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Welcome to the November edition of Buglife’s e-newsletter, BugBytes! Keeping you up to date with invertebrate news, interesting snippets of information and so much more.
This month we’re embracing the shorter days, and longer nights, getting cozy by the fire and snug as a bug in a rug. So, join us as we take a look at the latest Bugs Matter results, ask you to get involved, share some exciting Community offers and upcoming events.
We hope you enjoy, thank you for your ongoing interest and support of our work.
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The Bugs Matter 2025 results are in!
New data suggest that insect life continues to decline, despite a hot summer.
📉 The troubling extent of insect declines has been highlighted once again by the results of the 2025 Bugs Matter citizen science survey published earlier this month.
The latest data show that the number of flying insects sampled on vehicle number plates across the UK has fallen by a staggering 59%, in just 5 years, in addition to an alarming annual average decline in bug splats of 19%, since the survey began in 2021.
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The new data show decreases in insect splats across all regions of the UK, with the sharpest falls between 2021 and 2025 recorded in England at 60% and Scotland at 59%, while a 56% decrease was shown in Northern Ireland and a 55% decrease was seen in Wales. In 2025 the survey ran in the Republic of Ireland for the first time so there is no trend data, but the splat rates are comparable with other areas surveyed and provide a baseline for subsequent survey years in the Republic of Ireland.
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Citizen scientists logged more than 10,000 journeys in the Bugs Matter app in 2025, covering nearly 481,000km; with more than 700 new users signing up to take part.
We also saw citizen scientists recording journeys in the Shetland Islands for the first time; meaning Bugs Matter participants surveyed as far southwest as Land’s End up to John O’Groats and beyond!
We thank everyone who has taken part this year and helped to collect this vitally important data and encourage even more people to take part in 2026.
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🐝 A Buzz of Hope 🐝
Imagine trying to travel around the UK without our road and rail network. Or imagine if nine out of every ten miles of road just didn’t exist – life would be impossible! That is the situation faced by our vital pollinators and other bugs.
B-Lines is Buglife’s unique solution.
Unsure of what they are? Join Buglife B-Lines Officer, Rachel, as she explores the benefits of B-Lines and how everyone can get involved from window box or balcony gardeners to landowners and local authorities.
Want to help save the small things that run the planet and create a buzz of hope in your area? Rachel shares some great ideas as well as links in to some fantastic resources, so why not take a look?
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Bumble in meadow © Lucia Chmurova
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This winter, your support could have twice the impact!
Have you seen our GiveMatch Winter Appeal, Help us raise funds for Buglife?
Your donation could help us:
🌼 Restore wildflower-rich habitats through our B-Lines network;
🪲 Relocate and protect rare and at-risk invertebrate populations;
📜 Raise awareness and influence policy to protect biodiversity long-term.
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Thanks to GiveMatch, your donation could be doubled at no extra cost to you – more wildflowers for pollinators, more safe spaces for rare species, and more power to restore the wild places that invertebrates need to survive and thrive.
Together, we can save the small things that run the planet, so please give what you can to help us protect the small things we all depend on.
Thank you for being part of our mission.
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Your views on light and noise pollution…
Our friends and colleagues at PLAN-B Project need our help!
As part of the PLAN-B Project, they are conducting a survey to better understand attitudes towards light and noise pollution, how they compare to other environmental challenges, and how acceptable different mitigation measures might be.
This online survey, led by colleagues at The University of Salford will take approximately 15 minutes to complete and forms part of a wider study exploring the social and psychological factors influencing light and noise pollution.
👍Will you share your views? Every response matters, and your insights will help with understanding how people perceive light and noise pollution and what actions might be needed to address them.
❓How do these forms of pollution affect you?
❓What changes should be made?
❓What would you support?
✨Thank you for helping us work towards healthier nights and quieter cities✨
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Exciting offers for the Buglife Community!
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As the festive season fast approaches we have some fantastic offers, and opportunities, to share with our wonderful buzzing Buglife Community.
Here’s a great offer from the publishers of The Farm Shop Guide, in which we are featured. They’ll give us 10% of every book order made using coupon code BUG10DONATION.
It’s a fab book: a celebration of over 160 independent, family-owned growers and producers and their shops, cafés and restaurants – right across Britain. From the small and quirky to the more established, this brilliant, Amazon #1 bestseller is sure to become a well-thumbed part of your glovebox.
To get your copy go to The Extra Mile shop. Make sure you enter coupon code BUG10DONATION so they know to give us 10% for every order.
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The Biological Recording Company are offering our buzz-y community an incredible 50% discount on their entoLEARN online self-study courses.
These pre-recorded webinars and associated content cover a wide range of invertebrate topics, including:
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Bumblebees of the UK
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Damselflies of the UK
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Dragonflies of the UK
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Earthworms of the UK & Ireland
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Freshwater Leeches of the UK
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Longhorn Beetles of the UK
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Social Wasps of the UK
To claim your discount, simply add buglife50 into the coupon box during checkout (you may need to click on ‘Have a coupon?’ for this box to appear). The coupon is not limited to a single use, so you can use it to get the 50% discount on multiple courses!
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The Secret World of Spider Webs
Buglife is delighted to have teamed up with Thames & Hudson to bring an exciting and exclusive offer to our community members.
Recently published, The Secret World of Spider Webs, is the first in a new series of children’s non-fiction books that reveal under-appreciated and hidden natural wonders that are essential to Earth’s biodiversity.
Wonderfully written with beautiful illustrations, for children aged 7+, this book offers a fascinating insight into the world of spider webs; just what any budding arachnologist needs!
Use our exclusive discount code THAMES20 to get 20% off
(until 31 December 2025)
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Join conservationist James Harding-Morris as he uncovers the stories of our endemic wildlife – the plants, animals and fungi that are unique to Britain.
Determined to give these irreplaceable species their moment in the spotlight, James goes in search of them across the length and breadth of Britain, from wild and rugged Orkney, the only known location for the Orkney Vole, down to suburban Plymouth where the Horrid Ground-weaver spider faces global extinction at the hands of developers.
We’re delighted to offer you a fantastic 25% discount!
Just use the code ENDEMIC25, on Bloomsbury.com.
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The Power of Noticing: my summer with the Wart-biter
Volunteering is a great way to discover the wonderful world of conservation.
🦸♀️ Giving your time to nature not only enables you to give something back, but you can gain a whole lot too. Even super powers!
Have we caught your attention? Great!
Join Changing Chalk Volunteer, Kirsty Lee, in our latest guest blog, “The Power of Noticing: my summer with the Wart-biter”
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Wart-biter Bush-cricket (Decticus verrucivorus) © Frank Vassen (CC BY-2.0)
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Want to know more about our funded projects past and present?
Have you checked out our project map on our website? Discover where are working and where the nearest project to you is, with our interactive map.
🔎Search function which allows you to search by address and/or postcode;
✅Toggle between our active projects and our completed projects;
ℹ️ Find out more about a project that interests you by clicking through to our project pages.
Don’t forget to zoom out to see where we are working internationally as well!
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Please do remember that our website Events Page is being updated all the time so, to keep up to date with both current and future Buglife events, as well as events from partners and supporters, be sure to visit regularly.
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New Manifestos for Bugs in Scotland and Wales
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With parliamentary elections approaching in Wales and Scotland next May, Buglife is pleased to publish dedicated Manifestos for Bugs, outlining key actions for invertebrate conservation in each nation.
While invertebrates face similar threats in both countries, there are distinct opportunities and needs that the next Governments in Scotland and Wales can take to halt nature loss, and reverse invertebrate declines.
Both Governments must:
- Recognise the rapid decline in insect abundance, as demonstrated by the Bugs Matter monitoring scheme.
- Pledge to restore sustainable populations of all invertebrates.
Governments must establish binding targets for nature recovery through primary legislation. These targets should be supported by fully resourced delivery plans and long-term funding commitments to tackle climate change, end sewage pollution, and protect 30% of land and sea for nature.
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London’s Important Invertebrate Areas
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Important Invertebrate Areas (IIAs) are places that are home to nationally or internationally significant invertebrate populations and their habitats. They include diverse species from beetles and moths to freshwater shrimps and woodlice, and habitats from the shoreline, along rivers and to the uplands.
In our efforts to put bugs on the map, we recently celebrated the publication of our 50th IIA profile document. Thanks to the efforts of Buglife’s IIA Officer Lucia, GIS & Data Officer Tom and Peatland Conservation Officer Melissa, we now have profiles available for more IIAs.
More recently we’ve been working with Greenspace Information for Greater London to further expand the reach and accessibility of IIA data.
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Map showing the B-Lines network and the three IIAs within Greater London.
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Shrill carder bee (Bombus sylvarum) © Steven Falk.
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For all our latest news please visit our website News Pages.
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The Buglife Shop is open for all your invertebrate needs, offering more ethical options and ways for you to support bugs.
Whether you’re looking for clothing, insurance, home accessories or gifts for a loved one; there’s something for everyone!
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Shop News:
In addition to our usual offerings our Christmas Brochure, brought to you in partnership with Red Robin, is here!
From cards to clothing, bee hotels to beer – bring a little festive cheer to your home and support Buglife in the process!
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Don’t forget you can stay up to date with the work of the Buglife team via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube!
Thank you for your continued interest in and support of our work; together we can save the small things that run the planet!
The Buglife Team
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