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.”
