glow worms information please.

[animartco]

I thought I'd start a thread on glow worms because they are around now and topical. What has always puzzled me is that they are seen year after year at exactly the same site, within yards of the previous years appearance. How long does an individual female live? The one I found last year in the hedge two doors down, is there again, but I have never been lucky enough to have one. Is there a particular food plant? And in view of the fact that their ability to spread seems very restricted, might it not be too dreadful if I took one from a spot where there are several and put her in my garden?
They tend to be found along roadsides and I had a bit of an argument with a friend as to how much difference artificial light makes. Could they be using it to their advantage to draw the males in from a distance, or does it blind the males to their presence and make mating more difficult?

[Dogghound]

I would personally leave them where they are, if you garden was suitable habitat they would be there. They are quite sedentary and tend not to move far forming small colonies, these fluctuate in population from year to year. They dont feed on plants, the larvae feed on snails the adult does not feed. You are lucky and should enjoy watching your local population as they are.

[Miss Caretaker]

You are definitely lucky to have them so close, I am 33 years old and have never seen a glow worm in my life (except on telly!). Enjoy them!

[animartco]

Thanks Dogghound and Miss Caretaker for your responses. yes Doggound they do seem to clump in the same place, which makes them very vulnerable. I think I'd be doing them a service transplanting one from a clump. They NEED to be 'seeded' more widely. As I said the one next door has been in exactly the same place for two years. There used to be a huge clump farther down the lane but the people in whose garden they lived concreted it over and killed the lot. I would imagine in today's world with all the interference there is to habitats, numbers are likely to drop without our help in dispersing them. From what I have seen they need a south facing bank and some concrete or stone near to give access to direct sunlight and heat to store up energy. And of course plenty of cover behind them. I have loads of snails in my garden, mostly the yellow stripey ones. I imagine these are the right sort?
Miss caretaker, I was standing in the lane for ten minutes or so watching her and someone came by walking a dog. Must have thought I was a nutter!

[Dogghound]

All I will say is if the habitat was right they would use your garden. Insect distribution is extremely complex and could be governed by something as small as micro-climates. If you have a population close to you try and protect it dont take from it as it increases which it will if conserved correcly it may increase to your garden. I would never advise that anyone should start moving something when it is not needed even as trivial as a small insect. Although you may be seeding them more widely taking from populations especially small sedentary ones reduces the existing gene pool of the population.

The question you need to ask yourself is are you doing it for you and your garden or for the benifit of the insect?

[Jim Ford]

I've posted images of glow worms here:

Glow Worms

Jim