News from Biodiversity Ireland
April 2025

This monthly newsletter provides an update on some of the work of the National Biodiversity Data Centre and highlights upcoming events. 

Upcoming Biodiversity Training Events

📅 Farmland Biodiversity Walk - Tuesday 13th May 
      Thomastown, Enfield, Co Kildare

📅 Balsam Bashing for Community Groups - 14th May with Kildare County Council and Ballymore Eustace Environmental Group
      Online Webinar

📅 Introduction to Irish Vegetation Classification - Friday 16th May
      North Bull Island, Co. Dublin 

Keep an eye on our social medias for more updates.

New Training Course: Launch of Ireland’s mining bees course

The National Biodiversity Data Centre is delighted to announce the launch of a new online course on Ireland’s mining bees. Ireland is home to 27 different mining bees, which make up approximately a quarter of our wild bee species. Unlike bumblebees or the Honey Bee, mining bees do not form colonies, instead they choose to nest solitarily in underground burrows. They are important pollinators and many of them are among our most widespread and familiar solitary bees.

New illustrated guide to hoverflies which resemble bumblebees

The National Biodiversity Data Centre has published a new illustrated guide to hoverflies which resemble bumblebees in Ireland and adjacent parts of Europe. This is a technical document, but we hope it might be of interest to some of you. 

Recorders of pollinators like bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies will know that some hoverflies look like wasps, bumble bees, honey bees or solitary bees. In Ireland there are 10 hoverfly species which look like bumblebees, scattered among a number of different hoverfly genera. There are 5 more in adjacent parts of Europe’s Atlantic zone. These 15 Atlantic zone bumblebee-like hoverflies are keyed out together here for the first time. The features used in the keys are illustrated in colour, using focus-stacked photographic images produced by the author. Short notes are also provided, on each of the species included in the keys.

We are very grateful to Dr Martin Speight, who has produced this illustrated key for National Biodiversity Data Centre. It is full of beautiful images of hoverflies, and we hope it will encourage some of you to learn more about these insects and consider submitting records to the National Biodiversity Data Centre.

The image below shows the hoverfly Volucella bombylans.

New resource: Making a pollinator-friendly rainwater planter

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is delighted to release a new free resource: Making a pollinator-friendly rainwater planter.

Rainwater planters are mini rain gardens that slow down the flow of rainwater from rooftops. By diverting rain through the planter, they reduce overflow into storm drains and can help prevent flooding. By building your own timber rainwater planter and adding water-resistant pollinator-friendly plants, you can manage rainwater runoff and help feed wild bees at the same time. This can be a great option if you have limited space, or want to make use of hard surfaces near buildings.

The new booklet gives step by step instructions on making a pollinator-friendly rainwater planter, including the materials needed and ideas for pollinator-friendly native and non-native plants.

New resource: Pollinator-friendly management of healthcare sites

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is delighted to release a new free resource: Pollinator-friendly management of healthcare sites, developed with the support of the HSE.

Biodiversity and human health are closely linked. A growing body of research reveals that natural environments have a huge impact on human health and wellbeing. Pollinators are at the heart of healthy environments, and wild bees are responsible for pollinating many of the fruit and vegetables that support a nutritious diet.

Taking steps to improve biodiversity on healthcare sites can contribute to patient and staff wellbeing, and in some cases may even aid patient recovery. From mowing less in certain areas, to creating a biodiversity garden or walking trail, or planting or protecting native trees and hedgerows, there are many ways healthcare sites can help pollinators and people.

The new guide includes a list of detailed actions to suit all types of healthcare site no matter the size or space available, and stories from healthcare sites that have already transformed their spaces for biodiversity.

Submit your ideas for the next All-Ireland Pollinator Plan 2026-2030

The All-Ireland Pollinator Plan is a framework bringing together different sectors across the island of Ireland to create a landscape where pollinators can survive and thrive. Its implementation is coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre. The next version of the AIPP will be developed across 2025. We want the next Plan to be the most ambitious yet.

Please submit your ideas and suggestions - however big, small or radical! You can submit ideas through the SurveyMonkey form as often as you like. It will remain open until the 30^th June 2025.

Ladybird Atlas 2025 Project

The Ladybird Atlas 2025 project has had another successful year of data collection. In 2024, 2,974 records were added to the Ladybirds of Ireland Dataset. Given below is an update on progress in various sections of the Ladybird Atlas 2025 project.

Ladybirds of Ireland Dataset:

Data Validation for the project is completed on a monthly basis and is up to date for this season, with data from March being uploaded to Biodiversity Maps soon. Currently, the Ladybirds of Ireland dataset has 19,514 records across 34 species. This includes the “inconspicuous” ladybird species, which are validated and added to the dataset on a quarterly basis. Cleaning of the dataset is taking place on a continuous basis. We also had the interesting discovery of a new species of ladybird being found in Ireland. Rhyzobius forestieri was found in Co. Dublin by ecologist and ladybird recorder Brian Power.