PLEASE DON'T BITE ME!

Introducing irritating insects.

Slightly mistitled, this British import covers six insect families that have been annoying humans throughout history (but not all of whom bite): mosquitoes, lice, wasps, cockroaches, fleas, and bedbugs. Opening with a definition of insects and the entomologists who study them, Pakpour proceeds to describe each of these large families in three to five spreads: appearance, impact on humans, habits and habitat, and development from egg to adult insect. The author differentiates between the complete metamorphoses of mosquitoes, wasps, and fleas and the incomplete metamorphoses of lice, cockroaches, and bedbugs. She notes that, unlike most of the other insects covered here, cockroaches don’t feed on human blood—though our food, wallpaper, and fingernails are all on the menu. For fleas, humans are a second choice. Pakpour describes how to distinguish between male mosquitoes, which don’t bite, and females, which do. The text is presented in short paragraphs with clear headings and subheadings, all set against Davey’s colorful, stylized images of an astonishing variety of insects. In an elementary overview of such a large subject, obviously much will be left out, but Pakpour has picked intriguing details about the specialized spit of mosquitoes and lice, how wasps pre-chew food for their babies, and cockroach-inspired robots. She concludes with a statement about the importance of insects to the world’s ecosystems.

An intriguing look at bugs (and other insects) that bug us.