A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.
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
language and, 7–9
and metamorphosis, 4–6
naming of insects and, 25–29
and predators, 16–17
and skeletons, 3–4
See also specific part of anatomy
antibacteria: and honey, 88–89
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
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
ash trees, 91
Asian palm civet, 99
bacteria, 112, 113, 159–60, 161, 170, 173
Ball’s Pyramid, 193–95
banknotes, 154–55
batrachotoxin, 180–81
bears, 79–80
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
intelligence of, 21–23
larvae of, 89
mating of, 69
nests for, 98
order of, 27
parenting by, 98
queens, 98
reproduction of, 39–41
robot, 174–75
solitary, 98–99
See also beeswax; bumblebees; honey; honeybees
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 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
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
orders of, 27
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
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
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
as robot bees, 174
as teachers, 20–21
See also specific type of bumblebee
butterflies
and alphabet, 164
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
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
cages: trees in, 116–17
caiman, 66–67
candles, 138
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
Catholic Church: candles in, 138
cattle, 79–80, 103, 131–33, 134, 137
cellulose, 113
centipedes, 28
Ceratocaryum argenteum plant, 72–73
cicadas
cyclical, 58–61
foam of, 61
and insects as source of inspiration, 158
intelligence of, 59–61
and katydids as singing for supper, 55
longevity of, 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
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 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
dogs: insects as food for, 103–4
dragonflies
and biomimicry, 154
brain of, 17
and changes to insect lives, 185, 187
as food for fish, 101
metamorphosis of, 4
order of, 27
as predators, 16–17
drone technology, 154
dung
of Asian palm civet, 99
in Australia, 131–33
beetles strategies with, 125–27
benefits of, 127–28
and coffee, 99
cow, 103
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
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
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
unfertilized, 69
See also mating; reproduction; specific insect
elderly
and insects as pets, 163
and love of Nature, 165
electric light bugs, 46
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
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
eyes of, 14
food for, 13–14
metamorphosis of, 5
orders of, 27
pollination by, 183
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
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
junk, 118–21
and larvae, 49, 50–51, 52, 53–54
and mating, 69
plants as source of insect, 65–83
pollination and, 85–86
and singing for supper, 55–56, 58–59, 60, 61
and strategies of insects, 49–50
and sugar, 86–87
and supplement pills, 139
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 changes to insect lives, 181
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
gamma-decalactone, 8
gardens
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
giant bumblebees: end of, 191–92
globeflower flies, 69–70
globeflowers: as food, 69–70
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
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
eyes of, 14–15
facial recognition by, 24–25
as female dominated, 39, 40, 42, 44
giant, 87–88
industries of, 137–39
and language, 22–23
life and death of, 172
number of, 137
and pollination, 98
sex distribution among, 43
honeyguide (bird), 89–90
hormones, 4
horn fly, 125
hornet juice, 92
hornets, 92
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
honey/beeswax, 137–39
shellac, 148–51
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
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
invertebrates, 3–4
iron gall ink, 145
Israelites: manna for, 90–91
ivermectin, 134
janitors: insects as, 111–12
jewel beetles, 27
jewelry: insect motifs on, 160
Johannesburg Planetarium, 126
junk food, 118–21
kingdoms: and naming of insects, 25
Korea, 163
lampblack ink, 146
land use: and changes to insect lives, 177, 178, 179, 198
landscapes: and changes to insect lives, 182–84
large blue butterflies, 71–72
larva/larval stage
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-eating caterpillars, 187
Lei-tsu (Chinese princess), 140
Lepidoptera, 27–28. See also specific insect
lice, 27
light
blue-green, 142
and changes to insect lives, 184–86
and silk industry, 142
lignin, 113
living life backward, 171
London Underground: mosquitoes in, 196–97
Lord Howe Island, 192–96
“mad honey,” 88
“Maggot King,” 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
math, 21–22
mating
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 sound, 10–13
and virgin births, 37–39
May beetles. See blister beetles
McAlister, Erica, 57
mealworm beetles, 102, 166, 168–69, 175
medicines: plants as sources for, 94
mental health: and crickets as pets, 162–64
mice, 196
microscope: invention of, 6, 40
military
and insects as source of inspiration, 154
shellac use in, 149
milk, 144
Milky Way, 126
millipedes, 28
minute gall wasp, 2–3
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
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 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
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
number of, 27
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
pelt, animal: ecosystem in, 128–30
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
Pliny the Elder, 148
pollen
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 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
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
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
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
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
rove beetles, 27
salad diet, 65
Sandved, Kjell, 164
sap-sucking insects, 91
sawflies, 27
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
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
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
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
stinging wasps, 15–16, 24, 26, 27, 39
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
thrips, 27
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
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
parasitic, 50–51
pollination by, 183
sex distribution among, 43
See also specific insect
waste
animal, 111
water boatman, 12–13
water bugs, 46
wax moths, 170
weather conditions. See climate/climate change
wheat fields: ants and termites in, 80
Why Not Eat Insects? (Holt), 106–7
willow trees, 67–69
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
See also dead wood/trees; specific insect
wood anemones, 74
wood ants, 81–82
wood-boring beetles, 11–12
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