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ClimateQuiet 4d · day 5

Southern insect species surge in UK Midlands as summer temperatures rise

Hummingbird hawk moths, ivy bees, and wasp spiders are spreading northward into the West Midlands in record numbers.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 4d ago6 pieces127 likes & upvotes1 comments MastodonNewswiresBluesky

What to know

  • Hummingbird hawk moths, ivy bees, and wasp spiders are appearing in the UK Midlands in record numbers, driven by unusually warm summer temperatures.
  • Multiple warm-climate insect species are expanding their range northward from southern Europe and England, with some now established 20+ years after first appearance in the region.
  • Rising temperatures linked to climate change may enable some migratory species to become permanent UK residents if warming continues.

“There's nothing that distinguishes them from other bees really, they're not that kind of attention-grabbing species, but, you know, were you to look for them, go to ivy and you'll see them.”

James Benwell, Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust · BBC News ↗

James Benwell Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife TrustRosemary Winnall Wyre Forest Study GroupWorcestershire Wildlife Trust Regional wildlife organization

Southern insect species surge in UK Midlands as summer temperatures rise
bbc.co.uk

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in two hours at Sep 19, 2 AM; 6 pieces over 5 days (2 articles · 4 posts) Sep 19, 2 AM — 3 pieces · 1 article · 2 posts — Mastodon 2, Newswires 1Sep 19, 4 AM — quietSep 19, 6 AM — 2 pieces · 2 posts — Bluesky 1, Mastodon 1Sep 19, 8 AM — quietSep 19, 10 AM — quietSep 19, 12 PM — quietSep 19, 2 PM — quietSep 19, 4 PM — quietSep 19, 6 PM — quietSep 19, 8 PM — quietSep 19, 10 PM — quietSep 20, 12 AM — quietSep 20, 2 AM — quietSep 20, 4 AM — quietSep 20, 6 AM — quietSep 20, 8 AM — quietSep 20, 10 AM — quietSep 20, 12 PM — quietSep 20, 2 PM — quietSep 20, 4 PM — quietSep 20, 6 PM — quietSep 20, 8 PM — quietSep 20, 10 PM — quietSep 21, 12 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Mastodon 1Sep 21, 2 AM — quietSep 21, 4 AM — quietSep 21, 6 AM — quietSep 21, 8 AM — quietSep 21, 10 AM — quietSep 21, 12 PM — quietSep 21, 2 PM — quietSep 21, 4 PM — quietSep 21, 6 PM — quietSep 21, 8 PM — quietSep 21, 10 PM — quietSep 22, 12 AM — quietSep 22, 2 AM — quietSep 22, 4 AM — quietSep 22, 6 AM — quietSep 22, 8 AM — quietSep 22, 10 AM — quietSep 22, 12 PM — quietSep 22, 2 PM — quietSep 22, 4 PM — quietSep 22, 6 PM — quietSep 22, 8 PM — quietSep 22, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quiet 12–3
Sep 20Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 2:02 AM ET
  1. 2

    Multiple southern species now abundant in region after 20-year absence

    Benwell notes that numerous species absent from the Midlands 20 years ago are now quite abundant, including the clouded yellow butterfly, hornet hoverfly (first recorded locally in 2004), and cricket bat spider (first spotted in 2019).

    “There's numerous species that we could point out that weren't here 20 years ago... and now they're quite abundant.”
    — James Benwell
  2. background

    Ivy bees continue northward spread, now established in Midlands — Ivy bees, first recorded in the UK in 2001 and in the Midlands region in Stourbridge in 2015, have become more prevalent and are described as easy to find on buildings where ivy grows.

  3. 3

    Wasp spider spotted more than 100 miles north of typical range

    The wasp spider, one of the UK's largest spider species, has been recorded in Worcestershire, Herefordshire, and Warwickshire—more than 100 miles from its usual habitat—due to warmer temperatures pushing species northward.

    “Most individuals are unable to survive the British winter, but if temperatures continue to rise as a result of climate change, we may well see them becoming permanent residents.”
    — James Benwell
    • jmbecologist.bsky.social

      Oh FFS. Increases in a few species is not a positive from climate change It is a signal that communities & ecosystems are under threat from rapid change Please, BBC, don’t do this simplistic reporting, feeding complacency about climate breakdown

      jmbecologist.bsky.socialBluesky4d ago118▲view on Bluesky ↗
  4. 1

    BBC documents record hummingbird hawk moth sightings in West Midlands

    The BBC reports that hummingbird hawk moths, ivy bees, wasp spiders, and other southern insect species have been spotted in the West Midlands in growing numbers during an unusually warm summer. James Benwell from the Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trust calls 2026 a 'record year' for hummingbird hawk moth sightings.

    “They've had a really good year this year. Normally they would come in small numbers. We'd normally hear of a few maybe. But this year, we've seen loads of records of them.”
    — James Benwell
    1. 1 outlet Hummingbird hawk moths and ivy bees: The insects growing in number as temperatures rise

      first by Mastodon, 3d ago

    2. 1 outlet Have you seen the hummingbird hawk moth?

      first by BBC Science, 4d ago

    • BBC@c.im

      # BBC # News # Science # Environment Have you seen the hummingbird hawk moth?

      BBC@c.imMastodon4d ago1▲view on Mastodon ↗

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