Beynon was educated at the University of Oxford, she did an undergraduate degree in Biology and a DPhil looking at the impacts of agricultural intensification on non-target invertebrates and ecosystem services at Jesus College, Oxford graduating in 2012; in 2014 she was appointed senior research associate at the University of Oxford.[1]
Her research looks at the importance of dung beetles and she surveyed species in agricultural pastures on Ramsey Island.[2] She showed that the presence of dung beetles can speed up rates of dung decomposition in pastures where cattle graze.[3] Her work showed that the value of British dung beetles is £367 million because of the work they do breaking down cattle dung and fertilising soil, she also calculated that if cattle anti worming medicines such as ivermectin were not used then the value would increase by £6.2m[4]
Beynon was an entomological consultant on the Beetle Boy trilogy of children's fiction books by M G Leonard[5] and has appeared at the Hay festival with the author.[6]
She was an expert on BBC Operation Cloud Lab: Secrets of the Skies in 2014[9] and then featured on Countryfile again[10] and BBC Radio 4's Midweek in 2015.[11]
In 2020 she appeared on BBC Radio 4's The Museum of Curiosity, introduced by John Lloyd as an 'entomological agrarian', her donation to the museum was a wildflower meadow.[12]
The Bug Farm
Beynon founded The Bug Farm entomological visitor attraction in Pembrokeshire, Wales in 2013, with chef Andy Holcroft, who created the Grub Kitchen restaurant in 2015 on the site.[13] They founded Bug Farm Foods in 2017 creating a range of foods made from insects such as cricket flour and biscuits,[14] adding in 2019 a low fat mince made from insects and plants.[15] Beynon and Holcroft featured in a BBC Our Lives documentary 'The Bug Grub Couple' in 2017.[16]
