Product Description

Imagine beetles ejecting defensive sprays as hot as boiling water; female moths holding their mates for ransom; caterpillars disguising themselves as flowers by fastening petals to their bodies; termites emitting a viscous glue to rally fellow soldiers--and you will have entered an insect world once beyond imagining, a world observed and described down to its tiniest astonishing detail by Thomas Eisner. The story of a lifetime of such minute explorations, For Love of Insects celebrates the small creatures that have emerged triumphant on the planet, the beneficiaries of extraordinary evolutionary inventiveness and unparalleled reproductive capacity.

To understand the success of insects is to appreciate our own shortcomings, Eisner tells us, but never has a reckoning been such a pleasure. Recounting exploits and discoveries in his lab at Cornell and in the field in Uruguay, Australia, Panama, Europe, and North America, Eisner time and again demonstrates how inquiry into the survival strategies of an insect leads to clarifications beyond the expected; insects are revealed as masters of achievement, forms of life worthy of study and respect from even the most recalcitrant entomophobe. Filled with descriptions of his ingenious experiments and illustrated with photographs unmatched for their combination of scientific content and delicate beauty, Eisner's book makes readers participants in the grand adventure of discovery on a scale infinitesimally small, and infinitely surprising.

Customer Reviews (28)

Excellent and Fun Read
This is a very good book with tons of fascinating information about the defenses of insects. Well written and fun to read. A good book for the amateur or professional. At this price this book should be in every naturalist's library.

As the father of chemical ecology, Eisner has brought together the fields of ecology, insect behavior, and chemistry. In this book he describes how he and his collaborators view the world of insects with the observant and questioning minds of naturalists and scientists and how they concocted experiments to uncover the purpose of smells, secretions, characteristics, and behaviors of bugs. His enthusiasm comes through in his writing and kept me hooked, reading eagerly to find out what the next discovery would be.

Eisner has added a new dimension to my view of nature. My daily walks in the woods will never be the same as I now sniff each bug, watch each creature for signs of chemical defense, and consider how each predator has circumvented the defenses of their prey.

One of the best reads in years
This book is fascinating, full of wonderful prose and amazing pictures. The author's life and beliefs are present to a degree I have never seen before in this genre. This does not spoil the book, on the contrary, it turns it into an irresistible adventure.His enthusiasm for the tiny subjects of his explorations (mainly insects and other arthropods) is contagious. The interweaving stories and references to friends and colleagues provide so much context and plot that sometimes it feels more like a novel or an autobiography than a non-fiction/reference text.

If, like me, you are interested in insects, this book will delight and enlighten you. If you are a professional entomologist, you might still be surprised by some of the facts in here and will certainly enjoy the change in tone from research papers; you may even find inspiration for new lines of research. If you have an inquisitive mind, it will most probably suit your taste as well. Heck, given the chance, I think this book can turn bug haters into lovers.

Outstanding from start to finish
This is the first "insect" book I've seen that is told as a story. As such, it can be used as a reference book; but is delightful when read cover-to-cover. It is a combination biography, natural science, and how-scientists-find-out book. The engaging writing, clear descriptions, fascinating photos, and exacting descriptions of scientific research are rarely found in one volume.

For lovers of chemistry and the natural world
It has been said that life is chemistry, and some says that chemistry is life. If you seek what molecules are behind the different defense systems in insects, this is the book. Excellent.

Jumping on the bandwagon
Let me put in my two cents' worth, as well.This is a fabulous book even for those who aren't into bugs.Eisner is a warm and wonderful writer who's enthusiasm for insects is infectious.It inspired me to a) raise some cockroaches to study their behavior (and thereby risk divorce), and b) search for spiders by flashlight (and thereby risk neighborly opprobrium).
Buy the book, kick up, relax, and enter the surprisingly fascinating world of insects and chemistry. ... Read more

Product Description
The Songs of Insects is a celebration of the chirps, trills, and scrapes of seventy-seven common species of crickets, katydids, locusts, and cicadas native to eastern and central North America. The photographs in this book will surprise and delight all who behold them. Many of the insects' colors are brilliant and jewellike, and they are displayed beautifully here. This book and accompanying CD provide a unique doorway to enjoyment of the insect concerts and solos that dominate our natural soundscape during the summer and autumn. The text includes information on the natural history of insects, identification tips, and an appreciation of insect song. A seventy-minute audio CD features high-quality recordings of the songs of all species, track-keyed to the information presented in the text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Well worth the price.
I woke up one morning to an interview on NPR with the authors just as this book was released.It was fascinating to hear what they went through to create this book, causing my usual snooze to be replaced by instant attention.The book is as interesting as the authors were in the interview and is a must have.The photos and audio clips are amazing in clarity.

***** DON'T FORGET THE SUPERB WEBSITE EITHER *****
Superb photographs, text, and audio in this book/CD package.

I first found out about this book when I was utilizing the authors' superb website MUSICOFNATURE_DOT_COM.

That website can be used as an excellent complimentary resource to this book.

I have enjoyed this great reference so much that I asked for - and received; hooray! - THE SONGS OF WILD BIRDS by Mr. Elliot.

Songs of Insects
I have always wondered what was making the noise one hears in the late summer and fall in the woods of the midwest. I purchased "Songs of Insects" to see if I could identify what was making those sounds.The book was better than I expected, each insect is photographed beautifully and the CD with the book has each insect clearly introduced with the recorded call of each insect that follows.

Labor of love.
A splendid book. A labor of love long in the making. Even if you don't hear the songs, the photos are unique. These splendid animals walk right out of the page into your life. I suggest you try this book with preschoolers. It's possible, given the great beauty, especially of the katydids, that this would be a way of overcoming some of our resistance to fully embracing insects as kin and friends.

pleased
My husband and I enjoy the song of the cricket.......we didn't understand that so many varieties of crickets existed... Having the photos in front of us while listening to the cd songs is a very good feature.My husband finds listening to the cricket songs relaxing also.I would certainly purchase other quality items from the people who created this....probably birds or just cricket songs.Now we know more about the world we live in. ... Read more

Product Description

Insects and Spiders Up Close

INsiders brings insects and spiders to life, with the most up-to-date information and state-of-the-art 3-D illustrations that practically leap off every page, stimulating minds and imaginations in a whole new way. ... Read more

Product Description
Create a swarm of cleverly designed paper insects. Noted origamist presents step-by-step instructions and diagrams for 20 challenging projects: treehopper, spotted ladybug, orb weaver, tarantula, tick, butterfly, grasshopper, dragonfly, praying mantis, scorpion and more. Helpful sections on symbols and terms and general folding directions. Intermediate to advanced level.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

Execelente !!!!
Si su nivel es intermedio y quiere incursionar en modelos complejos este libro le será de gran ayuda. Para algunos origamistas los modelos terminados no tienen gran realismo, pero con un buen papel y color, se pueden conseguir muy buenos resultados. No es un libro para principiantes Ud. Debe tener conocimiento de ciertos dobleces y conocer las convenciones de los diagramas.
Estoy estudiando varias figuras y hasta el momento mi nivel de satisfacción es muy alto.

This one is IT
Out of all the books in my collection; this is the only book i still haven't completed all the projects.All projects in this book are for Advanced skilled.Most require complex folds that takes much time and effort to complete.The results are INSANE!The level of detail of these bug is unreal.Mine have been mistaken for real bugs on several occasions.

Anyone feeling like they want to take it to the second... or third level this is a must to have!

Very difficult models that can be very frustrating to complete
I see I'm in the minority on this book, and I'm sure I'll get a bunch of "unhelpful" votes from people disagreeing with my opinion, but I found this book really frustrating for the amount of steps that are just so difficult to get through. To be honest, until I got this book, I'd never really had major difficulties with any origami I've done, I've been folding for over 30 years, I had even folded Lang's previous monster the Cuckoo Clock from The Complete Book of Origami, Montroll's Stego and other such complex models. I've done plenty of insects before (I loved the mantis in his Origami Zoo book) but a fair number of the ones in this book just drove me nuts. There just is not enough explanation of quite a few of the intermediate steps. He often has very nice, detailed explanations of some of the later steps, but just skims over earlier ones that end up being rather inexplicable as a result. There are just a lot of places where I just totally had no idea at all how he was getting from one step to the next. I'd try such models again and get stuck in the middle again, and I personally just do not find that enjoyable to put so much time into something only to get totally stuck and unable to continue. Sure, it happens once in awhile regardless...but with this book it became commonplace. Are the models in this book top-noptch, highly detailed and realistic insects? When successfully folded, absolutely. But for me, what makes an origami book great is the ability to take extremely complex, interesting models (which this book most certainly has) and diagram them in such a way that a reasonably competent folder can accomplish them with a concerted effort 90+% of the time. And this book definitely missed that mark, so I simply cannot give it as high a rating as I had hoped.

I'd certainly recommend you avoid this book until you have quite a few years of experience folding and can easily handle any type of model, and advanced steps like reverse folded sinks, etc. But I'd also suggest you consider whether you are the type of folder that doesn't mind spending an hour or two on something and have nothing to show for it, but is able to move on and try again (and again and again...) Or if you mind having models that you really want to do, and just cannot figure out. It frustrates me to no end that this book of all the ones I own I simply am not able to figure out all the models in. I am used to messing up a model on the first try once in awhile but there are models in this book I tried several times and honestly felt like I just could do over and over and still not figure out. I personally just don't have quite that level of perseverance, so this book tends to sit on my shelf while I do other, not necessarily easier models, but ones that at least I know I will be able to complete successfully.

Long Live Robert Lang!
Although Lang's Origami Insects & Their Kin is several years old, it still stands as the premier origami book, and it still is a masterpiece because it offers many detailed true-to-life models; two spiders, butterfly, dragonfly, ant..., and ends with a scorpion, and for around $11.00, this book is a steal.

I did fold one model from the book, nope, not the ant, LOL! but the praying mantis, and it turned out great, just like the real thing, so much so, that I almost squashed it. Wait! I think I did squash it, Ha Ha Ha!!

A good book for advanced beginners
This book is the best one for the paperfoldinging advanced beginners, this have many advanced origami and the results are very great. ... Read more

Product Description
This established, popular textbook provides a stimulating and comprehensive introduction to the insects, the animals that represent over half of the planet's biological diversity. In this new fourth edition, the authors introduce the key features of insect structure, function, behavior, ecology and classification, placed within the latest ideas on insect evolution. Much of the book is organised around major biological themes - living on the ground, in water, on plants, in colonies, and as predators, parasites/parasitoids and prey. A strong evolutionary theme is maintained throughout. The ever-growing economic importance of insects is emphasized in new boxes on insect pests, and in chapters on medical and veterinary entomology, and pest management. Updated 'taxoboxes' provide concise information on all aspects of each of the 27 major groupings (orders) of insects.

Key Features:

• All chapters thoroughly updated with the latest results from international studies
• Accompanying website with downloadable illustrations and links to video clips
• All chapters to include new text boxes of topical issues and studies
• Major revision of systematic and taxonomy chapter
• Still beautifully illustrated with more new illustrations from the artist, Karina McInnes

A companion resources site is available at www.wiley.com/go/gullan/insects. This site includes:

• Copies of the figures from the book for downloading, along with a PDF of the captions.
• Colour versions of key figures from the book
• A list of useful web links for each chapter, selected by the author.

Product Description

Fascinating insects from around the world, including some newly discovered species.

From the Introduction
"Insect diversity, especially the almost untapped diversity of little-studied insects, should be seen as a rich ore... to be mined for generations to come."

Insects account for more than half of the approximately 1.7 million named species of all living things. The number of insect species yet undiscovered runs into many further millions.

Stephen Marshall has selected 500 of the most interesting insects from his travels to North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Beautiful photographs show the insects in their natural habitats, and informative "factfiles" provide further details about the lives of these fascinating creatures. Some of the insects are new species, photographed here for the first time.

In addition to the entries for each of the species, there is an introduction on insect biology, classification and distribution, along with information on collecting and photographing insects.

Customer Reviews (2)

love it!
This is a fabulous quick reference for any parent to look at with their kids, for writers, for others just interested in bugs. I like the writer's voice in it and the fun details he gives about how he found each bug.

a good introduction to the insect world
the two strengths of this little book is one, the amazing macrophotography, and two, the presentation of numerous, biologically or ecologically interesting, most Neotropical insects (most photos were made in Costa Rica and Bolivia); some groups are better presented than others, for example, flies and midges (Diptera) are clearly overrepresented, while katydids (Orthoptera) and mantids (Mantoptera) are underrepresented, but the overall coverage of different groups is relatively good;most species are identified to genus (and sometimes species) level, however, this book is NOT a field guide, it's more like a small-format coffee table book, with short but informative, scientific text ... Read more

Product Description
From the damselfly to the whirligig beetle, our nation's streams are teeming with critters. This convenient, inexpensive guide allows you to identify any that you find--whether you're working on your fly tying, researching the local insect life, or just mucking around in the river. Also includes information on the river conservation and management work performed by the Izaak Walton League, making this an especially valuable resource for stream monitors, biologists, and other specialists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Helpful
This is a helpful field document.It is small, well organized and fairly complete.It's worth the money.

Good Basic Field Guide
This is a good field guide to aquatic insects.It gives basic information on a wide range of insects and crustacceans, primarily in Eastern United States waterways.Although I own other guides that are much more comprehensive, you can't beat the price ($7.95 U.S. Cover Price)for what you get here.Definitely a good value. ... Read more

Product Description
Fun, factual, fascinating--who says science has to be dull? With striking full-color photos and minimal text, It's a Good Thing There Are Insects immediately involves your readers as they discover intriguing facts about insects and the world around them. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bugs
The book has great pictures and information although I was a little disappointed with the books overall size which would make it difficult to read to a group of children (small and hard to see pictures).

My daughter loves this book
I bought this book for my eighteen-month old daughter because she really loves insects.She LOVES this book.

This book starts off by describing the very basics - i.e. insects have six legs and most of them fly.Then it discusses habitat, including ant colonies and bee hives.It discusses how some insects can harm people, but then it discusses how some insects are eaten by birds and frogs, etc.It finishes off by discussing camouflage - all described very simply for young children.And best of all, the pictures are great.

This book is fabulous and easy to make age-appropriate.I don't read the whole book to my eighteen-month old, but she absolutely loves the parts that I do read.I think it will be perfect for her by the time she turns three. ... Read more

Product Description
Photographer Jo Whaley constructs mesmerizing scenes with vibrantly colored bugs (butterfliesdragonfliesbeetlesand more) that echo the tradition of natural history dioramasbut are artfully placed against weatheredmanmade backgrounds. The result is a compelling marriage of natural and artificialart and science. The Theater of Insects will publish to coincide with an exhibition at the National Academy of Sciences and travel to the Museum of Photographic Arts and beyond throughout 2008 and 2009. This volume not only presents a beautiful miniature worldbut is also an eminently covetable object in its own right. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Gorgeous Art Book
This very reasonably-priced book has coffee-table-quality plates of butterflies, moths and other insects against well-chosen, well-composed backgrounds. There is almost a collage feel to some. For example, one of my favorites is black and white butterflies on a piece of sheet music. Many of the insects are vibrantly colored, and the color reproduction is excellent. As a lifelong naturalist, I find the photographs intriguing, sometimes exotic, and always beautiful. They make one pause to look at the world in a special way.

I saw a friend's copy, ordered one for myself, and am lining up more people I can share copies with. Very highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive handbook, acclaimed when it was first published in 1976 as "one of the most useful reference manuals on diagnostic entomology yet produced," has now been completely revised and expanded to reflect recent advances in technology and the wealth of new information affecting the "Green Industry."

Augmented by 241 full-color plates, it gives the essential facts about more than 900 species of insects, mites, and other animals that injure woody ornamental plants in the United States and Canada, and provides means of quick visual identification of both the pests and the damage they cause. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Insects That Feed on Trees and Shrubs
If you are interested in the health of trees and shrubs and want to know what insect or pest is attacking them, this is the book to have. This book should also be used with Diseases of Trees and Shrubs to find out what pathogens are harming trees and shrubs.Both books are the bible for people interested in tree care.

Insects that feed on trees and shrubs
I agree that this book has great descriptions with photo's of insects and how the leaves or branches will look when infested even over a period of time. However, that is it. You must go to find your resolution somewhere else. It does not give any direction of how to treat any of these problems safe for the tree or shrubs. A very good reference book to find your point of departure.

Bugs are a hit!
This book is a definitive study of insects that feed on trees and shrubs.We are a horticultural family and need to know "the inside dope" on bugs. Excellent info!

Well worth it!
This book is on my "short list" of essential references.Species are covered in clear, concise descriptions.This well organized volume makes hunting for similar species as easy as turning a page.The photos?I can't say enough about the clear, photos that make insect identification a good deal easier!

While an excellent book for the landscape professional, scientist, or advanced gardener, beginners might be a bit overwhelmed by the technical language and scientific names.

This is a much needed and fabulous manual.
When trying to identify a particular problem with growing trees or shrubs knowing what kinds of insects are possible culprits is a major step. This book gives us, in color photos and descriptions, most of the common larvae that can be found feeding on the particular plants. Even Entomology texts often refuse to deal with larvae of insects, keeping only the adults in the keys and descriptions (even though the adults are often not pests!). This guide will be a welcome addition to any plant clinic, grower, or Entomology professor or student's bookshelf. ... Read more

Product Description
The yucky-cool world of insects comes to life with accurate drawings, clear instructions, and scientific information about this amazing part of every ecosystem. Perfect for school projects, this title also satisfies youngsters' need to understand and explore the natural world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Awesome!
If you love insects and need help learning how to draw them, this book is for you. Learn to draw lots and lots of bugs! Easy to follow and has fun little facts next to each insect you are learning to draw.

Great Drawing Book For Kids! Highly Recommended!
My son received a set of DRAW books as a gift when he was 8 and still uses them several times a month (he is now 12). We are fairly impressed with the results he is able to produce.

The book takes the most simplistic approach to drawing, braking the process down to three steps (basic shapes, detailing, "cleaning up"). Each image includes 4 - 10 illustrations and the corresponding instructions presented in an easy to understand format.

The "Tips" section is worth reading as well.

Highly recommended! You might also be interested in Draw Really Cool Stuff, which contains this book and 5 others.

CREATES HOURS OF FUN.
This is by far one of my favorite "children's" drawing books.I say children, but trust me, adults will find it just as useful and just as enchanting.The author, Doug DuBosque gives us step by step instructions on how to draw a wide range of insect critters.These drawings are in black and white (I find using a simple #2 pencil the best, along with some nice grade drawing paper) and are quite detailed. Now the word detailed may sound intimidating, but it actually is not at all once you get started.His lines and instructions are so simple that the very young can follow them with very little outside help.I photograph these little creatures and find, in my spare time, that is is quite gratifying to be able to draw what I photograph...it is sort of a hobby with me, one that I take great pleasure in.This book gives you a great start.Along with the wonderful drawings (step by step) the author offers, he also has provided a very readable and understandable text.The other books in his series are just as well done, it is just that I am particular to insects.In this small volume, the author also includes spiders, ticks, mites, centipedes and millipedes.All in all, a great little book and if you are interested in such things, a great by.As an added bonus, I have found that ifyou give a small kid a few pencils, a stack of scrap paper and this book, you can expect to not hear from them for a couple of hours or more, which, in my opinion, is far better than the T.V. or interrupting my naps.The kids seem to love this one. ... Read more

Product Description

The strike of a praying mantis's forelegs is so fast that, once they are set in motion, the mantis cannot control its aim. How does it ever manage to catch a fly? A moth negotiating the night air hears the squeak of a hunting bat on the wing, and tumbles out of harm's way. How?

Insects are ideal subjects for neurophysiological studies, and at its simplest level this classic book relates the activities of nerve cells to the activities of insects, something that had never been attempted when the book first appeared in 1963. In several elegant experiments--on the moth, the cockroach, and the praying mantis--Roeder shows how stimulus and behavior are related through the nervous system and suggests that the insect brain appears to control behavior by determining which of the various built-in activity patterns will appear in a given situation. This slim volume remains invaluable to an understanding of the nervous mechanisms responsible for insect behavior.

Product Description
Introduces the body parts and other characteristics that are common to many kinds of insects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Insects
This book is filled with information on insects in a form that young children can understand and enjoy.I read it before I ordered a copy and it seemed the perfect thing to add to an informative pack all about bugs and insects.The pictures are colorful and the kids really like it.

Great for Young Children
Insects by Robin Bernard is very simple, accurate, and well illustrated.It is an excellent book for teaching the nature of insects to children ages 3-10.I like the way the text is multi-leveled.The font is large enough for young children and the illustrations are large enough to use in a group.

Excellent for Primary Students
Insects is colorfully written with brilliant real life photos. I love using this as a touchstone text for first graders when they write feature articles.Add this to your science text sets! ... Read more

Product Description
From friendly dolphins to giant pandas, from icebergs and glaciers to energy from the sun, from magnets to solids, liquids, and gases, Rookie Read-About Science is a natural addition to the primary-grade classroom with books that cover every part of the science curricula. Includes: animals, nature, scientific principles, the environment, weather, and much more! ... Read more

Product Description

Close-ups of a miniature universe.

This innovative reference explores the fascinating world of insects and allows readers to discover the intricacies of these tiny creatures in a striking and completely original way.

Insect Museum features 114 extreme close-up photographs of butterflies, dragonflies, beetles and flies, as well as spiders and centipedes, that allow readers to appreciate fully the subtle esthetics of each insect's form, the delicate texture of its wings and the beauty of its colors.

Each full-color plate is accompanied by a thorough description of the insect that includes:

• The origins of the common name and the significance of the scientific name
• Details of distribution and habitat
• Its natural history, with surprising details on the habits and adaptations developed by the insect to survive and reproduce
• A line drawing that demonstrates the insect's actual size.

There are also more than 330 additional photos that illustrate larvae, ovulation, mating, nutrition and other important aspects of the insect's life cycle. Insect Museum takes readers closer to insects than ever before and ensures they will never look at insects in the same way again.

Product Description
Insects are the most extreme organisms on Earth and, despite their diminutive size, they wield inordinate power. With the exception of the polar icecaps, every terrestrial ecosystem on earth is colonized by them, and they account for almost three-quarters of all named animals -- that's one million species at the last count!This stunningly-illustrated book is a celebration of the insect universe, exploring their amazing forms and functions, their fascinating behaviour and the enormous impact they have on our lives. With its lively and informative text, it looks at insects in all their extremes, from the biggest, fastest and fiercest to the best nest builder, most devious hunter and deadliest bride.Insects are extreme in numbers -- a single leaf-cutter ant nest, the size of a large camper van, may contain seven million individuals working together as a single giant super-organism. Insects are extreme in their bizarre forms -- the stalk-eyed fly, as its name suggests, carries its eyes on the end of two ludicrously long stalks. And insects are invariably extreme in behaviour -- take for instance the giraffe-necked weevil that holds head-bobbing contests to win a mate.Yet there is always method in their apparent madness, as each strange form and function is an adaptation designed to solve the extreme pressures that arise through the struggle to survive in a world that is always dangerous, competitive and unforgiving. ... Read more

Product Description
The Encyclopedia of Insects is a comprehensive work devoted to all aspects of insects, including their anatomy, physiology, evolution, behavior, reproduction, ecology, and disease, as well as issues of exploitation, conservation, and management. Articles provide definitive facts about all insects from aphids, beetles and butterflies to weevils and yellowjackets.

Insects are beautiful and dreadful, ravenous pests and devastating disease vectors, resilient and resistant to eradication, and the source of great benefit and great loss for civilization.Important for ecosystem health, they have influenced the evolution of other life forms on our planet including humans.Anyone interested in insects, from university professors and researchers to high school students preparing a report, will find The Encyclopedia of Insects an indispensable volume for insect information.

*An unprecedented collection in 1,276 pages covering every important aspect of insects
*Presents 270 original articles, thoroughly peer reviewed and edited for consistency
*Features 1,000 figures and tables, including 500 full-color photographs
*Includes the latest information contributed by 250 experts in 17 countries
*Designed to save research time with a full glossary, 1,700 cross-references, and 3,000 bibliographic entriesAmazon.com Review
Product Description
Awarded Best Reference by the New York Public Library (2004), Outstanding Academic Title by CHOICE (2003), and AAP/PSP 2003 Best Single Volume Reference/Sciences by Association of American Publishers' Professional Scholarly Publishing Division, the first edition of Encyclopedia of Insects was acclaimed as the most comprehensive work devoted to insects. Covering all aspects of insect anatomy, physiology, evolution, behavior, reproduction, ecology, and disease, as well as issues of exploitation, conservation, and management, this book sets the standard in entomology.

The second edition of this reference will continue the tradition by providing the most comprehensive, useful, and up-to-date resource for professionals. Expanded sections in forensic entomology, biotechnology and Drosphila, reflect the full update of over 300 topics. Articles contributed by over 260 high profile and internationally recognized entomologists provide definitive facts regarding all insects from ants, beetles, and butterflies to yellow jackets, zoraptera, and zygentoma.

* 66% NEW and revised content by over 200 international experts
* New chapters on Bedbugs, Ekbom Syndrome, Human History, Genomics, Vinegaroons
* Expanded sections on insect-human interactions, genomics, biotechnology, and ecology
* Each of the 273 articles updated to reflect the advances which have taken place in entomology research since the previous edition
* Features 1,000 full-color photographs, figures and tables
* A full glossary, 1,700 cross-references, 3,000 bibliographic entries, and online access save research time
* Updated with online access.

Customer Reviews (3)

Very technical.More photos would be helpful.
My husband was pleased to receive this book for Christmas.He has enjoyed reading less technical books on insects in the past.

I was initially disappointed because there are very few color photographs in the book.Other than that, it is very thorough and my husband has the background to understand and appreciate the information presented.

It is a very large, heavy book and not at all practical as a field guide.

The Best....
This is an incredible one volume insect encyclopedia. It covers all the important topics and covers them with appropriate thoroughness. This encyclopedia would be useful to the entomologist and serious enthusiast alike.

Beauty and More
This is one of the most beautifully presented books of this kind I have seen.Anyone involved in entomological issues of any kind should have this book in their collections.From the photographic beauty of the cover to the extensive, well presented organization of the various "families" of insects, this is a wonderful book. ... Read more

Product Description
Describes and illustrates the most common and damaging pests of home, garden, field, and forest. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Bring this book back
I have kept a copy of this book for years and would recommend it widely as an inexpensive but useful field guide for gardeners, Master Gardeners and anyone with an interest in pest identification.The problem is that it is out of print.If you find a copy in a used bookstore, buy it.Being last revised in 1966, it is a little out of date (with all the new pests we've imported in recent years), but still a useful introduction to the commonest pests.

Golden Nature Guides are the best!
I love these books! The botanical illustrations are far superior to muddy photos, and they show all the details including the habitat. Well-organized, too.

Vintage and adorable, even when it's about pests! Over 350 pests in home, garden, field, etc. ... Read more

Product Description

Cathryn and John Sill explain the basic characteristics that all insects share, while offering a close look at a few of the many animals in this diverse category.

As a fabulous addition to an important series for kids, this book explores the fascinating world of insects. Once again, illustrator John Sill and his wife Cathryn have collaborated on the most recent addition to the About... series. They tackle the fascinating and varied world of insects in this easy-to-read and educational book, painting these creatures in their respective natural habitats, explaining what insects are, how they live, and what they do.

The captivating scenes depicted by noted wildlife illustrator John Sill in About Insects aid in the explanation of basic characteristics that all insects share as well as offer a look into the many differences among the animals that fall into this diverse category. As in the previous About... books, an afterword provides further detail on the insects portrayed to inspire young readers to learn more.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

awesome illustrations
My son and I both love these books.They have basic facts that are scientifically accurate, interesting, but not too much information for a pre-schooler.The drawings are great and make this one you will come back to again and again.

Not too bad.
Not a bad book, easy for kids to understand, good pictures,well worth the money.

Not too bad.
Not a bad book, easy for kids to understand, good pictures,well worth the money. ... Read more

Product Description
Photographs and simple text describe the many things that insects do. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Insect Review
The book by Canizares delineates insects with high definition and colors. The title of the book is complemented with every page in the book by the quality and action of the pictures. It is authentic, sticks to the theme and will appeal to the curiosity of children. The type of print is perfect and the words are well chosen. The detailed pictures helps tell the story while shaking the young reader's imagination. The insects are captured in frame-like borders and the quality of the paper fits the purpose of the book. There is a real meaning given to the book by its rhythmetic and moving insect characters. As a science book for young children everything is present. ... Read more