Insects are not everyone’s cup of tea. But British writer David Goulson considers them among the most fascinating creatures in the world. His new book, A Buzz In The Meadow, tells the story of how he bought a run-down farmhouse in France with an attached field and turned it into a meadow full of wildflowers, brimming with life.

Talking from Sussex University in England where he is a Professor of Biology, he explains how the sex lives of bumblebees make the Borgias look tame; why neonics are wreaking havoc with bee populations; and how not using garden pesticides and planting a few herbs in a flower box can make the world a better place for bees and us.

Twelve years ago, I