Finding Dor Beetles

[gillydormouse]

I have been asked to do some research on dor beetles by a television company.

Please could anyone tell me of a good site in the Bristol/North Somerset area and also the best method of finding them.

I have found a field that looked very promising grazed by almost organic cattle and have been given permission to look there. So far I have turned over cow pats and stood in the field at dusk searching for flying insects with a very powerful torch. Neither of these methods proved successful although the cow pats did contain many smaller beetles. The records for this area seem to be very scanty - I don't know if it is because they are not here or because they are too common for people to bother recording them.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[JRsbugs]

Hi gilly, welcome to WAB.

This article may be of some use to you,

Dor Beetles - Geotrupes stercorarius - UK Safari

Janet

[Jenny W]

I've had a couple in the moth traps recently, but never before. Not sure how attracted to light they generally are.

[Dogghound]

The habitat sounds perfect, when you look under the dung look for shafts as they actually bury into the ground. These will hold larvae which are easy to rear or can be identified in the field. Adults very often fly in the evening well into the night so light traps will pick them up (maybe a light onto a white sheet would be good if you dont have a trap. The fact that its an organic herd raises the odds too.

If you have further questions either post here or PM me.

Good luck.

[gillydormouse]

Thank you all very much for your help. Sadly I didn't find any dor beetles and I have now run out of time. I enjoyed trying though, and have certainly developed a greater appreciation of the fauna of a cow pat.