Insects through the Seasons [Paperback]

Gilbert Waldbauer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 11, 1998

They appeared on earth 400 million years ago, long before the first reptile, bird, or mammal. They make up about 75 percent of the 1.2 million currently known species of animals. As many as 30,000 of them coexist and interact in one square yard of the top inch of a forest's soil. The unparalleled success of insects is the story told in this highly entertaining book. How do these often tiny but indefatigable creatures do it? Gilbert Waldbauer pursues this question from hot springs and Himalayan slopes to roadsides and forests, scrutinizing insect life in its many manifestations. Insects through the Seasons will educate and charm the expert, the passionate amateur, and the merely curious about our most populous and tenacious neighbors.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Their numbers are staggering?about 900,000 species?75% of all known species of animals, and they have been successful for 400 million years. Insects are indispensable members of almost all ecosystems, says the author, professor emeritus of entomology at the University of Illinois. Taking the cecropia moth as a central character, Waldbauer follows it through the seasons, from egg to larva, pupa and adult. We learn about insect courtship and mating, strategies for avoiding predators and defense against them, camouflage and mimicry and reciprocal relationships between plants and insects. The author discusses the importance of insects as pollinators and scavengers; on the subject of silkworms, he points out that the silk moth has been in cultivation for so long that it can no longer survive in nature. This book is a lively, well-written introduction to an endlessly fascinating side of natural history. Illustrations.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Waldbauer (emeritus entomology, Univ. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) sets out to trace the life cycle of insects chronologically through the year, with particular focus on the showy cecropia moth. While factual and informative, his book flits from species to species and season to season with less cohesion than he may have intended. Line drawings by Amy Wright are not as illuminating as the color photographs found in other books about insects, nor is Waldbauer's writing particularly absorbing. A secondary purchase for larger popular collections.?Laurie Tynan, Montgomery Cty.
Norristown P.L., Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 308 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (February 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674454898
• ISBN-13: 978-0674454897
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #255,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Biology > Entomology
  • #81 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Animal Behavior & Communication

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written, awakening a sense of wonder, January 1, 2000

By 

Kay A. Douglas "Avid reader and traveler" (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Insects through the Seasons (Hardcover)

This was the first book I'd read devoted to insects, and I was so enthralled that I've gone on to read a good many others on the subject. Still, _Insects through the Seasons_ remains my favorite "bug" book. Waldbauer's prose is clear and yet has a lyricism that surprised me. He packs an incredible amount of interesting information into the book, yet I was never overwhelmed. Best of all, his enthusiasm is infectious.

3.0 out of 5 stars A Human's Eye View of a Bug's World, March 12, 2007

By 

Carol Brackett - See all my reviews

This review is from: Insects through the Seasons (Paperback)

Waldbauer, Gilbert. 1996. Insects Through the Seasons. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA. :pgs. 262 ISBN: 067445488

Consider for one moment, what is an insect? Is it the vampire mosquito that drills into our skin and drinks our blood or maybe the bright ladybird beetle that rests momentarily on our fingertip? A giant cockroach, waiting behind the toilet to ambush us, or the living, flying display of art that is the butterfly? Whether they are considered hideous beasts or objects of admiration, insects can't seem to escape this dichotomist view in society. However, neither one is an accurate or appropriate portrayal of insect life. Waldbauer in his book, Insects Through the Seasons, tries to change the misconstrued views of insects and introduce readers to a different side of insects, one that is rarely appreciated if not well understood.

Insects are the most successful animals with a history that spans 400 million years and a contribution of almost a million named species and perhaps 10 of millions more. But their success story is not necessarily their enormity and diversity, but rather how these insects have developed intricate and vital roles in almost every terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem, including that of human society. Waldbauer uses a bug's eye view, describing the diversity of mechanisms that insects employ to deal with the unrelenting stresses of survival that have ultimately allowed them to flourish. However, he also places these insects in the ecological context, by describing examples of how their vital role affect the success of other life, including plants, animals, and humans. By exploring different aspects of insect biology, Waldbauer tries to make the reader realize that while we may believe we can't live with them, we most certainly can't live without them.

Insects Through the Seasons begins like a novel, the setting of the scene with the start of spring, and the main protagonist introduced as a cecropia moth emerging from its cocoon. The story progresses through with the seasons, all the while introducing a large cast of various insect species. In each chapter, a different aspect of insect biology is explored, from locating a mate and parental care to defense against predators and parasites, and describes how different species use very different mechanisms to solve the same problems.

As an entomologist and a professor at the University of Illinois, Waldbauer writes a factual and informative book, but avoids technical terms, writing in a language that is appropriate for a wide range of ages and biological expertise. In cases where technical/scientific terms are inevitable, analogies are made to common examples that elucidate the meaning, such that diapause is referred to as a "resting state" and the six legs as "landing gear." Other animals are also drawn on to introduce particular physical and behavioral characteristics of insects, such as the all-too-familiar stink of a skunk to demonstrate the defense mechanism of an assassin bug. The experiment on women's unconscious attraction to a chair with male body odor while men are likely to avoid it is particularly enlightening on how male insects are sensitive to minute concentrations of female pheromone and how these chemicals can alter and drive behaviors.

An important issue addressed in this book, is the effect insects have on our lives. To some, insects may be just a source of annoyance and fear, but Waldbauer reveals that insects do play a prominent role in our society, providing both crucial and beneficial contributions. We learn about the necessity of dung beetles and the sweet accessory of honeybees. However, Waldbauer delves further into the role of insects in human society and discusses the ways that human activity have directly impacted the insect system and how those changes have in turned, affected us. With a hybridization experiment gone awry in the form of a potentially fatal Africanized bee or our source of silk now completely dependent on us for survival, we are forced to realize that there is an interdependent relationship between humans and insects, and that the actions of one can significantly alter the actions of the other.

The choice of examples in this book will appeal to and interest readers. As individual components, the examples are interesting, but Waldbauer is less effective in carrying that interest across the entire book. At times, the format is disorganized, with segments that feel disconnected and lack relevance to the context. Several of the chapters are introduced by a description of a typical day in each of the seasons; what flowers are in bloom and how they look against the landscape, the different animals present and their behaviors at any one moment. Although the purpose for this introduction is clear, to act as a segue for the following behaviors and mechanism that are utilized during that particular season, it feels more like a description of a landscape painting. It feels disconnected in comparison to the rest of the text as Waldbauer quickly dives into more detailed explanations of the insect behaviors. On some occasions, it is some of his examples that feel out of context. Demonstrating the insects' relationship to other organisms is one intent of the author and draws on other animals and plants to discuss certain topics. However, there are instances when the discussions of these species feel too involved and the original topic lost. In the chapter "Recognizing food," the coevolution of plants and insects and diet specialization are discussed. Then seven pages are spent discussing the different medicinal, deadly, and mind-altering properties of substances produced by plants. Once again, the information is worth the read, learning that Taxol, made from the bark of the Yew tree, is used to treat ovarian cancer, but the connection between human usage of plants and food recognition is lost.

With its fast and easy prose with analogies and examples that would be familiar and interesting to readers, Insects Through the Seasons targets an audience that is unfamiliar with entomology, but is nonetheless drawn to insects. I recommend this book only as an introduction to general insect biology, rather than for individuals who are more familiar with entomology and biological sciences or who have a more focused interest in a particular topic. As an introduction it is well written and engaging and Waldbauer provides, relevant readings for each chapter at the end of the book, allowing individuals an entry to more advanced literature.

2.0 out of 5 stars Yawn..., January 11, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Insects through the Seasons (Paperback)

I don't know how this guy managed to make insects boring, but he did. Also, his prose is not at all engaging.