Tiny vandals: London Zoo's deathwatch beetle colony reveals what’s eating HMS Victory

The beetle larvae are nestling in a timber taken directly from HMS Victory during The Big Repair - the ten-year, £42m conservation project designed to secure the ship for future generations. The National Museum of the Royal Navy has just completed a joint research project with Cranfield University to investigate the activity of these beetles on the ship. Scientists and conservationists from ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and the National Museum of the Royal Navy have teamed up to establish the colony, continuing efforts to uncover new insights into the beetles’ behaviour. These pests have plagued Lord Nelson’s final flagship since they were first identified within her timbers in 1932.

Jenna Taylor, principal conservator and Diana Davis, head of conservation at the National Museum of the Royal Navy, are working with ZSL on the project. 

Deathwatch beetles are very much the rock stars of the beetle world - they literally drum away in timbers to attract mates. However the real damage comes from their larvae, which spend up to 13 years feeding on timber before they emerge as adults,” 

Working with a live colony like this helps us to understand their behaviour in the ship’s timbers, expanding our knowledge, which in turn we’ll share with heritage sites around the UK and beyond.

said Diana. 

Deathwatch beetles play an important role in maintaining healthy woodland ecosystems, but much about their behaviour remains unknown. Our collaboration with this conservation initiative is helping to develop beetle monitoring techniques, which may also help some of the world’s most endangered invertebrate species. London Zoo’s visitors can now learn about the fascinating story of the deathwatch beetle and this collaborative effort for HMS Victory. 

said Paul Pearce-Kelly, senior curator of invertebrates at London Zoo.

As well as being able to see the colony for themselves, visitors to the Zoo will be able to watch a video about the project, and hear how the beetles sound close-up.

Deathwatch beetles are one of nearly 400,000 different known species of beetles. Over many centuries, the resourceful creatures have made their way from their natural woodland habitat into the timbers of often historic buildings. They are named after the tapping noise they make to attract mates. In past times, it was said to sound like the ticking of a clock to those holding silent vigil over someone on their deathbed.