This project is part of an Open University PhD looking at the long-term effects of modern cattle farming practice on the invertebrate fauna which depend on dung. Increasingly intensive dairy farming leads to less available dung in the field. In addition, some of the cattle wormers such as the Avermectins are excreted in dung and remain toxic to dung fauna for a variable period of time. Wormers are generally applied in the spring, either as a 'pour-on' or by a slow-release gastric bolus, so potentially may prevent hatching and reduce the number of dung flies throughout the summer.

To take part in other surveys, see http://www.evolutionmegalab.org/en_GB/

Application of Avermectin

pour-on.

There is growing concern about the effects of chemicals in the environment. Bee colonies are collapsing, with the threat that pollination of crops and fruit trees will fail - chemicals may be implicated in this. Garden centres are full of herbicides and pesticides which we spread about our gardens and allotments - who knows how many invertebrates are killed which were not actually harmful to crops? Although yellow dung flies may not offer an immediate and obvious benefit to us, the potential effects of any decline are unknown and unpredictable.

Intensive dairy farming

Garden pesticides