The Trust has long had concern about the potential for heather beetle to kill heather on a wide scale. A large scale outbreak has the potential to undo years of careful moorland management in a single season.

In many areas, we believe that heather beetle has been instrumental in driving the change from heather to grass dominated moorland. This is a particularly significant cause of moorland decline in the wetter areas, generally on the west side of the country, where there is often greater competition from grasses. Purple moor-grass Molinia caerulea is the chief culprit.

One scenario that appears to have taken place in many areas is for a beetle attack to occur after a fire. The heather - grass mixture will rgenerate in approximate balance, but if a heather beetle attack occurs in the early stages of regeneration, it appears to be possible for the grass to become completely dominant and prevent a second crop of heather getting established after the beetle attack. In this situation there is no chance for the heather to re-establish and the conversion to grass dominance is complete.

Click here to visit the Heather Trust Heather Beetle survey page on their website

 Click here for the Heather Trust Survey Form