Not in my backyard

[J.B.Murray (John Murray)]

Pierids are definitely back in the U.K. this year.  I had almost forgotten what
it was like...  Butterfly conservationist as I am, I confess to squashing
upwards of 100 Pieris rapae and Pieris brassicae caterpillars yesterday which
had seriously demolished large sections of my once-proud brussels sprouts which
I was relying on to see us through the winter.  It's 3 or 4 years since I've had
to do that on a regular basis; those few caterpillars one found seemed to do
little damage and many appeared to die prematurely, perhaps due to viruses.    

On another note, Mark Sterling reported Wax moths (sorry, the latin name escapes
me - mellifera or something similarly mellifluous?) in St Albans in early
August, and in the last few days I've had a total of about 10 in the trap -
another 2 this morning, a new species for Marshalls Heath.  

Wax Moths are seriously bad news for bee-keepers, and have become rare in recent
decades with improvements in bee-keeping.  Does this mean bee-keepers aren't
being so meticulous these days?  

John Murray
Marshalls Heath,
Hertfordshire, U.K.
j.b.murray at open.ac.uk