Index

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abdomen, 2–3, 11, 12–13

acacias, 75, 146

aggressive mimicry, 55–56

aging process, 170–72

agriculture, insects and, 76–78, 80, 82–83, 183

air-conditioning systems, 155–56

“alcoholism,” 158

Alexander the Great, 89

almonds, 96–97

ambrosia beetles, 78

anatomy, insect

and breathing, 6–7

color and, 14–15, 22

intelligence and, 17, 18–23

language and, 7–9

and metamorphosis, 4–6

naming of insects and, 25–29

and predators, 16–17

sense organs and, 2, 7–17

and skeletons, 3–4

See also specific part of anatomy

antennae, 2, 7–8, 11, 52, 167

antibacteria: and honey, 88–89

antibiotics, 154, 159–60, 169

ants

abundance of, 42

and agriculture, 76–77, 78, 80

and antibiotics, 159–60

and aphids as dairy cattle, 79–80

bacteria and, 159–60

benefits/importance of, 80, 81–82, 159–60, 175

and biological control, 82

and carbon storage in forests, 81–82

and changes to insect lives, 183

communities of, 159

female, 19–20, 39, 42

intelligence of, 18, 19–21

life and death of, 118–21

in Manhattan, 118–21

number of, 76–77

order of, 27

and plants as source of food, 74–75, 76–77, 78

pollination by, 183

sex distribution among, 43

tandem running of, 19–20

as teachers, 19–21

and treehoppers, 79–80

weight of, 76–77

in wheat fields, 80

See also specific type of ant

aphids, 28, 37–38, 39, 42, 65, 76, 79–80

appearance: and naming of insects, 26

apples, 85, 101, 137, 139, 148, 150–51, 183, 193, 197

aquatic species: sex distribution among, 42

arachnids, 28, 29. See also spiders

architecture: insects as source of inspiration for, 155–56

artificial fertilizer, 177

artificial light, 179, 184–86

ash trees, 91

Asian palm civet, 99

Australia, 131–33, 192–96

bacteria, 112, 113, 159–60, 161, 170, 173

Ball’s Pyramid, 193–95

banknotes, 154–55

bark beetles, 78, 112–13, 116

batrachotoxin, 180–81

bears, 79–80

bedbugs, 28, 35

Bee Movie (film), 39

bees

anatomy of, 87

and blister beetles, 53–54, 55

and changes to insect lives, 183–84, 190

and coffee, 98

dancing, 22–23

and explosion of male sex organs, 40–41

female, 98

as food, 53–54, 55

food for, 22–23, 66–68

intelligence of, 21–23

larvae of, 89

as marzipan midwives, 97

mating of, 69

nests for, 98

order of, 27

parenting by, 98

pollination by, 97, 183

queens, 98

reproduction of, 39–41

robot, 174–75

solitary, 98–99

See also beeswax; bumblebees; honey; honeybees

beeswax, 137–39, 170

beetles

and changes to insect lives, 181, 183, 186–89

characteristics of, 27

in dead trees, 109, 112–13, 114–16

diversity of, 115

and dung, 125, 130, 132, 133

eggs of, 78, 112

and elixir of youth, 170–71

as endangered species, 9, 134, 135

family of, 27

food for, 78

as food for frogs, 181

homes of, 114–15

language of, 8

larvae of, 112, 169, 170–71

life and death of, 109, 112–13, 114–16, 125, 127, 130, 132, 133, 134, 135

as living life backward, 171

male, 162–63

metamorphosis of, 5

naming of, 26, 27

orders of, 27

parenting by, 78, 114

as pets, 162–63

pollination by, 183

pupa of, 127

smell of, 8–9

sound sensors of, 11–12

species of, 27

See also specific type of beetle

Beyonce, 41–42

Bible, 90–91, 92, 102

biological control, 82, 83

biological diversity, 183–84

biomass, 183

biomimicry, 154

biophilia, 164–66

birch trees, 187–88

birds: insect-eating, 101, 186–87

biting midge, 94–96

black fire beetles, 154

black soldier flies, 103–4

blister beetles, 53–55

blood, 7, 173

blowflies, 9, 28, 122–23, 160, 161–62

blue morpho butterflies, 154

blueberries, 101

bola spiders, 56

bonding, and intelligence, 18–19

Borror, D.J. et al., 32

brain, 7, 15, 17, 18, 19, 25, 50, 52

breathing: and anatomy, 6–7

buff-tailed bumblebees, 191–92

bumblebees

and changes to insect lives, 183, 187, 191–92

on clothes/jewelry, 160

eggs of, 68–69

end of giant, 191–92

food for, 67–69

and food for humans, 101

and love of Nature, 164

order of, 27

and plants as source of food, 72

pollination by, 101, 183

as robot bees, 174

as teachers, 20–21

See also specific type of bumblebee

burying beetles, 46, 122

butterflies

and alphabet, 164

anatomy of, 8, 11

and caring about insects, 199

and changes to insect lives, 183, 187

on clothes/jewelry, 160

food for, 66–67

houses for, 164

and love of Nature, 164

male, 8

metamorphosis of, 5, 6

and naming of insects, 26, 27–28

order of, 27–28

pollination by, 183

sense organs of, 11

and sloths, 129

species of, 28

wings of, 164

See also specific type of butterfly

cacao flowers, 95–96

cacti, 82–83

Cactoblastis genus, 83

caddis flies, 27, 141–42

cages: trees in, 116–17

caiman, 66–67

candles, 138

cannibalism, 36, 94, 144

cantharidin, 54–55

Cape Town University, 73

carbon/carbon dioxide, 76, 81–82, 112, 146, 156, 169, 174, 177

carbon ink, 146

carrion eaters, 121–24

carvacrol, 71

Cassida viridis, 128

caterpillars, 50, 187, 193

Catholic Church: candles in, 138

cattle, 79–80, 103, 131–33, 134, 137

cellulose, 113

centipedes, 28

Ceratocaryum argenteum plant, 72–73

China, 94, 139–41, 146, 162

chocolate, 85, 94–96, 151

cicadas

cyclical, 58–61

foam of, 61

as food, 55, 60

and insects as source of inspiration, 158

intelligence of, 59–61

and katydids as singing for supper, 55

longevity of, 59

mating by, 55, 58–59

reproduction of, 59

singing/sound of, 10–11, 12, 58–59, 60, 61, 158

as true bug, 28

cities. See urban areas

city moths, 185–86

civets, 99

class: and naming of insects, 25, 26

climate/climate change

and changes to insect lives, 177, 178, 180, 184, 186–89, 198

and insects as food, 94, 103, 105

locusts and, 93

cochineals, and coloring industry, 82, 147

cockroaches, 4, 27, 45, 51–52, 166–67, 175

coffee, 97–100

coleoptera. See beetles

collapsed buildings: cockroaches and, 166–67

color

and anatomy of insects, 14–15, 22

of insects, 154

and insects as source of inspiration, 154–55

colored cabinet beetles, 170–71

coloring, as an insect industry, 82, 137, 147–48

communication

fungal, 75–76

and smell, 7–10

and sound, 10–12

and teaching, 19–21

and wood wide web, 75–76

See also specific insect

communities, insect, 18–19, 159

competition: and sex, 33, 34, 35–37

compost, 65, 95, 157

consumers: and insects as food, 105, 107

Corbett, Edward, 131

cosmetics, 8, 139, 147, 148, 151, 154

cow wheat, 74

crane flies, 28

crickets, 27, 61, 102, 105, 162–64

criminal investigations, 123–24

CRISPR/Cas9 method, 190–91

crocodile tears (caiman), 66–67

crustaceans

sex distribution among, 42

See also specific insect

daddy longlegs, 28

Daedalus, 138

damselflies, 34

dance flies, 142

dancing bees, 22–23

darkling beetles, 168–69

Darwin, Charles, 6, 19, 50, 52, 197

dead animals: and life and death of insects, 121–24

dead wood/trees

beetles in, 109, 112–13, 114–16

and changes to insect lives, 179, 182, 183, 188

increase in amount of, 183

and insects as guardians of forests, 63

and life and death of insects, 109, 112–18

as nests for bees, 98

research about, 115–17

size of, 114

decomposition, 111–12, 113, 114, 117, 133, 183, 184

deerflies, 45

dehydration, 3

diclofenac, 123

digger wasps, 10

dipterans, 28

disease

and blowflies, 160, 161–62

and changes to insect lives, 190, 191

and insects as food for humans, 105

and insects as source of inspiration, 158

rats as transmitters of, 120

See also specific disease

DNA. See genetics

dogs: insects as food for, 103–4

dragonflies

anatomy of, 14, 16–17

and biomimicry, 154

brain of, 17

and changes to insect lives, 185, 187

eyes of, 14, 16–17

as food for fish, 101

metamorphosis of, 4

order of, 27

as predators, 16–17

drone technology, 154

drones, 39–41, 174

dung

of Asian palm civet, 99

in Australia, 131–33

beetles strategies with, 125–27

benefits of, 127–28

and coffee, 99

cow, 103

of elephants, 99, 125

and flies, 125, 132–33

and insects as food, 103

and life and death of insects, 111, 112, 124–30, 131–33

and plants as source of food, 73–74

and sloths, 128–30

dung beetles, 73–74, 125–27, 132, 133–34

dung wigs, 127–28

dyes. See coloring

ears, 11–12

earthworms, 80, 117

earwigs, 46

Easter beetle. See blister beetles

Eastgate Centre (Zimbabwe), 156

ecological homogenization, 189

ecosystem, and changes to insect lives, 177–80

eggs

and changes to insect lives, 185, 194

and dung, 125, 128, 130

as food, 49, 50–51, 52, 53

ink industry and, 145

and insects as source of inspiration, 154, 156, 157

and life and death of insects, 112, 116, 122, 125, 128, 130

and metamorphosis, 4–5

and plants as source of food, 69, 70, 71

prickly pears and, 83

and sex determination, 43–44

shellac industry and, 150, 151

silk industry and, 141, 142

unfertilized, 69

See also mating; reproduction; specific insect

Egypt, 5, 90, 92–93, 126–27

elderly

and insects as pets, 163

and love of Nature, 165

electric light bugs, 46

elephants: dung of, 99, 125

elixir of youth, 170–72

elks: parenting by, 45

Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 168

endangered species/extinction, 9, 134, 135, 179, 181, 193

Euarthropoda phylum: insects as representative of, 1–2

eyes, 2, 14–17, 66–67, 165. See also sight

facial recognition, 23–25

fairy wasps, 31

family

and naming of insects, 25, 26, 27

See also specific insect

farmland. See agriculture

feet: houseflies as tasting with, 13–14

females

and coloring industry, 147

as dominant, 39–42

as eating males, 36

and silk industry, 142

See also mating; queens; reproduction; sex; specific insect

feral dogs, 123

fireflies, 56, 163

fish: insects as food for, 101, 103–4

fish spiders, 36

flatworms, 43

fleas, 27

flesh flies, 121–22

flies

anatomy of, 14

and changes to insect lives, 183

disease transmission by, 62

and dung, 125, 132–33

eyes of, 14

food for, 13–14

metamorphosis of, 5

orders of, 27

pollination by, 183

species of, 28, 197

See also specific type of fly

flour beetles, 36–37

flowers

and bumblebees as teachers, 20–21

and changes to insect lives, 179, 183–84, 186, 187

and coffee, 98

color of, 14–15

and dancing bees, 23

and food, 23, 53–54, 66, 67, 68, 72

and love of Nature, 164, 165

robot bees and, 174

scent of, 9–10

See also nectar; pollination; specific flower

fly orchid (flower), 9–10

food

and adaptability/flexibility of insects, 32

and anatomy, 7

and changes to insect lives, 183, 186–87

coloring in, 147–48

and eat-or-be-eaten rule, 49–63

and flowers, 53–54

for humans, 85–107

humans eating insects as, 86, 101–7

importance of, 49

insects as, 49–63, 86, 101–7

junk, 118–21

and larvae, 49, 50–51, 52, 53–54

and mating, 69

nutritious, 102–4, 106–7

and parasites, 50–51, 56, 63

plants as source of insect, 65–83

pollination and, 85–86

and predators, 55, 56, 63

and singing for supper, 55–56, 58–59, 60, 61

smell/scents and, 54, 56

and strategies of insects, 49–50

and sugar, 86–87

and supplement pills, 139

as waste, 103–4, 118–21

See also specific food or insect

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 104, 137

forests

carbon storage in, 81–82

and changes to insect lives, 178, 179, 182, 187–88

insects as guardians of, 63

and life and death of insects, 109–11, 112–15

managed, 63

See also dead wood/trees; rain forests

Frisch, Karl von, 22–23

frogs, 180–81

fruit

and changes to insect lives, 183

and shellac industry, 151

See also specific fruit

fruit flies, 11, 18, 32, 34–35, 153, 156–58, 175

fungus

and agriculture, 77, 78

and changes to insect lives, 181

gardens, 78, 156, 159

and insects as source of inspiration, 156, 159–60

and life and death of insects, 109, 110, 112, 113, 116, 117

as living dead, 173

and plants as source of food, 75–76

and silk industry, 142

and trees/wood, 78

fungus gnats, 164

gall wasps, 145, 146

gamma-decalactone, 8

gardens

fungus, 78, 156, 159

insects as guardians of, 63

gender. See drones; females; males; queens; sex: determination of

genetics, 38–39, 43–44, 144, 157–58, 180, 189–91, 197

Genghis Khan, 160

genus: and naming of insects, 25, 26

Germany, 23, 179

giant bumblebees: end of, 191–92

globeflower flies, 69–70

globeflowers: as food, 69–70

gnats, 28, 142, 164

goats: and “spider goats,” 144

golden orb spiders, 144

golden poison frogs, 180–81

golden silk dress, 144

Goulson, Dave, 192

grasshoppers, 4, 10, 27, 102, 103, 105

grayanotoxin, 88

Greek mythology, 11, 40, 88, 138, 143

green bottle flies, 160–61

green lacewings, 141

Grey, Asa, 50

ground beetles, 27

Grub Kitchen (Wales), 105–6

hallucinogenic honey, 87–89

Hans the Horse of Germany, 21

hawthorn trees, 197

head: and anatomy, 2

headless insects, 18

heart: and anatomy, 7

heat-seeking sensors, 154

heather plants, 88

Hemiptera. See true bugs; specific insect

hemolymph. See blood

Henry V (Shakespeare), 39

hepatica plants, 74

herbivores, 111

hermit beetles, 8–9

Himalayas: honey hunters in, 87–88

Holcroft, Andy, 106

Holt, Vincent M., 106–7

honey, 86–90, 137, 138, See also honeybees

honeybees

aging of, 172

and almonds, 97

anatomy of, 14–15

and changes to insect lives, 183–84, 190

and coffee, 98

dance of, 19, 22–23

eyes of, 14–15

facial recognition by, 24–25

as female dominated, 39, 40, 42, 44

giant, 87–88

industries of, 137–39

intelligence of, 18, 22

and language, 22–23

life and death of, 172

mating among, 39, 40, 42, 44

number of, 137

and pollination, 98

sex distribution among, 43

honeydew, 66, 91

honeyguide (bird), 89–90

hormones, 4

horn fly, 125

hornet juice, 92

hornets, 92

horseflies, 26, 28, 41–43

houseflies, 13–14

humans

as dependent on insects, 199

food for, 85–107

impact of insect reduction on, 179

insects as food for, 86, 101–7

insects shared history with, 199

on Lord Howe Island, 195–96

Hymenoptera. See specific insect

Icarus, 138

Indian stick insects, 34

industries

coloring, 137, 147–48

honey/beeswax, 137–39

ink, 145–46, 155

shellac, 148–51

silk, 137, 139–42, 143–44

infections, 14, 62

ink, 145–46, 155

insecticides, 189–91, 198. See also pesticides

insects

anatomy of, 1–29

changing lives of, 177–98

coexistence between plants and, 65–83

color of, 154

derivation of word, 2

distinguishing among, 23–24

ecosystems impact on, 177–80

flexibility/adaptability of, 31–33

growth of, 3–4

humans as dependent on, 199

humans shared history with, 199

importance of, 198, 199–200

industries of, 137–51

insights from, 153–75

as invertebrates, 3–4

lack of knowledge about, 178

longevity of, 59

naming of, 25–29

new species of, 196–98

number of, 137

price tag on services of, 184

reduction in population of, 178–79

relationships among, 23–25

as representative of Euarthropoda phylum, 1–2

sex among, 31–47

size of, 31

threats to life of, 179–80

uniqueness of, 199–200

weight of, 65–66

See also specific topic or insect

intelligence, 1, 17, 18–23, 59–61

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), 85–86

interstellar travel, 172, 174

invertebrates, 3–4

iron gall ink, 145

Israelites: manna for, 90–91

ivermectin, 134

janitors: insects as, 111–12

Japan, 92, 106, 162–63, 174

jewel beetles, 27

jewelry: insect motifs on, 160

Johannesburg Planetarium, 126

junk food, 118–21

katydids, 55–56

kingdoms: and naming of insects, 25

Korea, 163

lac bugs, 148–49, 150–51

ladybugs, 50–51, 80

lampblack ink, 146

land use: and changes to insect lives, 177, 178, 179, 198

landscapes: and changes to insect lives, 182–84

language, 7–9, 22–23, 105–6

large blue butterflies, 71–72

larva/larval stage

and anatomy, 3, 11

appearance of, 5

back and forth cycles of, 170–72

beliefs about, 5–6

and changes to insect lives, 185

and chocolate, 95

development of, 170–72

and dung, 125, 126, 127–28, 130

and elixir of youth, 170–71

and emergence of new species, 197

food and, 49, 50–51, 52, 53–54

and food waste, 103–4

and honey, 89

ink industry and, 145

and life and death of insects, 112, 121–22, 124, 125, 126, 127–28, 130

and metamorphosis, 4–6

and plants as source of food, 66, 68, 69, 70, 71–72

plastic as source of food for, 169, 170

and prickly pears, 83

purpose of, 5

and sensory organs, 11–12

and sex determination, 43

silk industry and, 139–40, 141–42

as source of food, 101

See also specific insect

larval therapy, 160–62

leaf beetles, 27, 127–28

leaf-cutter ants, 77, 159–60

leaf-eating caterpillars, 187

legs, 1, 2, 3, 7, 11

Lei-tsu (Chinese princess), 140

Lepidoptera, 27–28. See also specific insect

lice, 27

lichens, 91, 110, 113

light

blue-green, 142

and changes to insect lives, 184–86

polarized, 15, 17

pollution from, 179, 184–86

and silk industry, 142

lignin, 113

Linnaeus, Carl, 18, 26

living life backward, 171

locusts, 92–94, 102

London Underground: mosquitoes in, 196–97

longhorn beetles, 27, 154–55

Lord Howe Island, 192–96

“mad honey,” 88

“Maggot King,” 161–62

maggots, 124, 160, 161–62

Makambo (steamship), 192–93

malaria, 190

males

female domination of, 39–41

females as eating, 36

as pets, 162–63

and silk industry, 142

as source of inspiration, 158

and unfertilized eggs, 69

See also drones; mating; reproduction; specific insect

Manhattan: ants in, 118–21

manna, 90–91

marzipan, 85, 96–97

math, 21–22

mating

anatomy and, 2, 7

and battle of the sexes, 35–37

and explosion of male sex organs, 40–41

female domination and, 39–41

food and, 69

and insects as source of inspiration, 158

prolonged, 33–34

and reproduction, 37–39

sense organs and, 33

and shellac industry, 150

and silk industry, 142

singing for supper and, 55

and smell, 10, 54, 56

and sound, 10–13

and virgin births, 37–39

May beetles. See blister beetles

mayflies, 27, 101

McAlister, Erica, 57

mealworm beetles, 102, 166, 168–69, 175

medicines: plants as sources for, 94

melons, 139

mental health: and crickets as pets, 162–64

metamorphosis, 4–6, 66

mice, 196

microscope: invention of, 6, 40

midges, 172–73, 174, 175

military

and insects as source of inspiration, 154

shellac use in, 149

milk, 144

Milky Way, 126

millipedes, 28

minute gall wasp, 2–3

mites, 28, 110, 117, 122

molting, 3–5

monarch butterflies, 164

Morgan, Thomas Hunt, 157–58

mosquitoes

anatomy of, 11

female, 196

as food for fish, 101

larvae of, 91

luminous, 142

and malaria, 190

and manna, 91

metamorphosis of, 5

new species of, 196–97

sense organs of, 11

and silk industry, 142

as specie, 28

in urban areas, 196

moths, 27–28, 56, 82–83, 130, 184–86, 187–88

mulberry trees, 140, 141, 143–44

Muller, Herman, 158

mummification, 127

mushrooms, 75, 91

mustard, 94

mycorrhiza, 75–76

Myrmica ants, 70–72

names: of insect groups, 25–29

Nature

love of, 164–66

as source of inspiration, 153–75

nectar

as food, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 72

and honey, 87, 88

and love of Nature, 164

and silk industry, 142

neonicotinoids, 189–90

Nero (Roman emperor), 139

New York City: ants in, 118–21

New Zealand, 192

newts, 181

nitrogen, 66, 133

Nobel Prizes: and insects as source of inspiration, 156–58

nonnative species: and changes to insect lives, 180, 198

North American flies, 197

Norway

beetles in, 8–9, 53, 133, 134–35, 188–89

and changes to insect lives, 187–89, 190–91

deerflies in, 45

fly orchids in, 10

giant waterbugs in, 46

insect motif jewelry in, 160

and insects as food for humans, 106

moths in, 187–88

oak trees in, 110, 134–35, 188–89

old phonograph records in, 149

shellac industry in, 151

soul-sucker wasps in, 52

Norwegian Biotechnology Advisory Board, 190–91

Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 188

Norwegian Veterinary Institute, 45

nymphs, 4, 45, 46, 59, 61, 150

oak gall ink, 145–46

oak galls, 145–46

oak trees, 109–11, 115, 134–35, 145–46, 183, 188–89

oranges, 139

orders

and naming of insects, 25, 26

number of, 27

oregano, 70–72, 94

Orthoptera, 27, 61, 102. See also specific insect

Osten, Wilhelm von, 21

pallid beetles, 110

paper wasps, 24

parasites, 50–51, 56, 63, 105, 125, 134, 145, 197. See also specific insect

parasitic wasps, 26, 27, 50–51

parenting, 44–47, 98, 122

pelt, animal: ecosystem in, 128–30

penis, 2, 12–13

peppermint tea, 94

pesticides, 177, 178, 180. See also insecticides

pets: crickets as, 162–64

pharmaceutical industry, 181

phonograph records, 149

phylum, 25

pigs: insects as food for, 103–4

pills: shellac in, 151

pin lichens, 110

plants

as ant houses, 74–75

benefits of eating, 65–67

coexistence between insects and, 65–83

internet for, 75–76

nourishment from, 65–67

as source for medicines, 94

as source of food for insects, 65–83

See also specific plant

plastics, 154, 168–70, 177

Pliny the Elder, 148

polarized light, 15, 17

pollen

as food, 65, 67, 68, 69, 70

and robot bees, 174

pollination

and anatomy of insects, 9–10

benefits of, 85–86

and changes to insect lives, 183–84, 186, 187, 192

and chocolate, 95, 96

and coffee, 98–99

effectiveness of, 175

and food for humans, 85, 86, 97, 98–99, 100–101

honey as by-product of, 86

and life and death cycle of insects, 121

and marzipan, 97

natural, 175

and plants as source of insect food, 65, 67–68, 69–70, 72

and price tag on insect services, 184

and robot bees, 174

species contributing to, 175

and urban life, 121

wind-, 85, 100

See also specific flower/plant or insect

pollution: from light, 179, 184–86

polystyrene (aka isopore), 168–69, 170

pond skaters, 28

Poppaea (Roman empress), 139

pot worms, 117

poultry: insects as food for, 103–4

praying mantis, 36

predators, 16–17, 55, 56, 60, 63. See also specific insect

price tag: on services of insects, 184

prickly pears, 82–83, 147

printing technology, 155

protein

and aging of honeybees, 172

globeflowers as source of, 69

insects as sources of, 36, 45, 60, 75, 86, 92, 101, 102, 103, 104

life and death of insects and, 111

pollen as source of, 67, 68

and silk industry, 142, 144

and “spider goats,” 144

pupa/pupal stage, 5, 45, 50, 52, 54, 103, 127, 128

queens, 39–41, 43–44, 46, 67–69, 99, 156. See also specific insect

rain forests, 95, 99, 179, 180–81, 182. See also dead wood/trees; forests

rats, 120, 192–96

red coloring: as an industry, 137, 147–48

red velvet mites, 110

relationships

among insects, 23–25

See also specific insect

reproduction, 2, 5, 32–33, 37–39

rhododendrons, 88

robber bumblebees, 72

robber flies, 57–58

robot bees, 174–75

Roman era: insect industries in, 139, 140, 141

rosemary plants, 88

roundworms, 117, 173

rove beetles, 27

salad diet, 65

Sandved, Kjell, 164

sap-sucking insects, 91

sawflies, 27

scales, 28, 91, 147, 150

scarab beetles, 27, 110, 127

scent. See smell

scorpions, 28

seeds

and changes to insect lives, 183, 187

dispersal of, 65

and life and death cycle of insects, 121

and plants as source of food, 65, 66, 69–70, 72–75

and urban life, 121

selvamicin, 159–60

sensory organs, 2, 7–17, 33. See also specific sense or insect

sex

and adaptability/flexibility of insects, 32–33

and cannibalism, 36

and competition, 33, 34, 35–37

determination of, 43–44

distribution of, 43–44

male organ for, 33, 40–41

and male tricks, 33–35

and virgin births, 37–39

See also mating; parenting; reproduction

sexton beetles, 122

Shakespeare, William, 39

Shaw, Scott Richard, xvii

shellac, 148–51

shield bugs, 28

sight, 7, 16–17, 62. See also eyes

silk, 137, 139–42, 143–44

silkworms, 6, 137, 139–40, 141, 143–44

singing for supper, 55–56, 58–59, 60, 61

skeletons: of insects, 3–4

skyscrapers: and insects as source of inspiration, 155–56

sleeping chironomid, 172–73

sloths, 128–30, 191

slugs, 106

smell/scent, 7–10, 54, 56, 71, 73, 125, 161–62. See also specific insect

snails, 106

snakes, 165

snout beetles, 173

social insects, 18–19, 46. See also specific insect

sodium, 66–67

soil, 117–18, 131–33, 177, 184

soul-sucker wasps, 51–52

sound, 7, 10–13, 72. See also singing for supper; specific insect

Southern green stink bug, 34

Spanish flies, 54

species, 25, 26, 177–78, 196–98. See also specific specie

sperm, 33, 34–35, 36–37, 40, 43–44, 142, See also reproduction

Spider Caves (Spain), 87

“spider goats,” 144

spiders, 28, 36, 63, 143–44, 165

spindle ermine moths, 185

spittlebugs, 61

spring beetle. See blister beetles

springtails, 28–29, 110, 117, 173

spruce bark beetles, 8, 63

sterility, 190, 191

stick insects, 31, 34, 192–96

stinging wasps, 15–16, 24, 26, 27, 39

stink bugs, 28, 34

stone flies, 27

strawberries, 85, 100, 137, 147–48, 183

street lights, 185

stripes, 61–62

subterranean fungus gardens, 78

sugar, 86–87, 112, 113, 173. See also honey

supplement pills, food, 139

swallowtail butterflies, 2

Swammerdam, Jan, 6

swarmageddon, 58–59

tadpoles, 91

Takahashi, Naoko, 92

Tamarisk manna scale, 91

tamarisk trees, 91

tandem running, 19–20

tannic acid, 145–46

tardigrades, 173

taste: and houseflies as tasting with feet, 13–14

teachers, ants as, 19–21

Temnothorax albipennis (ant), 19–20

termites, 27, 44, 46, 76, 77–78, 80, 155–56

thorax, 2, 11

thrips, 27

toads, 181

toe-biters, 46

tomatoes, 101

tortoises, 43

“tree lobsters”. See stick insects

treehoppers, 79–80

trees

benefits of, 120

in cages, 116–17

and fungi, 78

and wood wide web, 75–76

See also dead wood/trees; forests; rain forests; type of tree

trehalose, 173

Trogoderma glabrum, 171

true bugs, 4, 27, 28, 35. See also cicadas

tsetse flies, 62

tuberculosis, 162

ultraviolet light, 16–17

United Nations, 104, 107, 137

urban areas, 118–21, 166–67, 183, 185–86, 196

vegetables: and shellac industry, 151

violets, 74

violin: and water boatman, 12–13

virgin births, 37–39

virus: and wasp-ladybug interactions, 50

vision. See eyes; sight

vultures, 122–23

wasps

anatomy of, 2–3

benefits of having, 63

and changes to insect lives, 183

face painting, 24

as hierarchical society, 24

and insects as food, 50–51, 63

intelligence of, 18

metamorphosis of, 5

naming/order of, 26, 27

parasitic, 50–51

pollination by, 183

sex distribution among, 43

See also specific insect

waste

animal, 111

food, 103–4, 118–21

water boatman, 12–13

water bugs, 46

wax moths, 170

weather conditions. See climate/climate change

weevils, 27, 173

wheat fields: ants and termites in, 80

whirligig beetles, 15, 165–66

Why Not Eat Insects? (Holt), 106–7

willow trees, 67–69

Wilson, Edward O., 164, 199

wings

and anatomy, 1–2, 3, 7, 11, 16

benefits of, 31–32

and blood, 7

of predators, 16

and reproduction, 38

and species of insects, 28

See also specific insect

wolfsbane flowers, 72

wood

and fungus, 78

mold, 111, 134

See also dead wood/trees; specific insect

wood anemones, 74

wood ants, 81–82

wood-boring beetles, 11–12

wood lice, 28, 106, 117

wood wide web, 75–76

World Health Organization (WHO), 159

wounds: insects as healers of, 160–62

Xenophon, 88

Yao tribe (Mozambique), 89

zebras: stripes of, 61–62