What's on

These events pages detail the various local and national events that the BAS is either organising or attending throughout the year. These activities are divided into several categories above. Events are organised at either by BAS Council (national events) or by the BAS Regional Coordinators and local Mentors throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

In 2022 we hope to start to return to a more normal programme of events and courses as it becomes safe to do so. We are already advertising the first batch of courses organised by the Field Studies Council with BAS tutors - contact details are given for each event and more details for many of them will be available nearer the time. Other events will be added through the year, as they are organised - please keep an eye on these pages. Please note that our Annual General Meeting will once again be held by Zoom.

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  • Arboreal Harvestmen

    Learn about the harvestmen species of the UK found on vegetation with Meg Skinner.

    This entoLEARN webinar will explore UK species of vegetation-dwelling harvestmen. These species use their long legs and sensory adaptations to navigate bark, leaves, and canopy vegetation. Many species are camouflaged or patterned to blend with their surroundings, feeding on small invertebrates, fungi, and plant material. Adapted to life above ground, they often have specialised claws and flattened bodies for gripping and hiding in crevices.


     

    Time: 6:30 - 8pm GMT
    Costs: £12.50

  • Shades of grey: industrial melanism in spiders

    image of Salticus scenicus as part of advert for the seminar

    This entoLIVE webinar is hosted by the Biological Recording Company. Visit the link below for more information and tickets.

    Dr Geoff Oxford (our BAS Hon Secretary and a past President) shares new research reappraising the phenomenon of industrial melanism in British spiders. His review of the subject has recently been published in our journal Arachnology. 

    Industrial melanism refers to the phenomenon whereby some invertebrates evolved dark (melanic) forms in response to the darkening by soot of their resting surfaces during the Industrial Revolution. This response provided a clear example of Darwin's 'evolution by natural selection' and was particularly well studies in moths. In this webinar Geoff will reappraise three claimed examples of industrial melanism in spiders and draw conclusions as to whether they constitute genuine exemplars of the phenomenon.

    Geoff taught genetics and evolution at the University of York for nearly 40 years. His research focussed largely on the adaptive significance of colour polymorphisms in spiders and on speciation and hybridization in Large house spider species. 

     

    Location: Online
    Time: 13.00 -14.00 GMT
    Costs: FREE

Please contact eventsATbritishspiders.org.uk to have arachnological courses, workshops, stands at fairs listed here and on our social media. (NOTE: Because of the large amount of spam e-mails the Society receives, the e-mail addresses have been disguised - to e-mail please change 'AT' to '@'.)