Latest news with #heathland
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Devon scientists reveal 'remarkable' wasp memory
Wasp mothers have stunning brainpower when it comes to feeding their young, according to new wasps make a short burrow for each egg, stocking it with food and returning a few days later to provide study by scientists at the University of Exeter revealed mother wasps can remember the locations of up to nine separate nests among hundreds belonging to other said they did not yet know how the wasps achieved such "remarkable mental feats." 'Rarely make errors' Researchers discovered the insects feed their young in age order, adjusting the order if one dies, and they can even delay feeding offspring that had more food at the first visit."Our findings suggest that the miniature brain of an insect is capable of remarkably sophisticated scheduling decisions," said Professor Jeremy Field, from the University of Exeter."We tend to think that something so small couldn't do something so complex."In fact, they can remember where and when they have fed their young and what they fed them in a way that would be taxing even to human brains." The digger wasps in the study live on heathland in Surrey where they hunt caterpillars on heather plants."Despite nesting in relatively featureless bare sand, often among hundreds of intermingled nests of other females, mothers rarely make errors in revisiting their nests," Mr Field said."Only 1.5% of the 1,293 food deliveries in the study went to other females' nests."
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Wasp mothers use remarkable memory when feeding offspring, according to study
Wasp mothers have stunning brainpower when it comes to feeding their young, new research shows. Digger wasps make a short burrow for each egg, stocking it with food and returning a few days later to provide more. The study reveals that mother wasps can remember the locations of up to nine separate nests at once, rarely making mistakes despite the fact nests are dug in bare sand containing hundreds belonging to other females. Mothers feed their young in age order, adjusting the order if one dies, and they can even delay feeding offspring that had more food at the first visit. Their intricate scheduling reduces the chance that offspring starve. 'Our findings suggest that the miniature brain of an insect is capable of remarkably sophisticated scheduling decisions,' said Professor Jeremy Field, from the University of Exeter. 'We tend to think that something so small couldn't do something so complex. 'In fact, they can remember where and when they have fed their young, and what they fed them, in a way that would be taxing even to human brains.' Prof Field added: 'As humans, we would achieve this by thinking back to what we have already done, which is called 'episodic memory'. 'We don't yet know how wasps achieve these remarkable mental feats.' The digger wasps in the study live on heathland in Surrey where they hunt caterpillars on heather plants. Mother wasps first dig a burrow, then find a caterpillar, paralyse it, put it in the burrow and lay an egg on it – so the emerging larva can eat the caterpillar. The mothers then cover the burrow entrance and leave – to start a new burrow or feed existing offspring. They return two to seven days later, firstly to check if the larva has survived. If it has, they bring more food – up to eight caterpillars – seal the nest and leave again, never to return. If they find a dead larva, mothers lay a new egg and move this nest to the back of the queue for feeding. Previous research has showed digger wasps use visual landmarks such as stones to find their nests. 'Despite nesting in relatively featureless bare sand, often among hundreds of intermingled nests of other females, mothers rarely make errors in revisiting their nests,' Prof Field said. 'Only 1.5% of the 1,293 food deliveries in the study went to other females' nests.' The study also tested wasps by swapping caterpillars as mothers prepared their burrows. Those given larger caterpillars adjusted their schedule to wait longer before providing additional food. During the delay, they started off other offspring. Mothers did sometimes make mistakes, especially if they had more offspring or when the feeding order was altered due to an offspring dying. – The paper, Memory and the scheduling of parental care in an insect population in the wild, is published in the journal Current Biology.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- BBC News
Turfhill heathland fire started deliberately, service says
Heathland fire started deliberately, brigade says The fire service was called on Monday afternoon An undergrowth fire affecting land the size of about five football pitches was started deliberately, according to authorities. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to a fire on Turfhill, an area of heathland in Lightwater, on Monday at 12:44 BST. A spokesperson said the fire affected two hectares of land and was confirmed as deliberate. "It could have spread even further, endangering lives and causing more harm to the environment and precious habitats," they added.
