Pests: A Guide to the World's Most Maligned, Yet Misunderstood Creatures

This single volume describes the animals that are most injurious and costly to humans, examining the important roles of these pests throughout history and the implications of the never-ending wars we wage against the natural world. From mosquitoes to nematodes to mice, there are a multitude of organisms and animals that pose major health risks, cause economic burdens, and even threaten famine conditions for human civilization. Addressing these problems is often extremely costly and only partially effective. Pests: A Guide to the World's Most Maligned, Yet Misunderstood Creatures presents an overview of the animals that have the greatest impact on our lives, from the creatures that eat our crops through the ones that invade our homes and those that transmit diseases. Each entry provides a brief history of our interactions with the specific pest, methods of management or eradication for the pest being discussed, and an extensive Further Reading list that includes resources on both the biology of the pest and methods of control. The author explains the complexity of the worldwide pest problem and demonstrates how some of these issues are a result of human over-population and shortsightedness, inviting readers to consider our place in nature and how other animals have adapted to and benefited from the growing human population.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Pesticides Insecticides and Acaricides Antihelminthics Rodenticides The Future of Pesticides Pesticides and the Environment Organochlorines—A Persistent Problem Avermectins and Ivermectins—Disaster for Dung Fauna Tributyltin—Marine Gender-bender Pesticides and Environmental Protection Pesticide Resistance Pests and Ecosystems Tsetse and the African Wilderness Pest and Host Interactions—Hidden Complexity Our Place in the Environment and Our Obligations Modern Agriculture Integrated Crop Management Arachnids Chiggers House Dust Mites Scabies Mite Scorpions Spiders Ticks Varroa Mite Crustaceans Fish Lice Gill Maggots Insects Aphids Asian Long-horned Beetle Bark Beetles Bedbug Biting Midges Black Flies Boll Weevil Citrus Leaf Miner Cockroaches Colorado Potato Beetle European Corn Borer Fleas Gypsy Moth Head Louse and Body Louse Horse Botflies Housefly Japanese Beetle Kissing Bugs Locusts Mealybugs Mediterranean Fruit Fly Mosquitoes Pharaoh Ant Planthoppers Pubic Louse Red Imported Fire Ant Rice, Maize, and Granary Weevils Sand Flies Scale Insects Screwworm Sheep Ked Tabanids Termites Thrips Tsetse Warble Flies Whiteflies Molluscs Oyster Drills Slugs and Snails Zebra Mussels Nematodes Nematode Pests of Animals (Including Humans) Nematode Pests of Plants Platyhelminthes Cestodes Monogeneans Trematodes Vertebrates Black Rat Brown Rat Cane Toad European Rabbit Feral Goats Feral Pigeons House Mouse Red-billed Quelea Sea Lamprey Snakes Glossary Selected Bibliography Web Resources Index

About the Author :
Ross Piper, PhD, is an independent scholar. He holds a first-class degree in zoology from the University of Wales, Bangor, UK, and a PhD in entomology from the University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.

Review :
Each of the seven chapters is devoted to a specific taxonomic phylum and further divided alphabetically by popular name. These segments engagingly and accessibly explain species activity and impact, while incorporating enlarged and detailed black-and-white photographs. Sidebars offer comprehensive species lists or additional information on unusual pest traits. Further reading lists follow both chapter segments and sidebar texts in this wonderfully vivid and highly informative text. The writing style is engaging, and explanations are clear and easily understood. Sidebars are utilized to highlight interesting facts. . . . This fascinating and thought-provoking book would be of interest to student researchers as well as to the general browser. This is not a book with all the answers, but an excellent introduction to the vast array of pests and the troubles they cause, including key references to begin a more thorough study of managing any particular pest. Summing Up: Recommended.