Entering the scientific literature!

The Berberis sawfly larvae I spotted in our garden last October (find out more ) have entered the annals of science! Andrew Halstead, principal entomologist at the Royal Horticultural Society in Wisley, and co-author (with Pippa Greenwood) of RHS Pests and Diseases, has written a scientific article for the Sawfly Study Group’s January 2007 Newsletter about Berberis sawfly in Britain. And my Berberis sawfly larvae sighting is mentioned! It is also plotted on a map showing Berberis sawfly distribution across England. The map shows just how remarkable my sighting was – it’s miles and miles and miles away from any other sightings!

The article also includes one of my photos of Berberis sawfly larvae. And a photo (not taken by me) of the adult sawfly. So, now I know what I’m looking out for when the pupae hatch!

To read the article, click on the following link:

Sawfly Study Group, Jan. 2007, Berberis sawfly article by Andrew Halstead

Andrew Halstead would be interested to hear from anyone else who sees Berberis sawflies. He tells me:

“The sort of information that is useful regarding Berberis sawfly sightings is the location where the insect was seen (town/village and county), with the post code and/or map reference, the date it was seen, the host plant and the stage(eggs/larvae/adults/
defoliated plant without larvae or adults).”

Andrew Halstead can be contacted on andrewhalstead@rhs.org.uk

Meanwhile, the editor of The Sawfly Study Group Newsletter, Guy Knight, zoology curator (entomology) at the National Museums Liverpool, is actively looking for sightings of any species of  sawfly spotted in Wales. So keep a good lookout there too!

Email him your sightings to Guy.Knight@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Find out more about Berberis sawflies (including photos of eggs, larvae and adults) here

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