Welcome to the Nethan Valley Association Hatchery and Angling

Insects (Class Insecta) are a major group of arthropods and the most diverse group of animals on the Earth, with over a million described species—more than all other animal groups combined. Insects may be found in nearly all environments on the planet, although only a small number of species occur in the oceans where crustaceans tend to predominate instead. There are approximately 5,000 dragonfly species, 2,000 praying mantis, 20,000 grasshopper, 170,000 butterfly and moth, 120,000 fly, 82,000 true bug, 360,000 beetle, and 110,000 bee, wasp and ant species described to date. Estimates of the total number of current species, including those not yet known to science, range from two million to fifty million, with newer studies favouring a lower figure of about six to ten million.

Stab Fly (Rhagionidae scolopacea) Rhagionidae contains 18 British species of slender, long legged flies known as snipe flies, Browns and yellows are dominant colours. The feet have three pads. These flies are believed to prey on other insects, but the extent of predation is not fully known. The larvae are predatory, however, feeding upon other insects living in the leaf litter and fallen trees.	Two-spot Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata) The two-spot ladybird is very common and has very similar habits to the seven-spot ladybird. They have a varied diet of small insects but favour plant-lice and aphids. The ladybird's bright colours are a warning to predators of its foul taste. When disturbed the ladybird will secrete small amountsof its oily foul-smelling yellow blood from its legs as a further warning to predators such as ants orbirds. Two-spot ladybird Adalia bipunctata This, the most abundant species in towns, is also the most variable. Furthermore, the various pattern forms may be more or less frequently encountered in different parts of the country (or even across London). The most common variant is the quadrimaculata melanic (left: male mating with a 'typical' female) although melanics with two or six spots are not rare. It is possible to consider one genetic series of variants as runningfrom an all black pattern to an all red one (neither extreme has been found in Britain).	Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris) Common wasps are social insects and live in nests of up to around 10,000 workers. They build a paper nest in a hole in the ground. The paper is made by the wasps who chew small amounts of wood from trees, reeds or garden fences and mix it with saliva to form a pulp which is added to the nest in thin strips. The wasps do not construct their own burrow but will choose one which already exists such as an abandoned animal burrow, a garden shed, or the loft of a house. Workers forage and feed larvae, and cool the nest with water and fanning. Workers will aggressively defend the nest by stinging anything causing a disturbance. Unlike bees, wasps are able to sting repeatedly. The venom of the wasp contains a pheromone which acts as an alarm causing other wasps to become more aggressive when a wasp has stung something or has been killed. So it is a bad idea to swat a wasp near its nest site or to attempt to remove the nest yourself.
Alder Fly (Sialis lutaria) The alder-fly is black with greyish-brown wings with black veins. It is very common and can be found near ponds and sluggish streams with silted bottoms and an abundance of weed or plant detritus. Despite its name, it has no association with alder trees, other than being found on foliage beside water, which is where alder is usually found. It lays its eggs in large batches of 200 or more on plants or other objects at the water's edge. The larvae are aquatic, living amongst mud and detritus and preying on smaller insects. Adults can be seen resting on emergent vegetation around the pond, mainly in May and June, often in large numbers.	Dragon Fly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) Four views of the dragon fly. The "typical" insect is divided into three major sections, head, thorax and abdomen. It has six legs and four wings attached to the thorax. It has compound eyes (made up of many small lenses) and complex mouthparts on the head. The abdomen is segmented, usually with ten or eleven segments and the reproductive organs are found at its tip. Dragonflies fit this description very well. The compound eyes are very large to assist the insect with its active hunting lifestyle. The legs are poorly adapted for walking but are excellent for catching prey. The wings are large and transparent and make the dragonflies the most accomplished fliers of the animal kingdom.	(Calopteryx splendens) Locally common in suitable habitats. The flight period is May to August. The two Calopteryx species are the largest of the Irish damselflies. The Banded Demoiselle is found on rivers, streams and drains of moderate to slow-flow that have beds of silt and marginal vegetation. Males perch on bank side vegetation in order to attract females. KEY IDENTIFICATION FEATURES Mature males have a metallic blue-green body with a broad, dark band across the wings Females have a brilliant metallic green body and the wings are tinted green with a white pseudo-pterostigma.
Azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella) Damselflies are weak fliers compared to dragonflies. They rest and wait for an insect to approach and then fly rapidly to catch them in the air. They have large eyes which allow them to accurately pin-point the position of their prey, which is caught with the damselfly s legs and eaten at rest. This species usually stays close to the vegetation around the pond or lake and can be seen flying from May to September. The larvae have extendable jaws on hinged arms (called a mask) that can be extended rapidly to catch prey.	Garden Tiger (Arctia caja) This is a moth that we hatched from a caterpillar. Once a quite common moth in most of Britain, it seems to have declined in many places in the last few years. It flies in July and August, and will regularly visit the light-trap. The caterpillars are the 'woolly bears' of many people's childhood, and feed on a number of herbaceous plants.