Everyone

George McGavin – The TV Shows

Podcast
In Part Two we hear about George’s extensive work on TV, his continuing efforts to get an insect natural history series back on the air, and why it’s necessary to dig in elephant poo for two hours to get the perfect shot.
George McGavin – Switching from Academia to the TV

Podcast
Dr George McGavin - presenter of such TV shows as Lost Land of The Jaguar, Planet Ant, and Ultimate Swarms – joins us for a special two-part interview. In Part One, George tells us about why insects are so fascinating, how switching from academia to the media was the ultimate way to spread his...
Lin Field - Using genomics to understand insecticide resistance

Podcast
Professor Lin Field of Rothamstead Research discusses how insect pests can develop resistance against even the most potent chemical insecticides, how we can use their genetic sequences to develop new methods to control them, and debates whether the use of neonicotinoid insecticides are causing the...
Graham Smith - Captive breeding of exotic insects

Podcast
pc_Graham_and_Janice_Smith.jpg Co-founder of invertebrate suppliers Metamorphosis , Graham Smith, describes how to work out the reproductive biology of exotic insects new to captivity, how captive breeding and affordable suppliers reduce the risk of illegal collecting from the wild, and why insects...
Camille Parmesan - The responses of insects to climate change

Podcast
Professor Camille Parmesan of the University of Plymouth explains how insects are responding to climate change in space and time, and why insects are the perfect study organisms for answering the biggest questions in ecology and evolution.
Rod Clarke - Natural history cinematography

Podcast
Rod Clarke - cinematographer for David Attenborough’s ‘Life’ series of documentaries, Africa, and more recently Hidden Kingdoms – gives a technical insight into the practicalities of filming insects, explains how important it is to be on their level to get into their world, and tells us why they...
Sarah Beynon - Dung beetles and agricultural entomology

Podcast
Ecologist, farmer and TV presenter, Dr Sarah Beynon, gives us a great introduction on dung beetle biology, explains why they’re so important to our planet’s ecosystems, and highlights the dangers of using toxic chemicals in livestock rearing to the health and abundance of these beneficial insects.
Jeremy Thomas - Butterfly ecology and conservation

Podcast
Professor Jeremy Thomas of Oxford University and president of the Royal Entomological Society talks about the essential need to understand the ecology and behaviour of a species in order to conserve it, how his research helped reintroduce an extinct species of butterfly to the UK, and what the...
British beekeepers association

Website
The British beekeepers association website holds a wealth of information for adults, educators and children alike. http://www.bbka.org.uk/kids/
Beetle gallery

Factsheet

Explore the ‘Planet of the Beetles’, which have lived on Earth since long before the age of the dinosaur. Over 370,000 known species in total, see some of the most well known.

For: Everyone

What is National Insect Week?

National Insect Week encourages people of all ages to learn more about insects.

Every two years, the Royal Entomological Society organises the week, supported by a large number of partner organisations with interests in the science, natural history and conservation of insects.