Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects

by Amy Stewart

Hardcover, 2011

Status

Available

Call number

SB931 .S83

Publication

Algonquin Books (2011), Edition: First Printing, 288 pages

Description

Nature. Nonfiction. HTML:In this darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the natural world, Stewart has tracked down over one hundred of our worst entomological foes—creatures that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. From the world’s most painful hornet, to the flies that transmit deadly diseases, to millipedes that stop traffic, to the “bookworms” that devour libraries, to the Japanese beetles munching on your roses, Wicked Bugs delves into the extraordinary powers of six- and eight-legged creatures. With wit, style, and exacting research, Stewart has uncovered the most terrifying and titillating stories of bugs gone wild. It’s an A to Z of insect enemies, interspersed with sections that explore bugs with kinky sex lives (“She’s Just Not That Into You”), creatures lurking in the cupboard (“Fear No Weevil”), insects eating your tomatoes (“Gardener’s Dirty Dozen”), and phobias that feed our (sometimes) irrational responses to bugs (“Have No Fear”). Intricate and strangely beautiful etchings and drawings by Briony Morrow-Cribbs capture diabolical bugs of all shapes and sizes in this mixture of history, science, murder, and intrigue that begins—but doesn’t end—in your own backyard.… (more)

Media reviews

Wicked Bugs delivers the sting, whether it’s a deeper understanding of all the critters that go “zzzz” in the night or a good gross-out that you’re after.

User reviews

LibraryThing member richardderus
Rating: too busy scratching to give it one.

The Book Report: Amy Stewart, perpetratrix of [Flower Confidential] (a book I loathed), has given us bite-sized bios of horrible, horrible, horrible little creepy/crawly or fly-y/stingy horrible things with lots of horrible legs and horrible, horrible ways
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of mating and reproducing in general. Most of the worst ones are female. Just like in life.

My Review: I've finished it, and so far I've determined that I suffer from:

--scabies
--Guinea worm disease
--tapeworm
--Lyme disease
--elephantiasis
--bilharzia
--sand-fly infestation under my itchy toenail

I've taken eleven showers with surgical scrub so far. I expect that, when I go outside next after the haz-mat suit is delivered, I shall be ridiculed...but I *won't* be a feast for the horrible disgusting vile scary critters this book is about!
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LibraryThing member cissa
If you think bugs are creepy now, wait till you read this!

"Bugs" here is used to describe a broad range of critters, from the microscopic tot he large, and from insects and spiders etc. through various kinds of worms. The tags range from "deadly" to "horrible", with stops at "painful", "dangerous",
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and "destructive". It's a horror show!

The writing and the wonderful production values in the book help to ease one through all the revoltingness, though, and make the book both an entertaining and darkly fun read. Each pest, or category of pest, gets its own short essay, complete with lurid details about what's so icky about them.

The artwork by Briony Morrow-Cribbs adds much to the enjoyment. Even the most skin-crawly of critters somehow looks better in her wonderful illustrations (and somehow less likely to give one nightmares), especially combined with the excellent layout and the 2-color printing. It's a very elegant book.

I got this at least a year ago, after loving 2 of her other books- "Drunken Botanist" and "Wicked Plants". I'd recommend these too. I'd put of reading this one, though, because bugs do make my skin crawl in general. I would not recommend it to the currently phobic!

It's a great book on scary. revolting, and creepy topics that are nonetheless a part of life- and it's beautifully done. Recommended- with caution!
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LibraryThing member cmbohn
Here's what I learned:

It's probably not a brown recluse spider bite.

I'm never ever going to the Amazon. Ever.

I'm also never going to Japan. That's partly because of sushi, Godzilla, and radiation, but the radiation is going to make Godzilla and those Asian Giant Hornets even bigger.

No matter how
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bad my day is, thanks to disgusting insects, someone is having a worse day.

I'm even more thankful for clean water.

Not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.
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LibraryThing member fuzzi
A friend passed this book on to me, and after I started reading it, I wanted to finish it in one sitting.

It's a highly entertaining series of descriptions and stories regarding certain insects/bugs/spiders/etc.

Not for the overly squeamish, nor for those who have some sort of bug phobia (reading
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the part about cockroaches made my toes curl!)
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LibraryThing member Jackie.the.Librarian
Parasitic, opportunistic, and hard to get rid of. No - I'm not talking about Sarah Palin. What I'm referring to are the worms, flies, beetles, spiders, and other insects in Amy Stewart's Wicked Bugs. This book is even more disturbing than the books precursor, Wicked Plants. I also found it more
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compelling and harder to put down than Wicked Plants. Perhaps because the human-insect relationship is a bit more intense than the human-plant relationship. Consider the woman who extracted her pet tarantula's poison sack and baked it into a pie in a laughable attempt to kill her husband and collect on an insurance policy. Also interesting are some of the evolutionary tactics these insects employ and how they continue to adapt to humans in their quest to exterminate them. Another great part of this book are the illustrations - definitely enough to make your skin crawl.
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LibraryThing member satyridae
I enjoyed this, even though I kept saying, "Ick. Oh, yuck. Really? Gross!" all the way through. Guinea worms and bot flies and parasitic wasps and killer hornets... and even more. I was mesmerized and horrified and bemused and educated. Just the thing I needed.
LibraryThing member BrynDahlquis
A must-read for lovers of bugs and horrors. Not only does it have some truly fascinating stories concerning bugs in history and the present day, but it also has superb art to go along with it. Overall a very fascinating read. I would recommend it not only to fans of insects, but also anyone who
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likes to know random facts and tidbits of history and science.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
This is not a field guide, nor is it a comprehensive treatise on harmful insects. It is however, fun, interesting, informative and somewhat horrifying. Especially the descriptions of the critters that burrow inside our skin to make their homes and breed. PLEASE! Wait until I'm finished with my
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skin, then you can have a party.

I am not ready to vacate the surface of the earth after reading this, but I do feel that perhaps being born, raised and a lifetime resident of Northern California is the best place to be on earth. Seeing as the author is from my area, I wonder if she purposely didn't want to write/know about beasties here? ;) In my heart of hearts, I'm hoping it is simply because we don't have horrifying critters around.
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LibraryThing member trouthe
A quick, moderately interesting read that was 90% stuff I already knew, and left out some of the interesting facts that should have made it in. Still, not a bad quick resource if you just want bugs and interesting facts. Good for 8 year old boys peering over your shoulder, apparently.
LibraryThing member Gold_Gato
Do not read this book while using public transportation...I missed my train stop because the subject matter kept me completely engrossed.

Needless to say, I will never eat pork again and I am slathering myself in mosquito repellent nightly. I have a whole new respect for these mighty bugs and the
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mayhem they produce. Certainly the chapter on the Brazilian Wandering Spider brought me to rapid attention when the author explains that a passenger almost boarded an international flight with hundreds of these aggressive creatures in his carry on bags. No more aisle seats for me.

Book Season = Spring
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LibraryThing member Sarahfine
A sometimes bonechilling, always absorbing collection of world-changing bugs. Some of them devour homes and crops, others pack a painful sting, and still others prefer to eat people! Short essay-like vignettes provide the scientific rap sheet, along with an examination of each critter's modus
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operandi, historical influence, and solutions (if any) which have been found to stop it. You may find yourself, as I did, morbidly obsessing over every detail of that miniscule moving dot you just found under your plant, but at least you'll have a new fount of sparkling dinner conversation. Well, on second thought, maybe wait until after eating!
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LibraryThing member glade1
I enjoyed this little book and its companion. They are lighthearted and contain interesting information but are not as in-depth as some might hope. My comments for this one echo mine for Wicked Plants. Wish there were photos, it left me hungering for more information on some species, etc. But
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overall I enjoyed both books.
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LibraryThing member ThothJ
"Wicked Bugs" is a thoroughly disgusting book which sent shivers of sheer revulsion down my spine and which I thoroughly love. In "Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects" author Amy Stewart has created a humorous introduction to only a few of those creepy
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crawlies we humans share the planet with.....and those few are more than enough to convince even the most egotistical that humanity continues to exist only in spite of the "Bugs" best intentions.

Everywhere we look, on every continent (baring only Antarctica, though I wouldn't put it past a future species of hardy cockroach to find a way to live there eventually), in every country, in every type of terrain, there is always some "bug" living there willing to make a human being's life unbearable (or in the case of some parasites, only another fellow bug's life).

From the Asian Giant Hornet to the Rocky Mountain Locust to the ordinary Mosquito, all are here to make our lives miserable, by spreading disease (Malaria is popular with Mosquitoes), destroying crops (a Rocky Mountain Locust cloud once ate its way across the U.S. Southwest) and causing a great deal of pain (the sting of the Asian Giant Hornet has been described as being "like driving a hot nail through your leg"). The Bug World clearly has it "in" for mankind.

The exotic "Asian Giant Hornet", is so large (5 centimeters from head to tail) that when they fly they actually resemble small birds. Thankfully, the Giant Hornet is only native to Asia, where members of the species can be seen foraging in garbage cans for bits of discarded fish to carry back to their young.

Then there is the ordinary "Nightcrawler", which though long thought to be good for the soil, has actually been proven to sometimes be bad for the soil, destroying the much needed spongy duff layer that native plants (it is accidentally imported Nightcrawler species members doing this) require in order to germinate and grow.

However, though the "Millipede" might look creepy and disgusting, they are actually not dangerous to humans, mostly eating dead leaves, except when swarms of them swarm over railroad tracks, literally stopping the trains in their tracks from wheel slippage due to the squished Millipede bodies on the tracks. Or how about the Scottish Millipede which swarm around from April to October, necessitating blackouts in order to keep the millipedes from invading homes.

The nastiest creepy crawly in this collection has to be the "Brazilian Wandering Spider". It doesn't spin a web like most spiders, it actively prowls the forest floor hunting for prey. The bite causes immediate and severe pain, followed by breathing difficulties, paralysis and even asphyxiation. With proper care (and a little luck) victims can survive. However, the most venomous members of this species are definitely capable of killing, with the elderly and young children at the most risk. But what makes the "Brazilian Wandering Spider" the scariest creature in this book is the overt aggressiveness it tends to exhibit, refusing to scurry away at the sight of an aggressor and instead standing its ground and rising up on its hind legs spoiling for a fight. The author Stewart says it best, "Anyone who swats at one of these spiders had better aim to kill, because if it survives a swat with a broom it might try to climb straight up the handle and bite."

"Wicked Bugs" is a fascinating read, but not one for the faint of heart. After reading this treatise on "Bugs" I will never look at this world quite the same way and I will never take humanity's position as the self-proclaimed "top of the food change" for granted.
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LibraryThing member LizPhoto
"Wicked Bugs" made me feel very satisfied, the kinda of satisfaction you get after a good scratch of a a very itchy body part. I loved this book, not only was it informative but it was funny to boot. Not being a expert on bugs or wanting to become one, Stewart gives just the right amount of
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information on bugs to be terrified by them or love them. The drawings of the bugs were a nice addition instead of the same old pictures you find on google. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys bugs or who just want to creep out their friends!
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LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
Fascinatingly quirky collection which examines the ingenious ways in which insects and arachnids and the parasites which they transmit prey upon other living creatures, including us. This is a companion book to the author's earlier work, WICKED PLANTS.
LibraryThing member corcra
This book, as the title suggests, revolves around the world of bugs, or rather the more sinister bugs. The plus of this book are the wonderful illustrations. I enjoyed the fact that these illustrations are both realistic as well as whimsical. One whimsical illustration shows the 'Zombie' insects in
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classic zombie horror movie poses. The facts provide by the author were interesting even if some of these facts were not completely clear. One example is, the history of the bacteria that cased bubonic plague is still debated and probably not the same strain as the Plague of Justinian. There were some defined chapters but I wish the bugs would have been better grouped into chapters such as dangerous, destructive etc. Overall, this is a great introduction into the more wicked world of insect that anyone can read, but if you have a greater knowledge about insect this book is a bit too basic.
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LibraryThing member akblanchard
Much like the author's earlier work, Wicked Plants, this book provides a glimpse into the extraordinary habits of insects. The book's short chapters make it enjoyable to read, but it's not very substantial. I found that once I was through reading it, I didn't retain much of the information.
LibraryThing member GlennBell
Fascinating collection of information about different types of "bugs." I really enjoyed listening to the stories of how the insects and spiders, viruses, and worms live, mate, and feed. If anyone ever though that a good God existed, read this and then explain why these creatures exist. These
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creature fit interesting niches and have specific interactions with hosts. Awesome job.
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LibraryThing member reader1009
adult nonfiction; audio narrative science. Not for the faint-hearted, but definitely for the bug-curious. Writing in the spirit of Mary Roach but not as thorough, Amy Stewart prefers to share just the juiciest morsels uncovered in her research.
LibraryThing member murderbydeath
Things that make you go 'ewww'.

Excellent read but not for the easily squeamish. Amy Stewart vividly describes what many of the world's pests do, making my DH insist that I stop reading sections out loud to him as they were really too disgusting. But if you like nature, or any interest in
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entomology, this book is a fascinating, entertaining read.
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LibraryThing member ThothJ
"Wicked Bugs" is a thoroughly disgusting book which sent shivers of sheer revulsion down my spine and which I thoroughly love. In "Wicked Bugs: The Louse that Conquered Napoleon's Army & Other Diabolical Insects" author Amy Stewart has created a humorous introduction to only a few of those creepy
Show More
crawlies we humans share the planet with.....and those few are more than enough to convince even the most egotistical that humanity continues to exist only in spite of the "Bugs" best intentions.

Everywhere we look, on every continent (baring only Antarctica, though I wouldn't put it past a future species of hardy cockroach to find a way to live there eventually), in every country, in every type of terrain, there is always some "bug" living there willing to make a human being's life unbearable (or in the case of some parasites, only another fellow bug's life).

From the Asian Giant Hornet to the Rocky Mountain Locust to the ordinary Mosquito, all are here to make our lives miserable, by spreading disease (Malaria is popular with Mosquitoes), destroying crops (a Rocky Mountain Locust cloud once ate its way across the U.S. Southwest) and causing a great deal of pain (the sting of the Asian Giant Hornet has been described as being "like driving a hot nail through your leg"). The Bug World clearly has it "in" for mankind.

The exotic "Asian Giant Hornet", is so large (5 centimeters from head to tail) that when they fly they actually resemble small birds. Thankfully, the Giant Hornet is only native to Asia, where members of the species can be seen foraging in garbage cans for bits of discarded fish to carry back to their young.

Then there is the ordinary "Nightcrawler", which though long thought to be good for the soil, has actually been proven to sometimes be bad for the soil, destroying the much needed spongy duff layer that native plants (it is accidentally imported Nightcrawler species members doing this) require in order to germinate and grow.

However, though the "Millipede" might look creepy and disgusting, they are actually not dangerous to humans, mostly eating dead leaves, except when swarms of them swarm over railroad tracks, literally stopping the trains in their tracks from wheel slippage due to the squished Millipede bodies on the tracks. Or how about the Scottish Millipede which swarm around from April to October, necessitating blackouts in order to keep the millipedes from invading homes.

The nastiest creepy crawly in this collection has to be the "Brazilian Wandering Spider". It doesn't spin a web like most spiders, it actively prowls the forest floor hunting for prey. The bite causes immediate and severe pain, followed by breathing difficulties, paralysis and even asphyxiation. With proper care (and a little luck) victims can survive. However, the most venomous members of this species are definitely capable of killing, with the elderly and young children at the most risk. But what makes the "Brazilian Wandering Spider" the scariest creature in this book is the overt aggressiveness it tends to exhibit, refusing to scurry away at the sight of an aggressor and instead standing its ground and rising up on its hind legs spoiling for a fight. The author Stewart says it best, "Anyone who swats at one of these spiders had better aim to kill, because if it survives a swat with a broom it might try to climb straight up the handle and bite."

"Wicked Bugs" is a fascinating read, but not one for the faint of heart. After reading this treatise on "Bugs" I will never look at this world quite the same way and I will never take humanity's position as the self-proclaimed "top of the food change" for granted.
Show Less
LibraryThing member quinton.baran
I really enjoyed this little book about a wide variety of strange and scary bugs. In some cases, it actually improved my image of the bug in question. I agree with some reviewers that an afterward would be really nice, as the prose comes to an abrupt end.
LibraryThing member nbmars
If watching the news about the spread of the Zika and West Nile viruses isn’t enough to keep you terrified, this book will help convince you to stay inside whenever possible, and wear shoes when not.

This survey of “bugs,” as the author explains, actually goes beyond “true bugs” to include
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“all manner of creepy, crawly, slithering creatures that have had some terrible impact on human affairs.” She also said in an interview that she wanted people to understand “that nature is powerful, that we need to respect that power, and that we need to remember that the world does not revolve around us.” She certainly convinced me.

The stories she tells are fascinating, along with many of them being scary. For example, she reports that scientists speculate that the destruction of the floodwall system of New Orleans that led to so much devastation was caused in part by Formosan subterranean termites. It happens that the seams of the floodwalls are made of waste residue from processed sugarcane, a very attractive food source for the termites. Post-Katrina inspections showed evidence of insect attacks.

Also very interesting was her section on fleas, which helped spread the Bubonic Plague in Europe. Fleas picked up the bacterium Yersinia pestis from rats probably traveling to Europe in the holds of ships from Asia. The fleas then spread the bacteria through vomiting (yes, vomiting) diseased blood into bite sites. The death toll, especially during the initial European outbreak in the fourteenth century, was huge. It was probably made worse by the fact that at the same time, felines, previously used as mousers, came to be seen by the Church as consorts of witches and Satan. Thus cats that that might have otherwise eaten the rats were killed by the thousands.

The section on tapeworms is pretty gross (and therefore very diverting) and the section on how bugs are used in forensic entomology was riveting.

There are many more great stories that come out of this short and highly entertaining book, but I don’t want to spoil them all for readers.
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LibraryThing member aadyer
An interesting, somewhat eclectic & esoteric collection of insects and anecdotal evidence about the destruction that they can bring. In part, fascinating, in part, terrifying. This was an immensely entertaining read. Good for medics, entomologists, and ode with an interest in the nature a world. If
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I had on complaint, it would be that it is very America based.
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LibraryThing member studioloo
loved this book!!

Awards

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2011

Physical description

288 p.; 7.31 inches

ISBN

1565129601 / 9781565129603

UPC

884420446521
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