Join the NHM fly-spotting team this summer and improve our understanding of how some of these species, important as pollinators, are faring in the UK.
With their cute fuzzy stripes, bees get all of the love when it comes to protecting insects. But flies also play a huge role in biodiversity, including helping to pollinate an estimated 72% of crops.
Unfortunately, there hasn’t been close to as much scientific attention on pollinating flies, so we just don’t know enough about them. Without knowing what species are important and where they can be found, we can’t do what is needed to protect them to support nature or agriculture.
On top of that, several fly species have recently arrived in the UK due to warming climates, and we need to keep track of their spread.
By using the iNaturalist app to take photos of flies you see in your local area, you can improve our knowledge of their populations and geographic spread.
Find out how to take part, and the 14 species of fly that we are particularly interested in, on the NHM website.