The authors describe more than 120 common varieties of southwestern insects and arthropods, enabling the reader to appreciate and respect the role "creepy crawlies" play in the world.

Illustrations by Pamela Johnson

"Why is it that insects often inspire such good writing? You think of Jean Henri Fabre, William Morton Wheeler, you think of Howard Evans' Wasp Farm. To these classics we must now add The Queen Must Die, an altogether pleasing ethnography of the beehive." —Jake Page

"A very fine book indeed. . . . Longgood's Thoreauvian patience and powers of observation . . . make The Queen Must Die a special book." —James Kauffman, Christian Science Monitor

"Longgood's enthusiasm for his subject is infectious. He supplies a fund of unfamiliar information about a changeless civilization buzzing about its business just outside our attention." —Walter Clemons, Newsweek

"The remarkable complex social order of bees leads the least speculative to speculate, and Longgood's speculations, leavened with quiet wit, are of a high order of stylish imagination." —Los Angeles Times

"A beautiful book about one of nature's most industrious, 'work-or-die' insects. . . . Fascinating reading." —Rocky Mountain News

Explore close-up the fascinating lives of insects.

Why do fireflies glow? How do a cricket's chirps differ from a grasshopper's? At what time of day are dragonflies most active? This information-packed guide explains the behavior of the insects around us-and raises the curtain on an exciting drama taking place before our eyes. Illustrated throughout with pen-and-ink drawings, the Stokes Guide to Observing Insect Lives tells how, where, and when to observe the most intriguing activities of more than 60 common insects in their natural habitats. The species covered range from ants, bumblebees, and silk moths to June beetles, snow fleas, and monarch butterflies.

This publication is an account of the distribution, morphology, biology and classification of those scorpions considered to be of medical importance. The book also contains information on the clinical aspects of scorpion envenomation, and on methods for scorpion control.

Though the scope of this book is clearly delineated by its title, "Scorpions of Medical Importance," Professor Keegan does consider those genera and species of scorpions that are not of medical importance, but commonly occur in association with man, and are often greatly feared. He has done so because of the scorpion's potential as a stimulus for entomophobia. While this fear, created in part by folklore, dramatic but inaccurate literature, and television and motion picture sequences, is useful in areas where dangerously venomous scorpions exist, it has also created much needless apprehension. It will surely be a revelation to many readers that of approximately 800 species that have been described, only about 50 have been reported as being dangerous to man.

A valuable feature of "Scorpions of Medical Importance" is the outstanding drawings that have been used to illustrate the species. It is not often that one comes across drawings so striking in their precision and attention to even the most minute details.

As one of the very few books dealing solely with the general subject of scorpions of medical importance, this publication should be a useful reference for all of those interested in the distribution, biology, and control of dangerously venomous scorpions, and in clinical aspects of scorpion envenomation."The book also contains an index, bibliography, and pertinent references to related species not discussed in the book.

The bright colours and fascinating ways of this small but important group of insects attract immediate attention. Cicindelidae, or tiger beetles, are frequently encountered, but they are difficult to capture, since they are alert and elusive, and still more difficult to identify. This intensive study of the distinguishing characteristics, geographical distribution and variation, and habits and habitats of tiger beetles in Canada - the culmination of the author's main interest for many years - will provide a much-needed reference work. Studies of insect families are scarce, and professional and amateur entomologists alike will find this book a most useful aid in their investigations and a stimulus to further research.

Ticks are among the most competent and versatile vectors of pathogens and are second to mosquitoes as vectors of a number of human pathogens. They are the most important vector of pathogens affecting cattle worldwide. Problems with tick-borne diseases were related to the introduction of improved breeds of cattle into tick-infested areas because of their greater productivity compared to well-adapted indigenous breeds. The global loss due to ticks and tick borne diseases (TTBDs) was estimated to be between $13.9 and $18.7 billion annually while in India the cost of controlling TTBDs has been estimated at $498.7 million/annum. Also, cattle infested with ticks and infected with tick-borne disease agents were moved into areas where these tick species had not previously existed. This book is written by an international collection of tick experts of prestigious organizations and covers in-depth information on different aspects of ticks i.e. biology, acaricide resistance, tick-borne diseases, tick management strategies etc. It is a valuable resource for students, academic researchers and professionals because it covers the whole range of ticks and tick-borne diseases. This handbook was assembled through the efforts of five editors and the book chapters' authors, each of whom contributed to different components of the handbook.

Given that insects vastly outnumber us (there are approximately 200 million insects for every human) it is no surprise that there is a rich body of verse on the creeping, scuttling, flitting, stinging things with which we share our planet. Many cultures have centuries-old traditions of insect poetry. In China,where noblewomen of the Tang dynasty kept crickets in gold cages-countless songs were written in praise of these 'insect musicians'. The haiku masters of Japan were similarly inspired, though spread their net wider to include less prepossessing bugs such as houseflies, fleas and mosquitoes. In the West, poems about insects date back to the ancient Greeks, and insects feature frequently in European literature from the 16th century onwards. The poets collected here range from Donne, Marvell, Keats and Wordsworth; Emily Dickinson, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Christina Rossetti, to Elizabeth Bishop, Mary Oliver, Ted Hughes, Paul Muldoon and Alice Oswald. In translation there is verse by - amongst others - Meleager and Tu Fu, Ivan Turgenev, Victor Hugo, Paul Valery, Pablo Neruda, Antonio Machado and Xi Chuan. Bees, butterflies and beetles, cockroaches and caterpillars, fireflies and dragonflies, ladybirds and glowworms--the miniature creatures that adorn these pages are as varied as the poetic talents that celebrate them.

All animals must eat. But who eats who, and why, or why not? Because insects outnumber and collectively outweigh all other animals combined, they comprise the largest amount of animal food available for potential consumption. How do they avoid being eaten? From masterful disguises to physical and chemical lures and traps, predatory insects have devised ingenious and bizarre methods of finding food. Equally ingenious are the means of hiding, mimicry, escape, and defense waged by prospective prey in order to stay alive. This absorbing book demonstrates that the relationship between the eaten and the eater is a central - perhaps the central - aspect of what goes on in the community of organisms. By explaining the many ways in which insects avoid becoming a meal for a predator, and the ways in which predators evade their defensive strategies, Gilbert Waldbauer conveys an essential understanding of the unrelenting co-evolutionary forces at work in the world around us.

The young naturalist W. N. P. Barbellion described this remarkably candid record of living with multiple sclerosis as 'a study in the nude'. It begins as an ambitious teenager's notes on the natural world, and then, following his diagnosis at the age of twenty-six, transforms into a deeply moving account of battling the disease. His prose is full of humour and fierce intelligence, and combines a passion for life with clear-sighted reflections on the nature of death. Barbellion selected and edited this manuscript himself in 1917, adding a fictional editor's note announcing his own demise. This Penguin Classics edition includes 'The Last Diary', which covers the period between submission of the manuscript and Barbellion's actual death in 1919.

The author's high quality photographs are accompanied by detailed species descriptions which include nomenclature, size, distribution, habits and habitat. The introduction covers geography and climate, vegetation and the main sites for viewing the listed species. An all-important checklist of all of the butterflies of Borneo gives, for each species, the common and scientific names, IUCN status as at 2011 and its status in each state of Borneo.

Enter the secret world of creepy crawlies with this handy pocket guide. Beautifully illustrated throughout, The Little Guide to Bugs offers a modern reference to identifying these glorious insects of all shapes and sizes. Featuring 40 of the most distinctive bugs from around the world, this book is the perfect companion for anyone looking to reconnect with nature, whether that's when out walking or from the comfort of an armchair. Each bug has been exquisitely illustrated by printmaker Tom Frost and is accompanied by all-important information including their habitat, distribution and size, plus an interesting fact or fable. There is also an interactive spotter's guide, where you can check off and note the date of each time you spot a new insect. Reacquaint yourself with the familiar Bumble Bee and Earthworm, as well as discovering new species such as the Giant Mesquite Bug, Lily Moth and Picasso Bug. This informative guide is part of a new nature series designed to encourage creativity through exploring the outdoors.

Whiteflies are one of the major insect pests of greenhouse production systems worldwide, feeding on a wide-range of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops. Whiteflies cause both direct damage by feeding on plant parts such as leaves as well as indirect damage by vectoring certain plant viral and bacterial diseases. In addition, since whiteflies feed within the phloem sieve tubes with their piercing-sucking mouthparts, they may excrete honeydew, a clear, sticky liquid that serves as a growing medium/food source for certain black sooty mould fungi. This book examines the biological control of whiteflies as well as aphids, which are serious pests of agricultural crops, particularly in cereal crops including winter wheat. Aphids induce stress to the wheat crop by damaging plant foliage, lowering the greenness of plants, and affecting productivity. Therefore, it is very important to monitor and prevent effectively wheat aphid for crop management. Additional chapters provide remote sensing data on aphid monitoring and prediction; and changes in the distribution of Russian wheat aphid biotypes in South Africa.

A Naturalist's Guide to the Butterflies of the Philippines is an introductory photographic guide to 289 butterfly species commonly seen in the Philippines. High quality photographs from the Philippines' top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, wing size, larval foodplant, distribution and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers species and subspecies, butterfly observation, areas to visit, some butterfly facts, identification and taxonomy, and a glossary. Also included is an all-important checklist of all of the butterflies of the Philippines with their current global status and endemicity.

With over 40,000 described species, spiders have adapted to nearly every terrestrial environment across the globe. Over half of the worldOCOs spider families live within the three contiguous Pacific Coast statesOConot surprising considering the wide variety of habitats, from mountain meadows and desert dunes to redwood forests and massive urban centers. This beautifully illustrated, accessible guide covers all of the families and many of the genera found along the Pacific Coast, including introduced species and common garden spiders. The author provides readers with tools for identifying many of the regionOCOs spiders to family, and when possible, genus and species. He discusses taxonomy, distribution, and natural history as well as what is known of the habits of the spiders, the characters of families, and references to taxonomic revisions of the pertinent genera. Full-color plates for each family bring to life the incredible diversity of this ancient arachnid order."

'The definitive go-to wildlife guide for all 16 million British gardens.' - Mike Dilger Even the smallest garden can be an important haven for wildlife, and this authoritative guide enables everyone to explore this wealth on their back doorstep. It covers all the main animal groups - including pond life - likely to be found in a garden in Great Britain and Ireland. Detailed descriptions and information on life history, behaviour and occurrence are provided for more than 500 species, as well as practical information on creating a pond for wildlife, making nestboxes and feeding birds. Richard Lewington, acknowledged as one of the finest natural history artists in Europe, has teamed up with his brother Ian, one of our most respected bird artists, to provide nearly 1,000 superbly detailed colour artworks to complement the text. Presented in an accessible, easy-to-use format, this fully updated and expanded edition covers everything from blue tits to bumblebees and hedgehogs to hawkmoths.

Ever since men first hunted for honeycomb in rocks and daubed pictures of it on cave walls, the honeybee has been seen as one of the wonders of nature: social, industrious, beautiful, terrifying. No other creature has inspired in humans an identification so passionate, persistent or fantastical. In this gem of a book, award-winning writer Bee Wilson explores the magical world of the honeybee. From the hive to honey, from beekeepers to honeymooners, via Aristotle, Shakespeare, Napoleon and Sherlock Holmes, here is a book that delights and surprises at every turn. And there is even a recipe or two.