Volunteer Emily Willing tells us about her experiences searching holes in old tree stumps for this Critically Endangered insect.
Over the last year, the RSPB’s Species Volunteer Network (SVN) has been working with the Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms (RIC) to bring more volunteers into this ambitious project. The RIC project aims to conserve and enhance habitat for five threatened invertebrates in the Cairngorms. Through partnership work with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and others, for the past few years RIC has been working on a conservation breeding and release programme, trying to return the Critically Endangered Pine Hoverfly back to the pine forests where it belongs.
Part of this work involves annual surveys across the whole of the Cairngorms, looking through over a thousand Scot’s Pine rot holes for Pine Hoverfly larvae, to monitor the outcomes of the release programme. With the help of SVN, an additional 10 volunteers from the local community were brought into the volunteer team to help with this extensive monitoring task. All these volunteers gave a much-needed boost to the team, helping RIC to better understand how the Pine Hoverfly has fared over the last 12 months.
Pine Hoverflies are one of Britain’s rarest insect, now found only in the Cairngorms National Park. These striking insects rely on Scots Pine, and crucially the water-filled rot holes in the stumps of old trees. It’s here where the female lays her eggs. Thanks to fungal rot, the water becomes a bacterial “soup” providing the perfect food for Pine Hoverfly larvae. The Pine Hoverfly also need flowering plants in the woodland, to feed on as adults.
Now we hear from Emily Willing, one of the new volunteers who joined the RIC team in 2025:
"Peering into a white tray filled with murky water under the bridge by the local Big Tesco was when it first started to click for me; the river running through my town, that I’d never thought much about, was teeming with incredible wee critters – and all this time I’d had no idea!
"Those first glimpses at riverfly larvae during a kick-sampling training session not only opened my eyes to how important our freshwater habitats are, but also made me realise the amazingness of the teeny creatures all around us who hang out unnoticed in unloved rivers, in compost heaps, or under rocks or flower pots. I’d never been an insect person before, but now, I was converted."
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"So, when an opportunity came up to volunteer with Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms surveying pine hoverfly sites, my curiosity was immediately piqued – and before I knew it, I was happily rooting around in old tree stumps, searching through “bacterial soup” for these rare and delightfully weird-looking larvae.
"Trying to ID a teeny, thumbnail-sized creature feels intimidating at first, but you quickly start to recognise which ones have “eyebrows”, “moustaches” or “eyelashes” – and it’s really satisfying to feel your ID confidence growing. Working with RIC also means hanging out in a beautiful spot amongst the trees, with a bunch of very lovely, very knowledgeable invertebrate people, which is a pretty great way to spend the day.
"But most of all, my time with RIC has fuelled my curiosity even further – I now can’t walk past a hole in a tree without wondering who lives there!"
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These larvae have what we describe as “eyebrows, moustaches and eyelashes”. These are descriptors for various types of hook on the faces of the larvae. The larvae appear to use them to move through the bits of wood within the bacterial soup and possibly filter material to feed on. They differ between species which really helps us identify what we have got.
The Species Volunteer Network is operating in Scotland thanks to Players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project is a partnership between RSPB, RZSS, Butterfly Conservation, NatureScot, Buglife and Cairngorms National Park Authority.
We are also grateful to the Cairngorms National Park Authority and John Swires Trust 1989 as funders for staff time and habitat work.
Find out more about the Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms here.
Volunteers such as Emily play a big part in our species recovery work, so if you are feeling inspired and would like to get involved or are interested in any other volunteering roles, please go to our RSPB Volunteering Opportunities page.
If you can’t find the sort of volunteering role you’re looking for from our listed opportunities, please do get in touch so we can help find the right role for you. We are currently recruiting for monitoring volunteers to get involved in the Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project in the Deeside area of the Cairngorms.
The monitoring volunteer role will involve helping with several insect species surveys including Pine Hoverfly and Kentish Glory. We are also soon to be recruiting an Aspen Hoverfly Species Champion volunteer, so if you live in or close to the Cairngorms and would like to play an active role in how we conserve this threatened hoverfly, please get in touch.
While some of our volunteer roles involve being outdoors on rough terrain, not all of them do. If you have a love for insects and wish to get involved, but have accessibility needs, please get in touch as we may have a volunteer role for you.
Although we cannot always guarantee a role on a specific project, you can contact us directly at SpeciesVolunteerNetwork@rspb.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
