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Bugged: The Insects Who Rule the World and the People Obsessed with Them
Insects have been shaping our ecological world and plant life for over 400 million years. In fact, our world is essentially run by bugs--there are 1.4 billion for every human on the planet. In Bugged, journalist David MacNeal takes us on an off-beat scientific journey that weaves together history, travel, and culture in order to define our relationship with these mini-monsters.
MacNeal introduces a cast of bug-lovers--from a woman facilitating tarantula sex and an exterminator nursing bedbugs (on his own blood), to a kingpin of the black market insect trade and a "maggotologist"--who obsess over the crucial role insects play in our everyday lives.
Just like bugs, this book is global in its scope, diversity, and intrigue. Hands-on with pet beetles in Japan, releasing lab-raised mosquitoes in Brazil, beekeeping on a Greek island, or using urine and antlers as means of ancient pest control, MacNeal's quest appeals to the squeamish and brave alike. Demonstrating insects' amazingly complex mechanics, he strings together varied interactions we humans have with them, like extermination, epidemics, and biomimicry. And, when the journey comes to an end, MacNeal examines their commercial role in our world in an effort to help us ultimately cherish (and maybe even eat) bugs.
MacNeal introduces a cast of bug-lovers--from a woman facilitating tarantula sex and an exterminator nursing bedbugs (on his own blood), to a kingpin of the black market insect trade and a "maggotologist"--who obsess over the crucial role insects play in our everyday lives.
Just like bugs, this book is global in its scope, diversity, and intrigue. Hands-on with pet beetles in Japan, releasing lab-raised mosquitoes in Brazil, beekeeping on a Greek island, or using urine and antlers as means of ancient pest control, MacNeal's quest appeals to the squeamish and brave alike. Demonstrating insects' amazingly complex mechanics, he strings together varied interactions we humans have with them, like extermination, epidemics, and biomimicry. And, when the journey comes to an end, MacNeal examines their commercial role in our world in an effort to help us ultimately cherish (and maybe even eat) bugs.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 3, 2017
45 people are currently reading
539 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 23, 2019
Cute vignettes about how we interact with arthropods. My favorite was the scientist breeding spiders. She checked in the enclosure where there were once two spiders ( one male and one female.) There was only a gravid female remaining. "You ate your boyfriend, didn't you?" the scientist remarked.
May 30, 2018
I do love bugs and this one was full of intriguing facts, stories, and ideas. I have a high creep tolerance and there were a couple of things that caused a chill up my spine. I loved it! And I learned a great deal and I am even more enamored of insects.
Here are a few interesting facts and thoughts:
"In terms of systematics, Aristotle is largely considered the first to view entomology as a distinct science by separating what he called 'bloodless animals' from the rest."
"Countries that took part in the slave trade, and thus transported mosquito vectors, were the ones most likely to experience yellow fever." (I liked this karma.)
"According to Michael Specter's 'Mosquito Solution' article in the New Yorker, 'Researchers estimate that mosquitoes have been responsible for half the deaths in human history.'"
"As the lovely old-timer Aristotle mused: 'If one way be better than another, that you may be sure is Nature's way.'"
"Honey was so critical that King Alfred demanded bells be rung at the sight of a swarm so that it could be hived."
"Speaking of minding one's own beeswax, the childish taunt stems from olden days when women smeared wax on their face. If standing too close to a fire, they were warned to 'mind' it." (This really struck me as somewhat akin to the mote and the beam idea in the scriptures.)
"People think interesting species exist but not usually where they live or in their national parks. Whereas, wherever you're living - if that's North America or Europe, Australia, Africa, South America - you can go outside and you can see honeybees foraging within yards of where you're living. And I would say that that common animal is the world's most interesting species. Maybe second to humans." -Francis Ratnieks (University of Sussex)
"It's true the world can be lonesome. But sometimes you life your head, or travel halfway around the world, and there's somebody there. Sometimes you talk to them. Sometimes you just share a moment. And the moment is well worth all of it."
Here are a few interesting facts and thoughts:
"In terms of systematics, Aristotle is largely considered the first to view entomology as a distinct science by separating what he called 'bloodless animals' from the rest."
"Countries that took part in the slave trade, and thus transported mosquito vectors, were the ones most likely to experience yellow fever." (I liked this karma.)
"According to Michael Specter's 'Mosquito Solution' article in the New Yorker, 'Researchers estimate that mosquitoes have been responsible for half the deaths in human history.'"
"As the lovely old-timer Aristotle mused: 'If one way be better than another, that you may be sure is Nature's way.'"
"Honey was so critical that King Alfred demanded bells be rung at the sight of a swarm so that it could be hived."
"Speaking of minding one's own beeswax, the childish taunt stems from olden days when women smeared wax on their face. If standing too close to a fire, they were warned to 'mind' it." (This really struck me as somewhat akin to the mote and the beam idea in the scriptures.)
"People think interesting species exist but not usually where they live or in their national parks. Whereas, wherever you're living - if that's North America or Europe, Australia, Africa, South America - you can go outside and you can see honeybees foraging within yards of where you're living. And I would say that that common animal is the world's most interesting species. Maybe second to humans." -Francis Ratnieks (University of Sussex)
"It's true the world can be lonesome. But sometimes you life your head, or travel halfway around the world, and there's somebody there. Sometimes you talk to them. Sometimes you just share a moment. And the moment is well worth all of it."
October 14, 2025
What a fascinating book! I was amazed to learn that there are 1.4 billion insects on earth for each human being. The chapter on eating insects gave me shudders but makes sense ecologically. There is a very interesting chapter on honeybees and an excellent bibliography.
January 1, 2020
Tego typu popularnonaukowe książki bardzo chętnie pożerałem w dzieciństwie. Czytało się lekko i przyjemnie, a tematyka owadów i pająków ostatnio znacznie bardziej mnie interesuje.
August 12, 2024
I love reading non-fiction books, especially when they’re about bugs. Super well written and very informative. I love increasing my knowledge of arthropods. 🐝🐞🪰🕷️🐜
August 21, 2023
This book pretty much fits into the category of "accessible" science. Written for the interested amateur..and written by a non specialist "science journalist" who has travelled around speaking to various experts. Nothing wrong with that I guess but it does mean that you lack the critical insights (and biases) that a real expert entomologist might bring to the subject. In fact, much of the book is devoted to folksy descriptions of the people interviewed, for example: "Cesar DeLeon sips from a blue and white Anther coffee cup whilst gesticulating with a pinched cigarette. 'The thing about bed bugs is that they don't discriminate', the pest control operator says matter of factly". OK, it does make for easier reading, I guess, but not critical to the content.
The underlying theme is the importance of bugs of various sorts to our world (and to humans). Pest controlling insects saved about $4.5 billion in the United States alone.And insects contribution to wildlife nutrition is an estimated $50 billion (presumably in the US). According to Vaughan and Losey's paper "The Economic Value of Ecological Services Provided br Insects," dung burial prevents a whopping $380 million yearly loss to the cattle industry by busily disassembling feces and, as a result, recycling nitrogen. Mammals defecate about 40 percent of what they eat. Based on recent cattle head inventory from the National Agricultural Statistics Service and solid waste research from Losey and Vaughan, there's about 2 trillion pounds of poop a year. Therefore we must be grateful for these processing agents who eliminate 10 percent of our nation's refuse". In Australia the dung beetle has effectively eliminated the famous Aussie salute....and I can remember what it was like to try and eat outdoors in the country ....your food was covered in bush flies ...really covered....so you had to use your lips to try and remove the flies as you slid it gingerly into your mouth. That seems to be a thing of the past.
MacNeal moves around from expert to expert. Not all are professional entomologists....some are like the pest control guy..... basically doing a job that involves insects.
He learns about the concern of professionals that we are rapidly losing species: "True or exaggerated, the threat of extinction raises an interesting idea: bugs-those creepy crawlies keeping the worlds ecology humming along -might be abundant. But despite their fecundity and ubiquity, or perhaps thanks to it, their extinctions surpass those of any vertebrate. In 2005, biologist Robert Dunn peered over what meager calculated extinction figures existed and inferred in his Conservation Biology paper that over the past 600 years there have been 44,000 species lost. Only 70 of them were actually recorded. "The biodiversity crisis," he writes, "is undeniably an insect biodiversity crisis. "'So, how will they fare in the future? If Dunn's crystal ball is any indication, it's not looking good. A conservative ballpark predicts that there will be "57,000 insect extinctions per million species on Earth" by 2050, of which less than 1,000 are currently listed as endangered worldwide. Other biologists claim a quarter of all insect species are threatened. Due to bottlenecking from population growth and chemical extermination, those bugs in decline will most likely slip away unnoticed". He talks about insecticides, and the Varroe mite infecting bees, and the use of insects in history...producing cochineal dye. He talks to experts about behaviour of hive insects like bees and, especially interesting, he talks of increasing the use of insects in our diet: "Mealworms, for instance, have a mushroomy taste," he informs me, "so they're great mixed in with sauces." Not so much on ice cream, as others have tried_ "that's not a savvy pairing". I recall walking in a Mexican market in Cuernavaca in 1972 and seeing a guy eating live insects from a rolled up newspaper cone (the way they were sold in the market) and they were crawling over his hands and face but it didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. They looked like wood lice or slaters.
Did I learn something from this "Pop-science" book? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes though I am left feeling that the surface of this vast subject has just been scratched. But he has raised a few big issues that I should know about and didn't. Happy two gove it four stars.
The underlying theme is the importance of bugs of various sorts to our world (and to humans). Pest controlling insects saved about $4.5 billion in the United States alone.And insects contribution to wildlife nutrition is an estimated $50 billion (presumably in the US). According to Vaughan and Losey's paper "The Economic Value of Ecological Services Provided br Insects," dung burial prevents a whopping $380 million yearly loss to the cattle industry by busily disassembling feces and, as a result, recycling nitrogen. Mammals defecate about 40 percent of what they eat. Based on recent cattle head inventory from the National Agricultural Statistics Service and solid waste research from Losey and Vaughan, there's about 2 trillion pounds of poop a year. Therefore we must be grateful for these processing agents who eliminate 10 percent of our nation's refuse". In Australia the dung beetle has effectively eliminated the famous Aussie salute....and I can remember what it was like to try and eat outdoors in the country ....your food was covered in bush flies ...really covered....so you had to use your lips to try and remove the flies as you slid it gingerly into your mouth. That seems to be a thing of the past.
MacNeal moves around from expert to expert. Not all are professional entomologists....some are like the pest control guy..... basically doing a job that involves insects.
He learns about the concern of professionals that we are rapidly losing species: "True or exaggerated, the threat of extinction raises an interesting idea: bugs-those creepy crawlies keeping the worlds ecology humming along -might be abundant. But despite their fecundity and ubiquity, or perhaps thanks to it, their extinctions surpass those of any vertebrate. In 2005, biologist Robert Dunn peered over what meager calculated extinction figures existed and inferred in his Conservation Biology paper that over the past 600 years there have been 44,000 species lost. Only 70 of them were actually recorded. "The biodiversity crisis," he writes, "is undeniably an insect biodiversity crisis. "'So, how will they fare in the future? If Dunn's crystal ball is any indication, it's not looking good. A conservative ballpark predicts that there will be "57,000 insect extinctions per million species on Earth" by 2050, of which less than 1,000 are currently listed as endangered worldwide. Other biologists claim a quarter of all insect species are threatened. Due to bottlenecking from population growth and chemical extermination, those bugs in decline will most likely slip away unnoticed". He talks about insecticides, and the Varroe mite infecting bees, and the use of insects in history...producing cochineal dye. He talks to experts about behaviour of hive insects like bees and, especially interesting, he talks of increasing the use of insects in our diet: "Mealworms, for instance, have a mushroomy taste," he informs me, "so they're great mixed in with sauces." Not so much on ice cream, as others have tried_ "that's not a savvy pairing". I recall walking in a Mexican market in Cuernavaca in 1972 and seeing a guy eating live insects from a rolled up newspaper cone (the way they were sold in the market) and they were crawling over his hands and face but it didn't seem to faze him in the slightest. They looked like wood lice or slaters.
Did I learn something from this "Pop-science" book? Yes. Did I enjoy reading it? Yes though I am left feeling that the surface of this vast subject has just been scratched. But he has raised a few big issues that I should know about and didn't. Happy two gove it four stars.
August 8, 2017
*Disclaimer: I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
If I am honest at first I really did not like this book. I did not like the way the story jumped around from different anecdotes with no real flow. One minute he is talking about crickets, the next it is a completely different topic, with no idea how he got there. It felt like the first section was a bunch of random facts about insects thrown together.
The later chapters are much better, although the forced humor is still bad. I was getting seriously frustrated when he would say something, there was an asterisk to explain what was meant or to give further clarification, but instead this was a way to force more jokes. Like on page 126 where there was a German word, I look at the asterix to get clarification and instead he states 'say that three times fast'? That almost made me give up on this book!
I did enjoy the beautiful images at the beginning of each chapter, and the actual feel and style of the book was lovely. The book looks a little like the style of typewriter written name tags from insect mounts, and so this really links well with the subject matter. So the book looks beautiful and is a lovely size.
The later chapters when he is in Japan is much better, they make sense and have a flow and story, and I was able to appreciated much more of what he was trying to achieve with this book. I thought it was interesting, the beginning is just full of anecdotes and facts, but it was still an interesting read. I would not recommend this book for everyone, I think you would need more than a passing interest to get through the book. This might be good for a younger reader interested in insects, as the images and jokes might work better for this audience.
If I am honest at first I really did not like this book. I did not like the way the story jumped around from different anecdotes with no real flow. One minute he is talking about crickets, the next it is a completely different topic, with no idea how he got there. It felt like the first section was a bunch of random facts about insects thrown together.
The later chapters are much better, although the forced humor is still bad. I was getting seriously frustrated when he would say something, there was an asterisk to explain what was meant or to give further clarification, but instead this was a way to force more jokes. Like on page 126 where there was a German word, I look at the asterix to get clarification and instead he states 'say that three times fast'? That almost made me give up on this book!
I did enjoy the beautiful images at the beginning of each chapter, and the actual feel and style of the book was lovely. The book looks a little like the style of typewriter written name tags from insect mounts, and so this really links well with the subject matter. So the book looks beautiful and is a lovely size.
The later chapters when he is in Japan is much better, they make sense and have a flow and story, and I was able to appreciated much more of what he was trying to achieve with this book. I thought it was interesting, the beginning is just full of anecdotes and facts, but it was still an interesting read. I would not recommend this book for everyone, I think you would need more than a passing interest to get through the book. This might be good for a younger reader interested in insects, as the images and jokes might work better for this audience.
October 2, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book. Some of the information was interesting and informative (if superficial), some less so. However, the writing style was overly chatty and erratic, with various anecdotes jumping around all over the place and no real flow to the book. It reminded me a lot of a Mary Roach book, with the forced humour, over chattiness, disjointed subject matter and too much interview details in comparison with actual information. This is especially problematic with the first 3 chapters which tend to read like a collection of random facts. Later chapters are an improvement but could still use some work and less forced humour. I found the final chapter on bees and apiculture to be very interesting. This book also contains a vast number of, usually irrelevant, footnotes.
MacNeal focuses more on the "people obsessed with bugs" than the actual bugs, so if you are looking for information on insects specifically you aren't really going to find it in this book. If you are looking for information on humans and their strange interactions with bugs, then this book may be for you. The author covers such topics as genetically modified mosquitoes, cyborg cockroaches, assisted spider sex, insect taxidermists, insect farming and processing for human consumption, insect smuggling, bedbug extermination, dung and corpse "removal" services of bugs, and medicinal uses of bugs.
So, in conclusion, the book is interesting but could really use an editor, better structuring and focus, and less chattiness.
MacNeal focuses more on the "people obsessed with bugs" than the actual bugs, so if you are looking for information on insects specifically you aren't really going to find it in this book. If you are looking for information on humans and their strange interactions with bugs, then this book may be for you. The author covers such topics as genetically modified mosquitoes, cyborg cockroaches, assisted spider sex, insect taxidermists, insect farming and processing for human consumption, insect smuggling, bedbug extermination, dung and corpse "removal" services of bugs, and medicinal uses of bugs.
So, in conclusion, the book is interesting but could really use an editor, better structuring and focus, and less chattiness.
November 24, 2017
Subititled The Insects that Rule the World and the People Obsessed with Them, Bugged is a fascinating look at the world of entomology(the study of insects). It outlines the history of the human relationship with insects, going back to the first cave painting of an insect. The book then looks in more detail at topics such as pest control, epidemics of diseases carried by insects, social insects, insect sex and insects as food with a whole chapter devoted to the history of the human relationship with the insect that is most important to us, the honey bee.
The book considers such vital questions as:
how can we effectively control insect pests in an environmentally friendly way?
can we save the honey bee from the many threats that face it?
is insect food the food of the future?
The author travelled a lot for this book, including undertaking a tour in Japan, trying to eat as many insect based foods as possible (which turned out to be quite a challenge!) and a trip to Greece to find the most delicious honey in the world.
It concentrates more on people than on the insects themselves, and though in parts it is quite technical, it relies more on anecdotes and human interest. Ths isn't a criticism, it's just to say that if you're looking for a totally serious scientific study of insects this may not be the book for you! On the other hand, with its mass of fascinating facts it's a perfect book to get you interested in insects.
The book considers such vital questions as:
how can we effectively control insect pests in an environmentally friendly way?
can we save the honey bee from the many threats that face it?
is insect food the food of the future?
The author travelled a lot for this book, including undertaking a tour in Japan, trying to eat as many insect based foods as possible (which turned out to be quite a challenge!) and a trip to Greece to find the most delicious honey in the world.
It concentrates more on people than on the insects themselves, and though in parts it is quite technical, it relies more on anecdotes and human interest. Ths isn't a criticism, it's just to say that if you're looking for a totally serious scientific study of insects this may not be the book for you! On the other hand, with its mass of fascinating facts it's a perfect book to get you interested in insects.
October 21, 2019
2.5 stars.
You know that kid in school who desperately wants to be well-liked, and loads up with facts, and ends up irritating the shit out of everyone?
MacNeal must have attempted a stylistically complex aesthetic oeuver. His haphazard writing puts me in mind of the mindless, meaningless buzzing his titular subjects give off. His footnotes embody the reading equivalent of that irritating Mosquito you want to ignore, but just bloody can't, cos it keeps appearing in the most inconvenient and unnecessary places. Unfortunately for MacNeal, his writing is not as crucial for the ecosystem as insects are.
A lukewarmly-written book full of irritating, irrelevant and meaningless footnotes (imagine: seeing an asterisk next to someone's slightly complicated name. You break your reading flow, only to realise the footnote is for the writer to say: "now say this person's complicated name five times". WHAT THE FARK). I think there should be better bug books out there that don't leave you feeling so mentally itchy.
You know that kid in school who desperately wants to be well-liked, and loads up with facts, and ends up irritating the shit out of everyone?
MacNeal must have attempted a stylistically complex aesthetic oeuver. His haphazard writing puts me in mind of the mindless, meaningless buzzing his titular subjects give off. His footnotes embody the reading equivalent of that irritating Mosquito you want to ignore, but just bloody can't, cos it keeps appearing in the most inconvenient and unnecessary places. Unfortunately for MacNeal, his writing is not as crucial for the ecosystem as insects are.
A lukewarmly-written book full of irritating, irrelevant and meaningless footnotes (imagine: seeing an asterisk next to someone's slightly complicated name. You break your reading flow, only to realise the footnote is for the writer to say: "now say this person's complicated name five times". WHAT THE FARK). I think there should be better bug books out there that don't leave you feeling so mentally itchy.
January 2, 2019
Great read! If you enjoyed Marlene Zuk's "Sex on Six Legs: Lessons on Life, Love, and Language from the Insect World", this is right up your alley. It's similar in that each chapter explores a fascinating topic or sub-discipline in entomology (e.g., medical entomology, forensic entomology, the insect pet trade, sericulture/silk production, entomophagy, apiculture-- just to name a few), but for whatever reason I enjoyed this one even more. I'm an entomologist, but as usual (given how vast this field of study is), I learned a ton from this book-- some of it strictly scientific, some of it more under the pop culture umbrella. So whether you're a board-certified entomologist or someone who's never voluntarily touched an insect, you'll get something out of this book.
Lastly-- as someone who used to specialize in planthopper taxonomy, I love that the peanut-headed lanternfly got a shout-out (just wait til you see why...).
Lastly-- as someone who used to specialize in planthopper taxonomy, I love that the peanut-headed lanternfly got a shout-out (just wait til you see why...).
December 15, 2020
I'm sad to say this is a book I am happy to be done with. There's a lot of interesting information (and terrifying, too) and MacNeal has a sense of humour (may not work for everyone), but overall I was disappointed with the lack critical engagement with his discoveries. The first few chapters are great because they require relatively little critiquing of the material - it's largely factual and often funny. But as the book goes on there is more and more exposition of things (things human beings are doing) that are not offered up in their full context or that lack any discussion of the negatives or perils involved. I think dropping Monsanto as though it is not befouled by a litany of poor records in terms of environmental and moral responsibility pretty much sums it up (though this only one short paragraph near the end). Essentially, I think there are better books out there than this to read if you have an interest in the world of insects.
July 31, 2024
I loved every second of reading this book! So many interesting topics that this book covers in a semi-conversational way. It genuinely feels like we are meeting all the quirky characters that the author introduces in the journey through this book and I often found myself smiling at some of the silly jokes in this. I am a casual bug fan (and slowly trying to get over my fear of SOME bugs), so this was a real eye-opener and has definitely changed my perspective on insects. I really enjoyed how there was discussion on the merits of insects, and balances their uses in the natural and human world(s). Much like the author, I hope anyone who reads this will be bug-loving people, and we can only hope that books like these go towards conservation and innovation.
March 6, 2018
This book strikes a balance between personal travel memoir and popular science book. The science was much more intriguing than the anecdotal stories of the writers travels across the world seeking the history, study, and application of insects, though as a scientist I lean facts over travel diary. It's possible to skim over the anecdotes of the author's Bill "F8ing" Murray pet cockroach and gleam a few interesting ideas from the book (like details about the Japanese history of insect collection).
August 13, 2022
This is a fun, easy-to-read book containing the author's observations of various bug appreciators: scientists, collectors, etc..
It's nothing terribly deep, but that's not what the book is for. It reads like the author's chatting excitedly to you about the people and places he's seen, and the historical anecdotes he's heard about, and that may or may not be your thing. Personally, I rather enjoyed it, and I think, if you have at least some interest in bugs, there'll likely be something for you here.
It's nothing terribly deep, but that's not what the book is for. It reads like the author's chatting excitedly to you about the people and places he's seen, and the historical anecdotes he's heard about, and that may or may not be your thing. Personally, I rather enjoyed it, and I think, if you have at least some interest in bugs, there'll likely be something for you here.
October 25, 2022
Another fun read in my "criminally obsessed with nature" list. This one light on the criminal (though there is some!) and more focuses on how we interact with the insects around us. From bed bugs to bees, and eating crickets to finding new medicines from their venom.
The book reads a lot like a Mary Roach, with funny footnotes and each chapter focusing on a new facet of the subject at hand.
The book reads a lot like a Mary Roach, with funny footnotes and each chapter focusing on a new facet of the subject at hand.
January 22, 2024
I really liked how insightful this book was, discussing how so many small insects can make such a great impact not only ecologically but also to so many other aspects of life.
I just kinda wished it leaned more to the educational side even, some facts mentioned seemed really really interesting but left me hanging a bit. My favorite being the murder case solved by the cricket leg.
I just kinda wished it leaned more to the educational side even, some facts mentioned seemed really really interesting but left me hanging a bit. My favorite being the murder case solved by the cricket leg.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2024
I really enjoyed this book! A very interesting read that wasn't a slag to get through! I quite enjoyed MacNeals silly quips and jokes that were thrown in. I enjoyed how much he focuses on specific subjects in each chapter and spends time with real entomologists who provide a lot of silly stories that add to the warmth of the book.
Overall a wonderful book that I'll probably revisit soon!
Overall a wonderful book that I'll probably revisit soon!
June 29, 2018
The writing style was slightly meandering, but it was interesting and included a fair dose of humor too. I enjoyed the historical references from an insect perspective, and the amazing things that scientists and hobbyists have learned from studying and observing insects.
March 15, 2022
A wonderful book to read if you are interested in bugs in general but a great one if you want to know why they are so important for our existence. A page turner that is well written and yet has lot of accurate information.
August 7, 2017
This was an interesting book with a wide range of topics relating to insects. Everything from eating bugs to apiculture. I enjoyed it.
August 9, 2017
Excellent science writing about our insect world.
August 20, 2017
Very fun, broad topic that is extremely accessible to all readers. Really good!
September 15, 2017
I finished early. It was a good book but a bit too technical for me.
November 10, 2017
It's a fun and informative read for anyone who's remotely interested in the insects with which we share the planet and the uses we have from for them
May 31, 2018
Informate and fun to read but please find a way to incorporate the footnotes into the text, continuity was disrupted by constantly checking footnotes.
September 15, 2018
For every one of us there are 1.4 billion insects!
Bugs rule the world, all the while being underfoot and whizzing around.
Wow!!
Bugs rule the world, all the while being underfoot and whizzing around.
Wow!!
June 28, 2019
Wonderful, well written book about how insects (and arachnids) affect society and the planet.
June 3, 2021
This is a 3.75 star book. Good in that I learned some interesting things. However, it felt as much about the author as the bugs.
October 2, 2024
Książkę się dobrze czyta, chociaż wolałabym żeby było więcej ciekawostek
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