Last year's new releases saw creepy crawlies stealing the limelight with "Bugs life" - the offering from Disney...Our own summer in the Peak also had no shortage of bug gossip...once again the little critters nabbed the spotlight.

Peak press interest in bugs was hotter than a Mr. Ben's curry thanks to a tiny brown beetle, the size of a grain of rice. The local star, the sought after (yet highly camera shy) insect is the Heather Beetle.

It's A Bug's life!

This tiny creature feeds off the Peak's heather moors from May to August, then falls off the heather and back into the soil. Here it cocoons itself until its next feeding session.

Last year the force really was with this little beast and after August it was quite apparent where the lil' bug had been munching. It's leftovers were large/ brown/ dying heather patches.

Interest in this story led to the idea of torching the moors in order to kill off this hungry grub!

"I'm a fire starter...twisted fire starter!"

However killing off this mini monster with fire would have actually caused more damage than the initial leftover patches from the bug. What's more...how far should we try and control these things?

Mother Nature, in her wisdom, alongside the Heather Beetle, gave us a mini wasp. (Now for the gross bit...concentrate!!)

This wasp actually lays it's eggs IN!! the Heather Beetle. When the wasps hatch they feed off the beasties insides. YUk!