All About Magazine - Issue 12

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The name Goulson is synonymous with Newport.
Countless inhabitants of the market town have been
taught by the long retired, but still enthusiastic and
witty, Gavin Goulson.
Son Dave echoes his father’s mannerisms in many
respects, with his enthusiasm for nature as contagious
as the common cold - albeit more pleasant.
Growing up in Edgmond, close to Newport, the
village home - with its flowering borders and fruit
trees - was a magnet for wildlife, and the catalyst for a
lifelong obsession with the busy bumblebee.
Dave is one of the country’s leading lights in the
protection of our stripey friends and founder of the
Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
His work led to the writing of his popular book, A
Sting in the Tale, published by Jonathan Cape in 2013.
The book, available from all good book stores and
online shops, was named BBC4 “Book of the Week”
and shortlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize.
In what became a Sunday Times Bestseller, Dave
combines tales of growing up, that Gerald Durrell
would have been proud of, with a deep insight into
the importance of the bumblebee.
Based at the University of Sussex, Dave is at home in
‘The Goulson Lab’.
“I study the ecology, behaviour and conservation of
bumblebees,” he says.
“I’m also interested in pollinators and pollination
more generally, and particularly in the sustainable
management of pollinators in the agro-ecosystems.
“My popular science book about bumblebees, A
Sting in the Tale, has proved to be a great way to
build popular interest in bees and their conservation.
“The sequel, A Buzz in the Meadow, was released in
2014 to lovely reviews. It describes my attempts to
create a wildlife sanctuary in a corner of France.”
Our stripey friends
46 SEPTEMBER 2015