Textbook

Berenbaum, M.R. (1995). Bugs in the System. Addison Wesley.

From the Bookjacket:

African killer bees, encephalitis-carrying mosquitoes, venomous fire ants -- it's a jungle out there, even if you live in the suburbs. And even if we're not talking about these genuinely life-threatening insects, nothing can spoil a day at the beach faster than black flies, sand flies, midges, and yellow jackets. The sad but true news is that we humans will always have to share the earth with insects, and that will never change. But this is actually good news, argues May Berenbaum, and in the pages of Bugs in the System she demonstrates why. Far and away the most dominant form of life, insects play such an integral role in the efficient functioning of nature that it is impossible to envision the world without them. We have all heard that argument before, just like there must be a good reason for the existence of poison ivy, but Berenbaum shows that there really is a positive side to living with insects. Not only are there economic benefits, dominated by the large industries based on honey bees and silkworms, but there are numerous hidden benefits as well, probably the most important of which is the central role that insects play in pollinating plants.

Bugs in the System is fundamentally a book about the good and the bad aspects of the integration between humans and insects, but the focus is on the good. Filled with fascinating details, incredible stories, and loads of history, May Berenbaum, one of the world's top entomologists, opens up this fascinating world to all readers.