P. E. Howse

My interest in insects began at an early age, when my mother called me to look at a tortoiseshell butterfly that she had caught in a jam-jar. I was awe-struck. Later when I came to do a PhD in London I was disappointed that the only subject on offer was termites, which were not nearly as beautiful as butterflies. My disappointment soon evaporated when I started to study their behaviour and the fascinating nests of the tropical species. This led to my first book: Termites, a Study in Social Behaviour.

I was a lecturer at Southampton University (UK) for 30 years, during which time I focussed on the chemical ecology of termites, leaf-cutting ants, and other pests of agriculture and horticulture, searching for environmentally friendly ways of controlling these pests. This led to the publication of "Insect Pheromones and their Use in Pest Management" written with Iain Stevens and Owen Jones. I then developed some new technology for controlling insects by mating confusion. This was patented and led to the formation of a spin-off company, Exosect Ltd.

After retirement to rural Dorset I returned to my childhood passion and wrote "Butterflies, Messages from Psyche" (the N. American edition, published by Firefly, has the sub-title "Decoding their Signs & Symbols", but is the same book).I am overwhelmed by the plaudits for this book. One old lady who has little money wrote thanking me "from the bottom of my heart for writing such a wonderful book" She bought three copies. Although I have had some wonderful press reviews, this letter is perhaps the best review I could have hoped for.

My more recent books include "Vicar of the Amazon' and 'The Spider-winged Cupid'. Both of these have been published by

Redfern Natural History Productions with their of crowd-funding. They are designed to draw attention to theplight of

tropical rainforests, and their precious flora and fauna, and are part of a project Butterflies and Amazonia