Sex on Six Legs: Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World

by Marlene Zuk

Insects have inspired fear, fascination, and enlightenment for centuries. They are capable of incredibly complex behavior, even with brains often the size of a poppy seed. How do they accomplish feats that look like human activity— personality, language, childcare—with completely different pathways from our own? What is going on inside the mind of those ants that march like boot-camp graduates across your kitchen floor? How does the lead ant know exactly where to take her colony, to that one bread crumb that your nightly sweep missed? Can insects be taught new skills as easily as your new puppy? 

Sex on Six Legs is a startling and exciting book that provides answers to these questions and many more. With the humor of Olivia Judson’s Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation , Zuk not only examines the bedroom lives of creepy crawlies but also calls into question some of our own longheld assumptions about learning, the nature of personality, and what our own large brains might be for.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology, Nature, Evolution, Animals, Natural History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Marlene Zuk is an American evolutionary biologist and behavioral ecologist. She worked as professor of biology at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) until she transferred to the University of Minnesota in 2012. Her studies involve sexual selection and parasites.

Reviews

[Jenny Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very unsatisfying book because it promised much more than it delivered. The main point the author made, which was over stressed was that insects have evolved behaviors like humans and other mammals though obviously through different mechanisms. Okay. But the rest of the book is just snippet after snippet of insect behavior trotted out and then forgotten. And quite often I completely lost her when she was describing other people's research. I read a lot of research and a lot of descriptions of research in the course of an average day and rarely find myself confused, so I think the problem was with the author's descriptions.

She also is not anywhere near as funny as she thinks she is, and I burnt out on the many attempts at humor after a while.

I'd really like to learn more about the social insects in particular and yes, about sex in insects, which, despite the fabulous book title was barely discussed.

[Todd Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most people think of insects very rarely, and when they do it’s unlikely they do so with fondness. Mosquito bites, weevils in the flour and ants in the kitchen (or worse, cockroaches) cause us to view them negatively or even with disgust. Here’s the thing though – if humans vanished from the Earth, the planet would do just fine without us (perhaps better). If insects disappeared, humans would become extinct within a generation. In other words you are, on the whole, less important than a bug (but I’m sure your mother loves you anyway).

Granted, insects are responsible for malaria and dengue fever that infect millions and kill hundreds of thousands of people a year, but they are also responsible for pollination, pest control, decomposition, and maintenance of wildlife species. In a 2006 paper in the journal Bioscience titled "The Economic Value of Ecological Services Provided by Insects", the authors concluded that the annual value of ecological services which are provided in the United States by insects is at least $57 billion. They also make silk and honey and some people eat them as a source of protein (although those people are a bit strange and probably have bad breath).

Insects comprise the most diverse and successful group of multicellular organisms on the planet. There are nearly a million species of insects (compared with just 9,956 birds, 30,000 fish, 5,416 mammals and 8,240 reptiles). They have colonized every ecosystem on Earth, with the exception of the deepest parts of the ocean. Insects also make up the largest biomass of the terrestrial animals (ants alone account for 15 - 20%).

Although they have a brain the size of a pinhead, insects have proven that they can learn new skills, that they can communicate with one another, that they can count (scientists have established that bees can count to 4 for example, though they have trouble with 5) and have distinct personalities (as long as you limit the discussion of personality to a few traits such as boldness, fearfulness and aggression). Although not exactly ‘smart’, they are not the mindless robots they are often portrayed as either.

In Sex on Six Legs: Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World Marlene Zuk, professor of biology at the University of California, Riverside, discusses the current state of scientific research with regards to insects and, in particular, their behaviors. As you might have guessed from the title, Zuk also spends some time discussing the lurid sex lives of insects (which isn’t as erotic as it sounds) as well as how they go about choosing a mate. Zuk has a nice writing style that makes the subject matter interesting, and though you might not come away from the book with an affection for insects, perhaps you’ll have a newfound appreciation for their many talents.

[J.P. Drury · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel bad about this, since I think so highly of Marlene Zuk. She is an iconoclast and a truly rational voice in the hubub of sexual selection literature.

But this book was horrible.

First and foremost, for a book with a title that includes "sex" in it, there is very, very little about sex. Only one chapter deals with the sexual life of insects.

The rest of the book is an untidy cavalcade of "look how cool this insect is" and "see? isn't research on insects important and applicable?" It really felt like nine disjunct blog postings rather than a cohesive narrative that made it worth the 9.99 for kindle.

And aside from the snore-worthy content and completely misleading title, Zuk commits the all-too-common error of talking about genes in a Dawkians manner. Insects do things to get "their genes into the next generation", the only important source of variation comes from mutation, genetic investments, etc. etc. The usual stuff that ignores the fact that genes are followers rather than leaders in evolution and are overly literal and liberally applied interpretations of simple genetic models. The most ridiculous line: "In evolutionary terms, loss of life is not nearly as injurious as loss of reproduction" The gene-centrism has gone too far if this can slip through the cracks.

[Merilee · Rating 5 out of 5]

U.C. Riverside professor Marlene Zuk makes insects interesting and surprisingly fun. Many of the studies seem to be useful in understanding the behaviour and physiology of humans and other "higher" animals.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was possibly the perfect audience for this book: I know a fair bit about current animal cognition discussions, but nothing at all about insects, and I enjoy Zuk's humour a good deal. So the book's fairly haphazard approach to explaining the significance of, say, cooperation, didnt really bother me. I loved Zuk's clear explanation of hive life, and such innovations as consensus decision making through dancing. Zuk does love a good insect reproduction anecdote and will travel some distance from her point to tell it, but she also excels at using the surprising to challenge assumpions, which *is* usually the point.
The book ultimately argues for some pretty sophisticated cognive functions in insects, most compellingly in social hive structures. Like most in this field, Zuk doesn't strongly delineate what she means by intelligence, regarding it possibly as a kind of summed total of various diverse traits. (I really the term, implying a linear measurable value-laden scale, should be ditched entirely in this field.) Her elaboration of the complexities of negotiation among species is the high point here: she has a remarkably clear explanation of consensus, leader and dispersed decision making works in ants, termites and bees.
Zuk is pretty firmly on the Selfish Gene side of evolutionary theory, whereas I tend to agree more with complex factor evolutionary biologists. This influences, obviously, a lot of her thinking around collaboration in particular, which she views as a constant tension related directly to gene transmission. She sits on the sceptical side of the social brain hypothesis, and even of extended-childhood-for-learning, without much explanation as to why. But her aim is always to explain not to pursuade, making it easy to disagree with her and enjoy the book at the same time. It is a skill more of us should have.

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

My sister sent me this book so I felt I had to read it. It was pretty interesting. I felt like I was back in my college biology classes, especially Animal Behavior class. And the part about the fruit flies brought back memories of freshman biology laboratory. The fruit flies escaped and they were all over the lab!

[Katie R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick yet informative read. Some of the content was new to me, but a lot of the honeybee talk came rushing back. Some of it was funny, but probably not as funny as the author thinks she is :')

I'd recommend this as an easy dive into entomology - it wasn't that deep, but that's the best place to start.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A male honeybee has a grandfather but no father. What a world!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why I want to read this book (from a review by Zadie Smith):

This book has given me almost more insect anecdotes than I know what to do with. At dinner, they don't just end the conversation, they end dinner. It is a powerful feeling: I recommend it. Whatever the person sitting opposite thinks he knows about insects, after reading this book I guarantee you will know more. He will say, "Oh, sure, some wasps inject their cockroach prey with a paralyzing poison which allows them to drag the roach back to the wasp nest and keep it fresh." You will sigh and look down at the butter dish. You will inform your friend--not without humility--that there exists a jewel wasp who rather than using simple paralysis injects the roach with "a judicious sting inside its head, so that its nervous system, and legs, still function well enough to allow it to walk on its own." Then the wasp leads the roach to its doom, effectively "hijacking its free will." Zombie-cockroach! And p.s.: if you ever see a silent male cricket failing to attract any females, it's not because he's shy, it's because a fly has, at some earlier point, deposited some tiny larvae on him, and one or more of the resulting maggots have gone into his body, eaten him from the inside, grown as big as the cricket itself, and now live inside inside him. Zombie-cricket-fly! Game, set, match, you.

"Everything not forbidden is compulsory."

Regret, it would seem, is not part of the ant repertoire.

[Mantis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I was so excited when I picked it up, I am a huge insect enthusiast and social insects are so amazing. However, the author didn't really seem to have a good of a grasp on the subject as she put off, she frequently made comparisons to how some social insects display human-like behaviors, which I found frustrating. I don't understand why something has to be compared and said to be human like to make it interesting.
She also made comparisons that often didn't make sense, nor was she nearly as funny as she tried to be.

The writing often seemed repetitive and was overall rather dull.

I ended up putting this book down 2/3rds of the way through because I just could not make myself continue to slog through it. I rarely ever leave a book unfinished, even if I am not enjoying it, but after working on this one for over a month (after taking out the two months I didnt read at all because I couldn't bring myself to pick it up).

[peg · Rating 3 out of 5]

And there you have it, the Kinsey Report of the insect world! Actually, I found this book amusing but,I have to admit, I didn't sit down and read it cover-to-cover in record time.

Now I have to decide which startling insect fact I will use as an opener at my next party!

[Jan Thornhill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, but the title is misleading since there's way more in here than just sex, i.e. insect memory; decision-making; free will; etc.

[Florence Buchholz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject of insects sounded fascinating when I chose this book but I found the details to be quite tedious while reading it. It takes a very special person to love an ant, and this author is one.

[Ram Vasudeva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent account of a the importance of sex and the pervasive sexual selection as a mechanism to explain diversity on earth. I found Marlene to be an exceptional story teller and someone who describes complex mechanisms/concepts very well. I wish I was her student. Her experiments and scientific papers are equally brilliant. Any young mind interested in evolutionary concepts and wants to see things from a different angle, using insects as a models, should be able to appreciate the wonderful dimensions of this book. I will recommend this to my fellow scientists, students and enthusiasts alike any day.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I am not a biologist or a zoologist, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The insect world is quite fascinating. Sex is only part of the book. I enjoyed reading about insects caring for their young, which explored some surprising rearing skills. We know about bees raising the next generation, but I knew nothing about dung beetles! Many other little known insects and their habits are portrayed here. I got a bit bogged down in the discussion of the genomes, but the rest of the book was totally engaging. With their tiny brains and varied body types, there is a lot about insects and their behavior that is rather impressive.

[Allison Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO GOOD. Picked this up on honeymoon in Vermont at my favorite bookstore. It's not totally about sex but really lifestyles and how incredible insects are. (In case you were one of those weirdos who finds them gross or unimportant.)

It reads kind of like a Mary Roach book, so pretty dang good. While it had many of the "COOL INTERESTING" insects facts that I already knew it definitely introduced me to much more. While this book kind of gets a bit anthropomorphic, it doesn't at the same time.

I super enjoyed it and I HIGHLY SUGGEST.

[Barry Bridges · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this on my list a long time since I heard Zuk interviewed on NPR years ago. Interesting to read of the attention to minutiae in a herd (flock? swarm?) of insect researchers. I enjoyed most of it, less on the sex from the title, more on the emergent behaviors in finding food and relocating. If you are in the field, a great and interesting read. Zuk tells a great story to capture attention, then circles into summarizing supporting research, making the topic palatable for the general population.

[Peter Unger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great! It is less about sex but all about insects (with a few spider mentions)! It is a short, quick read, jam-packed with really cool insect facts. I like to think that I know a bit about insects, but I learned many things. I suppose "Cool things insects do" is not as compelling a title, but might be more accurate. If you want to learn some cool new things about insects, this is for you.

[Katherine Cowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book, not just about insect sex, but also about insect intelligence, organization, communication, etc. I found it very accessible and informative, and it really opened my eyes to how unappreciated insects are for what they can do.

[Val Cuellar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as much sex as I thought, since the title is Sex on six legs. It is a very entertaining book, very comic and informative. The chapter on the bees was very feminist! I wonder if it was intended. As an entomologist I enjoy this kind of books.

[dejah_thoris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I like bugs. This book is full of them and written in a conversational style anyone can read. (Assuming you're fascinated and not disgusted by the subject matter.) It's also the shortest book in the author's oeuvre, so it might be the best first read.

[Peter Morell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jeg havde givet bogen 4 stjerner hvis forfatteren havde 1) undladt at lave ligegyldige henvisninger frem og tilbage i bogen og 2) droppet alle platte jokes i bogen, den er interessant nok uden at skulle være morsom…

[Rachel McKenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those books I kept having to pause reading to share factoids with my husband.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun to read and insects do not reproduce in as simple a manner as I had thought.

[Melita · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good insight into the world of insects for general readers.

[BVC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Carino ma fa affermazioni troppo forti e fondamentalmente antropomorfizzanti (nonostante la premessa). Sono comunque contenute alcune informazioni utili ma vanno discriminate.

[Vivi Hyacinthe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting look at insect reproduction. Not so sure I learned any lessons about our world (as the title would suggest) but that's okay.

[Keith Blackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Argues that insects -- with their pinpoint brains -- are able to approach human-seeming levels of thought, and not just in a collective way.

[Deborah Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have liked the book to be longer. It had a great deal of info on bees and ants, but I would have preferred a bit more about wasps.

[Asterisk · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love her authorial voice i would love to take a class with her or smoke a blunt with her. highly recommend!!!