"What Good are Bugs? Insects in the Web of Life" by Gilbert Waldbauer. 2003. [book review]

Waldbauer has written several other popular books about insects, and these have been met with high acclaim; I have not read those tomes, and so see his most recent work with unbiased eyes. What good are bugs? focuses on the interactions insects have with other animals and plants, both living and dead. Several chapters in each category illustrate the myriad ways in which insects, wittingly or unwittingly, are key to earth’s ecosystems as we know them today. Topics range from seed dispersal to recycling dead animals and the control of animal and plant populations. Truly, the scope of this book is close to all-encompassing, and is written in a style that will not be condescending to the informed naturalist or biologist, but will be readily consumable by the budding naturalist, too. There are a few factual problems, as well as some opinions that are more typical of the entomophobic component of the public, that were surprising and disappointing to see in a book which promotes insects. Several times Waldbauer has insects “attacking” plants, when he really means “feeding on” plants. No one would ever say that deer or rabbit attack plants, it’s no different with insects; they are just feeding on the plants, a point that naturalists, biologists, and surely this author should understand. “Attacking plants” is an expression used by certain people or industries to incite action, to justify eradication, to gain sympathy from the uninformed, and should itself be eradicated from our vocabulary. The book ends with a chapter-by-chapter listing of selected readings. I like this method of listing references since the reader can readily choose among works only in the topic of interest. Overall, this is a book well worth having.