A NANTWICH man has been appointed by the Royal Entomological Society to lead its popular National Insect Week initiative.

Between now and when National Insect Week begins on 25 June, 29-year-old Dr LukeTilley will be hard at work helping to enthuse people of all ages about the fascinating world of great British insects.

“I’ve had a long fascination with life in the undergrowth,” said Dr Tilley. “From a young age I was caring for caterpillars to watch them emerge as moths or butterflies. I spent most of my summers as a child turning over rocks and pieces of rotting wood to explore the exciting world beneath them.”

This enthusiasm for insects led Dr Tilley to a degree in Biology at the University of Sheffield, and since completing his PhD in 2010 he has split his time between working as a research entomologist at Stockbridge Technology Centre near Selby and acting as editorial assistant for the Royal Entomological Society’s journal, Ecological Entomology.

At Stockbridge Dr Tilley researches biological control, biodiversity and integrated pest management in agriculture and horticulture, working on a wide range of crops.

In his latest role heading up National Insect Week, Dr Tilley will be educating young people and adults alike about the wonders of life in the undergrowth. This year’s initiative will take ‘Great British Insects’ as its theme, drawing upon the celebrations around the Olympic Games and the Diamond Jubilee of the Society’s Patron HM The Queen.

He added: “As usual, there will be a whole host of activities both locally here in Cheshire and around the UK so people can get up close and personal with insects, along with competitions to enter and lots of fascinating insect facts and expert blogs.”

To find out more about National Insect Week and to get inspiration on how you, your school or organisation can get involved, visit nationalinsectweek.co.uk where you can also register your own National Insect Week event .