BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 7: 1994 93 



and grazing out the sallow and brambles. In 1964 cattle, ponies and other livestock 

 were allowed into the inclosures, adding to the grazing pressure. By 1970 about 70°'o 

 of the Forest had been coniferized, despite a declaration in 1928 to keep a 60:40 

 ratio of broad-leaf to conifer trees. In 1982 a halt was called to the planting of more 

 conifers and of felling mature broad-leaf woods. This ironically may have resulted 

 in further declines, since the habitat provided by felled and replanted areas is now 

 denied to those butterflies dependent on it. Although some good areas still exist, the 

 New Forest today is largely poor for butterflies. Mr Oates showed slides of many 

 of the butterflies recorded in the Forest, described their current status and outlined 

 the reasons why many of them had declined. 



In 1985 the Forestry Commission was given a new remit to encourage conservation 

 in its forests. During the late 1980s it began replacing fences and gates but overgrazing 

 remains a problem. Areas which have been cleared of conifers are less favourable 

 for insects than similar clearing in broad-leaf areas. This is probably due to a reduction 

 in the seed bank in the soil and increased acidification while under conifers. The 

 application of conservation measures is being restricted by limited funding. The 

 possibility of the government privatizing the Forestry Commission raises the interesting 

 question of whether the New Forest would be better managed if it remained in their 

 care, or whether it should be passed to another organization such as the National 

 Trust. 



9 November 1993 



The President, Dr D. Lonsdale announced the death of Mr P. W. Cribb. 



Dr D. Lonsdale showed a live specimen of the orange ladybird, Halyzia 

 16-guttata (L.) found on 9.xi.93 on a poplar in an experimental plot at Alice Holt 

 Forest, Hants. This is a widespread species, having been found as far north as northern 

 Caithness, but this was the first occasion the exhibitor had seen it at Alice Holt. It 

 is one of a few British ladybirds that feeds on fungi, such as mildews, rather than 

 preying on aphids. 



Mr S. Miles drew the meeting's attention to some recently received publications 

 produced by the Department of the Environment, the Joint Nature Conservation 

 Committee, and non-governmental organizations in response to the Rio Conference 

 on Biodiversity. Also on display were minutes of a recent meeting of the Joint 

 Committee for the Conservation of British Invertebrates, together with a report on 

 the Committee's activities by the National Trust's representative. Mr Miles also 

 displayed a copy of a report by Wildlife Link on the future ownership of Forestry 

 Commission woodlands. Mr Softly asked if a summary of these reports could appear 

 in the Society's journal. The President thought that editors were able to make use 

 of this material. Mr Miles invited members who are interested in forming a 

 conservation action group to contact him. 



There then followed a report and discussion on the Society's 1993 Annual 

 Exhibition. Mr M. Simmons said that the Exhibition had been well attended with 

 numbers of both members and visitors slightly up on the previous year. The number 

 of exhibits compared favourably with previous years, with Coleoptera being 

 particularly well represented. Mr D. Hackett suggested that name badges should 

 be issued to people attending. As a new member he would have found it helpful in 

 locating exhibitors of insects which were of particular interest to him. Mr R. Morris 

 noted that the space allocated to Diptera and Coleoptera had been somewhat 

 cramped. The President raised the topic of the format of exhibits; he personally 



