BWS 2019 in Numbers
- 2144 traps registered to take part in BWS 2019.
- 1809 traps complete
- Multiple traps at the same locations!
BWS team evaluation: Once again, the enthusiasm from the public for taking part in the Big Wasp Survey was unprecedented! And this was despite the fact that we were much more targetted this year in recruiting samplers. If you took part in 2019 you were probably a “Super Sampler”, meaning you’ve taken part in 2017 and/or 2018. We asked you to put out multiple traps in the same area, and over half of you did this THANK YOU! This now means we can improve the quantitative data we obtain from your traps. You’ve contributed towards an incredibly comprehensive dataset on the diversity and distribution of social wasps in the UK. Replicated sampling in the same place year after year is incredibly valuable.
What’s Next?
We have been busy processing the samples you sent us. We rely on the goodwill of our students and members of the public to help do this, as we have no funding for dedicated staff on this project.
We are indebted to the generosity of you – the public – in helping us with our wasp identification by attending our public workshops. These workshops would not be possible without the generous support of the Angela Marmont Centre at London’s Natural History Museum, and the Field Studies Centre at Bushy Park
The data from the 2019 BWS will be analysed in due course and we will keep you informed about the findings and how 2019 compared to other years. Thanks again for all your help!
