Would you describe a mosquito as 'beautiful'? The authors of this
book do, as they detail its life-cycle and list its effect on
mankind and the rest of the animal kingdom. Mosquitos have little
use in the world it seems, other than to carry terrible diseases
like Malaria, Dengue and Yellow fever. They need blood in order to
reproduce and feed their young, and will live in any stagnant
water. One species, the Tiger mosquito, favoured the inside of old
car tyres as its home and was imported in this way, unknowingly by
man, into Texas in the 1980s. The mozzie is not to be trifled with:
in the arctic it can completely drain a caribou carcass of blood.
The book tells of the awful toll on human lives throughout the
ages, and the way global movement of people and commodities can
introduce this serious menace. The pages turn fast; written with
immense enthusiasm and knowledge. The human-suffering over the
centuries is fascinating and horrifying. The authors question the
banning of DDT because this chemical seems to control mosquitos
more effectively than others. They conclude that genetic
engineering may play a part in the future, but until a method of
controlling them has been found, the mosquito will spread. Very
readable and sure to please the junior entomologist as well as the
general reader. (Kirkus UK)
'Consider the most common mosquito on Earth. This soft, little,
dusty-brown insect is Culex Pipiens. You've seen her land on your
arm. You have caught her just at the end of her feeding, her
translucent belly swelling red with your very own blood. At such a
moment, you can be forgiven for failing to notice what an elegant
and hardy thing she is. But she is . . . ' No creature has touched
directly the lives of more human beings than the mosquito. She has
been a nuisance, a pollinator of plants and an angel of death all
over the globe. And throughout history, much of our trouble with
the mosquito has been caused by man himself. Professor Andrew
Spielman has dedicated his life to understanding this insect. In
Mosquito he tells the story of man's struggle to live with the
mosquito, from the defeat of Sir Francis Drake's fleet, to the
death of thousands of Frenchmen working on the Panama Canal and to
the recent panic over the West Nile Virus in New York. And he shows
us how we have accelerated the spread of disease, describing the
catastrophic failures of mosquito control which have ensured that -
even now - one person dies of malaria every twelve seconds.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
