Wasp

(Paperback)

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Description

Fear and fascination set wasps apart from other insects. Despite their iconic form and distinctive colours, they are surrounded by myth and misunderstanding. Often portrayed in cartoon-like stereotypes bordering on sad parody, wasps have an unwelcome and undeserved reputation for aggressiveness bordering on vindictive spite. This mistrust is deep-seated in a human history that has awarded commercial and spiritual value to other insects, such as bees, but has failed to recognise any worth in wasps.

Leading entomologist Richard Jones redresses the balance in this enlightening and entertaining guide to the natural and cultural history of these powerful carnivores. Jones delves into their complex nesting and colony behaviour, their unique caste system and their major role at the centre of many food webs.

Reviews

"In Wasp, Jones provides an entertaining look at the fascination and fear that surrounds wasps. . . . The book investigates the biology and ecology of wasps, their representation in human culture, and attempts to answer the question 'what is the point of wasps' . . . Jones provides good evidence and a well-structured argument as to why the persecution of these wasps must cease. This book is an important contribution to our reeducation: we need a better understanding of vespid hymenopterans and their functional value within healthy ecosystems. And it also reawakens the ethical questions surrounding humanity's right to persecute other species."-- "Entomologist's Monthly Magazine"

Author Bio

Richard Jones is one of the UK's leading entomologists. He is the author of numerous books on nature including Mosquito (Reaktion, 2012) Extreme Insects: Call of Nature: The Secret Life of Dung (2010) and Beetles (2018) in the New Naturalists series. He lives in East Dulwich, London.