In Spring and Summer 2024, The Tanyptera Project carried out a saproxylic invertebrate survey using vane traps on mature trees in Knowsley Park, park of the Knowsley estate near Prescot, Merseyside. This site encompasses an extensive area of parkland (up to 1000 ha), which was landscaped in the 1770s by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown also contains Knowsley Safari Park in the South East section of the site. Veteran oaks are numerous throughout the parkland, with the majority of the oldest open-grown veterans in the west of the estate away from the Safari Park, and are not publicly accessible.
Traps were collected on nine dates between 3rd May 2024 and 30th September 2024. There were 10 traps; three on Oak, one on Lime, four on Beech (one fallen) and two on Horse Chestnut (one resting on Oak).
In all, 32 species of aculeate were caught: 18 bees, 12 wasps and two ant species. However, in most traps, few species were caught (between three and eight species), although two of the traps on beech trees caught more species (14 and 16). The majority of species were caught in very low numbers (six or less) across the season, although Stigmus pendulus, an aphid-collecting species that nests in old wood-boring beetle holes, was caught the most frequently, all on one tree. This species appears to have only been recorded on two sites previously in VC59, both in Greater Manchester.
Several of the predatory wasps use old beetle holes for nesting, amongst them the spider hunting wasp Dipogon subintermedius from the family Pompilidae. It is thought that it preys exclusively upon one species of spider, Segestria senoculata, in the UK.
After the prey has been carried to the nest, it is malaxated by the wasp, softening it, probably enabling the adult wasp to obtain protein. There are records of this species from Yorkshire, North Wales and Cheshire, but this seems to be the first record of the species in Lancashire.
Ectemnius cephalotes, a large Crabronid which stocks its nests in dead wood with flies from several families including Syrphids and Tabanids, has only been previously found in four sites in South Lancashire.
A small Crabronid, Crossocerus distinguendus, recorded on site appears to be the first record in South Lancashire of this species. It was assessed as Nationally Scarce (Notable a) in 1990 by Falk, and Rare (RDB3) in 1987 by Shirt, although assessments are in the process of revision, and this appears to have become more common, and moving north.
Chrysis terminata was previously unrecorded in South Lancashire; however, due to being recently split from Chrysis ignita agg., the extent of its distribution is currently unknown, although likely to be common.
A number of ground-nesting bees and wasps were recorded, most of which are common Andrena mining bees; however, a few such as Andrena chrysosceles, a species active from April till July, and Andrena minutula, a common mini-miner (Micrandrena) have been recorded infrequently in this southern part of VC59. Lasioglossum morio, a primitively eusocial ground-nester, only appears to have been recorded at four other sites in South Lancashire.
