By the start of September,
heather that has been damaged by beetle will
be extremely obvious, and the first
indications of the attack’s gravity will be
revealed by whether or not the heather
starts to turn silvery and dead. Huge areas
of moorland can be lost in a single season
to a large outbreak of heather beetle, and
while some plants can withstand light
damage, the level of devastation can be
staggering.
The timing of the larvae’s
development roughly coincides with hatches
of several important insect species, making
chemical control of beetles at this time of
the year into a particularly dangerous
prospect. The same craneflies and ants which
are emerging en masse in late August and
early September will go on (directly or
indirectly) to provide the food for young
birds in May and June the following year, so
while it is tempting to intervene with
insecticide sprays, it becomes obvious that
this really is not an option. Besides, it is
quite difficult to spot larvae without the
red discoloration of damaged heather to give
you a clue, and even if it was possible to
spray them off with chemicals, it would
probably already be too late to save heather
that had already been eaten.
The Heather Trust continues to
support a resolution to the problem of
heather beetle which rests in restoring
damage, rather than the destructive
suppression of a natural (albeit dramatic
and destructive) event.
If you have come across beetle
damage, please let us know, either by
filling in a form online or by downloading
it to complete by hand. For more advice or
information, why not call us on 01387 723 201
