Insights From Insects: What Bad Bugs Can Teach Us

by Gilbert Waldbauer

This fascinating, beautifully illustrated book profiles twenty "troublesome bugs," showing how the study of these creatures has led scientists to many basic discoveries that have enhanced our understanding of life.The reader learns how an American entomologist was awarded France's gold medal of honor for rescuing the French wine industry from destruction by the aphid-like "grape phylloxera"; how the World Health Organization almost completely eradicated malaria through the use of DDT before the insect adapted to the insecticide and became resistant; how some insects disguise themselves to avoid detection; how others survive the subzero temperatures of winter; why some flies have a uterus and a mammary gland; and many more strange and tantalizing true tales about these wonderful, troublesome "pests"-pests that have taught us vital lessons about survival, nature, and the environment.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Biology

311 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a very easy to read book and most interesting for those for whom insects are not the primary interest in life. I would probably not recommend this book to entomologists; they would find the information basic and twitch at the use of common names. Since I'm not an entomologist, I enjoyed this look at the pesky arthropods that have plagued agriculture and human health (it's a case of write-what-is-known, and humans study pest species much more than benign species). Well, not all are pests, Drosophila is in there too. I feel more informed about pest species and pest management for the food we eat, and had the unsurprising realization of just how many pests target corn and wheat (b/c monocultures promote pest explosions, duh). Many of these tales are testimonies to the long-term ineffectiveness of pesticides. After all, poisons are very strong selective agents on very fecund taxa with short-generation time: it's evolution in action. Plus non-target species can be negatively affected. While I approve of the anti-broadband-pesticide message, the author counters with glowing success stories of using biological agents to control pest species. Um, yeah, biological controls can go seriously wrong and have unintended ecological impacts too. But I definitely agree with the "know your enemy, target your enemy" mentality set forth in this book.

[Paige McLoughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Using insect pests as a window on biology. Knowing the eating, growth, recruitment, and mating strategies of harmful insect pests not only gives us a window on one of the most successful phyla in the animal kingdom but has real-world benefits applied to things like food, disease, and production. Using tools like Chemicals (a paradoxical sword with a double edge), natural selection, sex hormones, competition from other insects are tools in our quiver to defeat these troublesome foes. Better living through (wisely applied) Chemistry and biology.

[The Kid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where I live, the spongy moth (formerly known as the gypsy month) is running amok this year and it is easy to flip out and run for the insecticide shelf. This book put this specific pest and others into perspective by delving into the history of human-pest interaction (for example: when did the spongy moth become a problem and what were the human responses at the time) and how humans have failed and succeeded in controlling these different pests. I learned a lot about: agriculture, DDT and other big bad insecticides, evolution, and female sperm canning (spermathecae)...among other things!

[Sydney Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s very accessible and relates to larger biological concepts. Overall it’s incredibly interesting and worth the time, but I do agree that it’s more of an entry level read. Entomologists would likely find this boring or basic in content.