Beneficial Beetle Workshop for Farmers

Monitoring biodiversity on farms is becoming ever more important and a great place to start is by looking at your carabid beetles. Carabids are predatory beetles that help protect crops from insect pests and weeds and can indicate habitat quality and landscape change.

Kelly has designed a carabid monitoring scheme to help farmers keep track of their beetle communities, plus a Farmland Carabid Identification Guide which participants will be able to take away.

There will be an outdoor session in the morning, looking at insect traps and identifying beetles so please dress appropriately for the weather. You are invited to bring beetle specimens or pictures for Kelly to identify.

During the workshop, you’ll also help to improve tools by sharing your opinions on the methods Kelly will demonstrate.

This workshop is offered for free in collaboration with Rothamsted Research, as part of the AgZero+ research project. This work is looking at pathways towards net zero agriculture in the UK, and the synergies with biodiversity and ecosystem services. https://agzeroplus.org.uk/

Please note, this workshop is aimed at farmers and landowners.

About Dr Kelly Jowett

Dr Kelly Jowett is an Applied Entomologist at Rothamsted Research, working on the design of cropping systems and landscapes to reconcile crop and livestock production with biodiversity and ecosystem services. She has a particular interest in the functional biodiversity of carabid and dung beetles and is working with farmers to apply her research.

Arrival and Timing Information

Please arrive at 9:45am for a prompt start at 10am. The session will consist of an indoor session covering beneficial insects and different trapping methods followed by an outdoor session around the farm looking at these methods in practice and doing some in-field identification. Please make sure to bring along weather appropriate clothing and footwear.

Cancellation Policy

We understand that there may be times where you need to cancel your booking. Our cancellation policy is outlined here.

We like to take photos and occasionally videos of our events to use on our website and social media, please let us know if you do not want to be photographed.