the opportunity to submit their questions to each of our speakers as part of live Q&A sessions.

Speaker Programme

The Beetle Research and Conservation Virtual Symposium will be hosted by Ashleigh Whiffin (National Museums Scotland) and feature speakers from a range of beetle projects:

1. Buglife's Beetle Conservation Projects in the UK with Suzanne Burgess (Buglife)
2. The Tansy Beetle: Contrasting Biology of River and Fenland Populations with Dr Geoff Oxford (University of York)
3. Lifting the Lid on Pot Beetle Ecology with Dr Ross Piper
4. For the Love of Longhorns: Surveying for Blood Red Longhorn Beetle with Dr Helen Taylor (Royal Zoological Society of Scotland)

The presentations will be recorded and shared with those who booked alongside Q&A transcripts and lists of useful links via a password-protected website following the event.

Buglife's Beetle Conservation Projects in the UK

Suzanne Burgess (Buglife)

Since Buglife started, they have delivered conservation projects across the UK, several of which have been focused on beetles, including rare and threatened species. These projects have involved site-specific surveys, habitat restoration works, training via the delivery of workshops and community engagement events. This presentation will discuss their beetle related conservation work, with some of the beetles that have benefited over the last few years- including their work on pot beetles, Blue Ground Beetles, oil beetles and more.

Suzanne Burgess started with Buglife as a TCV Natural Talent trainee in 2010 surveying land on the vacant and derelict land register in Falkirk for Open Mosaic Habitat, today she is Development Manager, supporting the development of new projects across the country. During her time with Buglife, Suzanne has worked on a wide range of conservation projects, including those on beetles, in particular pot beetles.

The Tansy Beetle: Contrasting Biology of River and Fenland Populations

Dr Geoff Oxford (University of York)

A brief biology of the well-studied Tansy Beetle (Chrysolina graminis) population on the River Ouse near York will be presented together with conservation measures that have been enacted. The recent (re)discovery of two populations in the East Anglian Fens has provided intriguing contrasts with the York population in several aspects of the beetle's behaviour and life cycle. Ongoing research should clarify the relationships between York and Fenland populations and provide a sound basis for future conservation strategies.

Dr Geoff Oxford taught population genetics at the University of York for nearly 40 years, where he is now an Honorary Fellow. Geoff and his wife became fascinated by the Tansy beetle in the late 1980s and this eventually led to a number of research projects aimed at a better understanding of their biology and more effective conservation.

Lifting the Lid on Pot Beetle Ecology

Dr Ross Piper

Pot Beetles are an extraordinary group of leaf beetles, many of which are rare. Funded by Natural England and with the help of other entomologists and ecologists, I was able to focus on the autecology of a number of these species. Studying the adults and larvae in the field using some innovative techniques, captive-rearing the larvae and genetic studies of the known populations revealed some of the factors responsible for their rarity and guided interventions that have boosted the populations of these beetles.

Dr Ross Piper is an entomologist and zoologist. Pot beetles were the main focus of his PhD and he has retained an active interest in them ever since. As well as independent research and ecological consultancy, Ross also shares his enthusiasm for invertebrates in general via his writing and TV work.

For the Love of Longhorns: Surveying for Blood Red Longhorn Beetle

Dr Helen Taylor (Royal Zoological Society of Scotland)

Blood Red Longhorn Beetles are Critically Endangered in the UK, but the last major survey effort for the species was in the 1970s. In 2024, using a combination of staff and citizen science surveys, a team from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland conducted a full scale survey of what is thought to be the last site for the species in the UK; Strathspey in Scotland's Cairngorms National Park. The survey recorded 160 individual beetles; more than have been recorded on NBN in total over the past 100 years! Here we discuss the survey results and their implications for this species, alongside what makes this beettle so interesting and important, and what action we may need to take to save it.

Dr Helen Taylor is the Conservation Programme Manager at the Royal Zoological Society in Scotland where she leads a team working to conserve a wide variety of species, from giant armadillos in Brazil, to medicinal leeches in Scotland. Her team is currently responsible for five invertebrate conservation breeding for release programmes.

Our Host: Ashleigh Whiffin

Ashleigh Whiffin is a curator at National Museums Scotland, where she is responsible for the care, curation and development of the insect collection, containing approximately 2.5 million specimens, as well as dealing with research loans, enquiries, hosting visitors to the collection and leading outreach events. Her research interest is focused on carrion ecology and her specialism is Carrion beetles (Silphinae), coordinating the Carrion beetle recording scheme, in her spare time. Ashleigh is a keen science communicator and is passionate about disseminating entomology and the value of collections, to a wide audience.

eTicket Fes

This event is unfunded and we rely on ticket fees to cover the costs of running the event. However, we did not want cost to be a barrier to attendance so we are letting you decide what you can afford to pay to attend.

1. Professional Ticket - Ticket price is £30. Ticket option for those attending in a professional capacity as part of their work or for their career professional development.

2. Non-professional Ticket - Pay what you can afford (minimum fee of £1, recommended donation £10). VAT at 20% will be added to your ticket fee at checkout.Ticket option for non-professionals such as volunteer biological recorders, conservation volunteers and amateur naturalists.

This event is delivered by the Biological Recording Company