Renowned bee expert and best-selling author Dave Goulson to give Zoom talk to Newark and Sherwood residents

Renowned bee expert and best-selling author Dave Goulson is to give a free talk on Zoom to conservation groups and all-comers in Newark and Sherwood next Tuesday (May 9).

The talk will be open to anyone with an interest in sustaining populations of these vital pollinators.

Professor Goulson’s Sunday Times best-seller A Sting In The Tale has been translated into 17 languages and he has published many other titles on bee health,including Gardening for Bumblebees and Bee Quest.

He is professor of biology (evolution, behaviour and environment) at the University of Sussex, specialising in the ecology and conservation of insects in general and bees in particular.

Hockerton beekeeper and Newark and Sherwood Extinction Rebellion (XR) member Simon Tilley said: “It’s an amazing coup for us to have Dave Goulson as a guest speaker. Protecting bees is a vital issue both locally and nationally, with Sherwood MP and Environment Minister Mark Spencer having once again approved the use of banned chemicals on sugar beet crops.

“Pollinators are essential for global food crops, yet the Government has approved the use of deadly neonicotinoid pesticides on sugar beet for the third year running, despite the terrible damage they do to bees and other wildlife,

“These poisons are banned in EU countries, but we are seeing our environmental protections constantly eroded.

“The pesticide is used to coat sugar beet seeds but residues end up in the soil and in water courses, harming aphid predators such as ladybirds and other insects that underpin food chains.

“Dave Goulson will speak for around half an hour, and the second half hour will be given over to questions,” added Simon.

“Everyone is welcome and anyone with a smartphone, laptop or PC can join in by simply registering via this link: https://bit.ly/40XBfab

The talk is being supported by other green groups including Protect Newark’s Green Spaces (PNGS).

Wendy Patterson of PNGS said: “We are in a climate and nature crisis with pollinators, insects and animal species all in steep decline. Scientists estimate that insect populations have declined by 75% in the last 50 years.

“It’s a unique opportunity to hear from and connect with the top expert in this field, and the talk ties in with PNGS’s BeeSafe campaign.”

“World Bee Day aims to raise awareness on the importance of pollinators, the threats they face locally and nationally and their contribution to sustainable development.”