Funding Boost To Help Save Rare Wart-Biter Crickets In Sussex
A conservation project aimed at saving one of Britain's rarest and most endangered insects has received a funding boost.
The Buglife-led scheme is working to establish a new population of wart-biter bush crickets in Sussex.
The species is currently only found at six established sites in the UK — four in Sussex, one in Kent and one in Wiltshire.
Funding from Defra will help conservationists identify new sites where the crickets could thrive.
The wart-biter is named after an old belief that it could be used to "cure" warts by eating them.
Conservation officer Alice Parfitt says the insect is also an important indicator of the health of the UK's chalk grassland.
The crickets need high-quality chalk grassland with varied vegetation and bare ground to lay their eggs.
They feed on grasshoppers, other small insects, leaves and flowers, meaning they rely on rich and diverse habitats.
Buglife has already introduced wart-biters to a site in the South Downs, although the population has not yet been classed as established.
Castle Hill Nature Reserve near Woodingdean is currently home to the healthiest known population, estimated at around 1,000 crickets.
The charity hopes to establish 10 self-sustaining populations across the UK.
It plans to relocate around 30 wart-biters each year to new sites, working with organisations including the Sussex Wildlife Trust, Royal Entomological Society and private landowners.
Buglife says changes to land management and grazing practices have reduced the amount of suitable habitat available to the species.
Because wart-biters cannot fly, their ability to move between suitable sites is also limited.
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