Insect recording - Insect Week

What is a biological record?

Four pieces of information about an insect that you find:

WHAT the name of the species of insect.
WHO the name of the person who found the insect.
WHERE the location the insect was found ine.g. Ordnance Survey grid reference, postcode or nearest named location.
WHEN the calendar date the insect was found

Other information could include the habitat, food plant, time of day, weather, life stage of the insect, trapping or survey method. A photograph or video may be taken of the insect and in some cases a voucher specimen.

Why do we make biological records of insect species?

Biological records build a picture of where an insect species occurs (distribution), when it occurs in the year (phenology) and the habitat the insect is associated with (ecology).

To monitor insect species, and see whether they are increasing or decreasing, we need detailed biological records to be collated over time. Your records can help ‘measure the health’ of insects in the UK.

How do we submit biological records to a recording scheme?

The best way in the UK is to use the smartphone application iRecord which is available for android on Google Play and for apple in the App Store.

You can use iRecord on your phone in your garden or at home when you see an insect. Your phone camera can take an image and upload it to the app, so even if you are not sure what the insect is, someone else can hopefully work out ‘What’ the insect is. You will create an account with iRecord which will provide the ‘Who’ information. The GPS on the smartphone can provide the ‘Where’ information and lastly you can enter the ‘When’ information, which can also come from image file data.

You can also submit records on the iRecord website with an internet browser.

Data from iRecord is communicated to expert recorders around the UK, who will verify and compile data on a particular group of insects.

Insect recording schemes

You can find out more about recording schemes and experts for particular groups of insects (and a few non insects) from the following list, this is from the Biological Record Centre and the National Biodiversity Network. Your Local Environment Record Centre may have details of local recording schemes in your area. If you are in the Republic of Ireland please look at the National Biodiversity Data Centre for information on biological recording.

taxonomic order	common name(s)	recording scheme URL
Coleoptera	aquatic beetles	https://www.latissimus.org/?page_id=24
Coleoptera	Soldier beetles, jewel beetles & glow-worms	www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/soldier-beetles-and-allies-recording-scheme
Coleoptera	Ground beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/carabidae/home
Coleoptera	Longhorn beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/cerambycidae/home
Coleoptera	Seed and leaf beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/chrysomelidae/home
Coleoptera	Lily beetle	www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/lily-beetle
Coleoptera	Rosemary beetle	www.rhs.org.uk/biodiversity/rosemary-beetle
Coleoptera	Ladybird beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/coccinellidae/home
Coleoptera	Weevils & bark beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/curculionoidea/home
Coleoptera	Hide, larder & carpet beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/dermestidae/home
Coleoptera	Click beetles & allies	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/elateroidea/home
Coleoptera	Clown beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/histeridae/home
Coleoptera	Dung beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/scarabaeoidea/home
Coleoptera	Marsh beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/scirtidae/home
Coleoptera	Carrion, burying, sexton beetles & relatives	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/silphidae/home
Coleoptera	Rove beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/scheme/staphylinidae
Coleoptera	Stenini rove beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/stenini/home
Coleoptera	Darkling beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/tenebrionoidea/home
Coleoptera	Oil beetles	https://www.coleoptera.org.uk/meloidae/home
Coleoptera	Stag beetles	https://ptes.org/get-involved/surveys/garden/great-stag-hunt/stag-hunt-survey/

Diptera	Leaf-mining flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/agromyzidae-scheme/home
Diptera	Root maggot flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/anthomyiid-scheme/home
Diptera	Blowflies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/calliphoridae-scheme/home
Diptera	Non-biting midges	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/chironomidae-group/home
Diptera	Frit flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/chloropid-group/home
Diptera	thick-headed flies, spear-winged flies & picture-winged flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/conopidae-scheme/home
Diptera	Mosquitoes	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/mosquitoes-scheme/home
Diptera	Meniscus midges & trickle midges	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/dixidae-scheme/home
Diptera	Dagger flies, dance flies & long-legged flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/empid-allies-scheme/home
Diptera	Spiny-winged flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/heleomyzid-scheme/home
Diptera	Fungus gnats	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/fungus-gnat-scheme/home
Diptera	Stilt & stalk flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/micropezid-allies-scheme/home
Diptera	Warble-flies & bots	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/oestridae-scheme/home
Diptera	Big-headed flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/pipunculidae-group/home
Diptera	Flat-footed Flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/flat-footed-fly-scheme/home
Diptera	Dung-flies and relatives	http://scathophagidae.myspecies.info/
Diptera	Snail-killing flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/snail-killing-flies-scheme/home
Diptera	Ensign flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/sepsid-scheme/home
Diptera	Soldierflies & Allies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/soldierflies-allies-scheme/home
Diptera	Hoverflies	http://hoverfly.uk/hrs/node/284
Diptera	Parasitic flies	https://tachinidae.org.uk/blog/
Diptera	Fruit flies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/tephritid-flies-scheme/home
Diptera	Craneflies	https://www.dipterists.org.uk/cranefly-scheme/home
Diptera	Hemerocallis gall midge	https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/help-our-research/hemerocallis-gall-midge
Diptera	Flesh flies	https://dipterists.org.uk/sarcophagidae-scheme/home
Diptera	Woodlouse flies	https://dipterists.org.uk/rhinophoridae-scheme/home
Diptera	Lance flies	https://dipterists.org.uk/lonchaeid-group/home
Diptera	Lesser dung flies	https://dipterists.org.uk/sphaeroceridae-group/home
Diptera	Kelp flies	https://dipterists.org.uk/kelp-fly-scheme/home
Diptera	Keds, flat-flies or louse-flies, and bat-flies	https://dipterists.org.uk/hippoboscidae-scheme/home

Ephemeroptera	Mayflies	https://www.riverflies.org/recording-schemes

Hemiptera	Leafhoppers & froghoppers	http://www.ledra.co.uk/
Hemiptera	Water bugs	https://aquaticbugs.com/
Hemiptera	Shield bugs & allies	http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/
Hemiptera	Plant bugs & allies	http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/
Hemiptera	plant lice	http://www.britishbugs.org.uk/

Hymenoptera	Bees, wasps & ants	https://www.bwars.com/
Hymenoptera	Parasitic wasps	https://www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/parasitic-wasps-recording-scheme
Hymenoptera	Sawflies	https://www.sawflies.org.uk/
Hymenoptera	Berberis sawfly	https://www.rhs.org.uk/science/help-our-research/berberis-sawfly
Hymenoptera	Asian Hornet Vespa velutina	https://www.nonnativespecies.org/non-native-species/species-alerts/#Species_53
Hymenoptera	Bees, wasps & ants	https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/beewalk/

Lepidoptera	Butterflies	https://butterfly-conservation.org/
Lepidoptera	Moths	http://www.mothscount.org/
Lepidoptera	Grass moths	https://www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/crambidae-pyralidae-recording-scheme
Lepidoptera	Twirler moths	https://www.gelechiid.co.uk/
Lepidoptera	Longhorn moths & allies	https://www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/incurvarioidea-recording-scheme
Lepidoptera	Leaf-mining moths	http://www.leafmines.co.uk/
Lepidoptera	Plume moths	https://www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/plume-moth-recording-scheme

Neuroptera	Lacewings, scorpion-flies, snake-flies & allies	http://lacewings.myspecies.info/

Odonata	Dragonflies & damselflies	https://british-dragonflies.org.uk/

Orthoptera	Grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, cockroaches, stick-insects & mantids	https://www.orthoptera.org.uk/

Plecoptera	Stoneflies	https://www.riverflies.org/recording-schemes

Psocoptera	Barkflies	https://www.brc.ac.uk/schemes/barkfly/homepage.htm

Siphonaptera	Fleas	https://www.brc.ac.uk/scheme/siphonaptera-and-phthiraptera-recording-scheme

Trichoptera	Caddisflies	https://www.riverflies.org/recording-schemes

Plant galls	Many different organisms	British plant Gall Society https://www.britishplantgallsociety.org/

NON INSECTS
Collembola	Springtails	http://urweb.roehampton.ac.uk/collembola/
Arachnida	Spiders & Harvestmen	http://srs.britishspiders.org.uk/
Arachnida	Mites	https://soilbiodiversityuk.myspecies.info/
Arachnida	Ticks	https://www.gov.uk/guidance/tick-surveillance-scheme
Arachnida	Pseudoscorpions	http://www.chelifer.com/pseudos/
Myriapoda	Centipedes, millipedes, pauropods & symphylans	http://www.bmig.org.uk/
Isopoda	Woodlice & waterlice	http://www.bmig.org.uk/
Mollusca	Snails and slugs	http://www.conchsoc.org/
Annelida	Earthworms	https://www.earthwormsoc.org.uk/ners