Action Plans for Insects
Insects are animals without a backbone. They survive the winter in many ways, some hibernate and others survive as eggs however they all become more active as the temperature increases and the light gets stronger.
Insects are an important component of our biodiversity and cruicial to our survival.
The registered bee population in the UK has shrunk by between 10% and 15% but the real decrease may be much higher.
There are fears a Europe-wide shortage of bees could affect crop pollination. A recent report in National Geographic stated that bee numbers had declined by up to 50% in some parts of the world. Three quarters of food production is dependant on bees and 84% of vegetables grown in Europe depend on pollination.
See the 2006 report on the State of Ireland’s Bees (.PDF 468Kb)
.
The Irish damselfly is a member of a wide ranging group of small brightly coloured species called narrow- winged damselflies.
There are approximately 35 known colonies of the Irish Damselfly in Northern Ireland. It is very rare or severely threatened throughout its range and is found throughout northern and eastern Europe.
In Great Britain it is found only in Ireland which has one of the largest populations in Western Europe and as a result is of international importance and why a NI species action plan for the Irish Damselfly (.PDF 84Kb) has been published.
The species is found at scattered wetland sites in Northern Ireland, such as Montiaghs Moss SAC in County Antrim where adults are most reliably seen from mid-May to mid-June.
Read other Northern Ireland Species Action Plans for insects.