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this late in the year the dung-flies are ready to recycle. The adult flies, although only 7-10 mm long, are fierce predators, attacking other small insects they catch on the wing. Unlike houseflies, they do not come indoors, are not attracted to human food

at the edge of the water in total darkness with bats swirling around me.Like so much of our wildlife, bats are having a hard time. This is mostly due to the widespread use of pesticides in agriculture. British bats feed exclusively on insects, so spraying

and suburban London about 100 years ago. It was something of an exciting wildlife spectacle. Writing in 1909, Charles Dixon describes the rapidly increasing gull expansion into the capital in his popular book Birdlife of London. He is rather bemused

attracts others to gather around them. The idea is that their warning colours are emphasized by the increasing numbers. The scent lingers throughout the summer so the same crevices are used year on year by subsequent generations. Very clever

attracted by mysterious chemical smells lingering on the glass and metal. I don't know what happened to the bees, but whilst I was photographing them I heard a woman speaking on her mobile phone to a friend who was obviously a beekeeper. Perhaps they are now

harum-scarum spiral from nowhere to nowhere else.Then each evening the kitchen and bathroom walls would usually be alive with moths attracted to the lights and flying in through open doors and windows. We'd had a fabulous procession: knot grass

simple food hygiene rules.The problem with my two squirts of fox dung was that they were sitting on tarmac. No matter how attractive the odour might be to passing recyclers, dung on hard-standing will never be recycled, because the beetles and fly larvae

biological reason for this.Honeybees, bumblebees and social wasps all congregate around prominent branches or treetops when they mate. Males gather together at these vantage points and mark them with a scent which then attracts females. These 'social' insects

an important role in the lifecycle of bumblebees. Many species of bumblebee nest in old mouse holes. It's thought that they’re attracted by the smell, and the strong whiff of mouse could even deter wax moths from finding and laying eggs inside the nest. So I

’t worry if you have snakes or slow worms, but celebrate the fact that your plot is home to such ancient, precious creatures. If you’re wary of stumbling across one while gardening, just wear wellies and gloves.I’ve no hope of attracting any snakes to my