by Amy Stewart
Meet the Relatives There are about twenty-five species of tsetse flies, and they make up the entire Glossinidae family.
HORRIBLE
ZOMBIES
The insect world has its own version of the Night of the Living Dead. These bugs don’t just eat other bugs; they actually inhabit them and force them to do their bidding. Some victims are made to jump in a lake, while others find themselves defending their captors against other attackers. Rarely do the “zombies” benefit from this strange behavior. Once their role in their predator’s life cycle is over, they go from being “undead” to simply “dead.”
EMERALD COCKROACH WASP
Ampulex compressa
Also called a jewel wasp for its peacock green iridescent coloring, this diminutive wasp native to Asia and Africa is not afraid to tackle a much larger cockroach and force it to do its bidding. When the female is pregnant, she hunts down a cockroach and delivers a sting that briefly renders it immobile. That gives her a little time to work. She then slides her stinger directly into the roach’s brain, delivering another sting that disables the roach’s instinct to flee. Once she has gained control of it, she can lead it around by its antennae like a dog on a leash.
The roach follows the wasp into her nest and sits down obediently. She lays an egg on the roach’s underside and leaves it in the nest, where it will wait patiently for the egg to hatch into a larva. The larva chews a hole in the roach’s abdomen and crawls inside, spending the next week eating its internal organs and constructing a cocoon for itself. This eventually kills the roach, but the cocoon remains in its body for a month, then emerges from the cockroach as a full-grown adult, leaving nothing but the shell of the roach behind.
Once she has gained control of the cockroach, the wasp can lead it around by its antennae like a dog on a leash.
TONGUE-EATING LOUSE
Cymothoa exigua
An aquatic crustacean resembling a pill bug, this creature enters the body of a fish through its gills and latches onto its tongue. It feeds upon the fish’s tongue until there is nothing left but a stub. This doesn’t bother the louse—it holds onto the stub, continuing to drink blood from it, and acts as a tongue so that the fish can continue to eat. From time to time, the parasites are found inside the mouths of whole snapper in fish markets, much to the horror of shoppers.
PARASITOID WASPS
Glyptapanteles sp
These wasps seek out specific species of caterpillars and lay up to eighty eggs inside them. There’s nothing particularly unusual about that: many wasps lay eggs on or inside caterpillars. But these species do something different. Their eggs grow inside the body of the caterpillar, then hatch and leave to wrap themselves in cocoons on a nearby plant. The caterpillar survives this very invasive process and sticks around after the wasps move into the cocoon phase. If a predator, like a beetle or a stinkbug, approaches the cocoons, the caterpillar thrashes around and knocks the predator down. Once the wasps reach adulthood, they fly away and the caterpillar dies, having gained nothing from its strange protective behavior.
GREEN-BANDED BROODSAC
Leucochloridium paradoxum
In what is surely one of nature’s most bizarre life cycles, this flatworm’s eggs are secreted in bird droppings, where they must be eaten by snails in order to hatch. Once devoured, they move into the snail’s digestive tract and emerge to form long tube structures that invade the snail’s tentacles. At that point the snail cannot see or retract its tentacles. The tentacles, once invaded by this parasite, turn bright colors and wave around in the open, a behavior that is very attractive to birds. The birds swoop down and take a bite, which is exactly what the parasite wanted. Only when it is safely inside the body of a bird can it grow into adulthood and lay eggs, which are excreted in the bird’s droppings so the cycle can begin again.
HAIRWORM
Spinochordodes tellinii
This parasitic worm begins its life as a microscopic larva, swimming around in water where it hopes to be swallowed by a grasshopper taking a drink. Once inside the grasshopper, it grows into adulthood, but it has a problem: it needs to get back into the water to find a mate. To accomplish this, it takes control of the grasshopper’s brain—perhaps by releasing a protein that alters its central nervous system—and convinces its host to commit suicide by jumping into the nearest body of water. Once the grasshopper has drowned, the hairworm leaves the body and swims away.
PHORID FLY
Pseudacteon spp.
A tiny South American fly may be the solution to the fire ant problem in the American South. This fly injects its eggs into the fire ant. The larvae eat the ant’s brains, causing the ant to wander aimlessly around for a week or two. Eventually the head falls off and the adult flies emerge in search of more fire ants to kill. This violent and vicious approach to pest control is deeply satisfying to people who have been plagued by the ants; researchers at the University of Texas are conducting experimental releases of the flies and assessing the implications of a wide-scale release.
About the Artist
Briony Morrow-Cribbs creates copper etchings, fine bound books, and ceramic sculptures contained in “cabinets of curiosity” that reflect her fascination with the ways in which the rational language of science meets the mysterious and often grotesque world of nature.
A graduate of the Emily Carr Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia, and a master of fine arts candidate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Morrow-Cribbs’s work has been shown in the United States and abroad.
She is the co-founder of Twin Vixen Press in Brattleboro, Vermont, and is represented by Davidson Galleries in Seattle and Brackenwood Gallery on Whidbey Island in Washington State.
Briony would like to thank Steven Krauth, the Distinguished Academic Curator of the Insect Research Collection at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, for his aid in the delicate work of insect research.
Resources
Visit WickedBugs.com for links to these and other online resources.
INSECT IDENTIFICATION
Making an accurate identification of an insect or insect bite is best left to the experts. Carefully capturing the insect or taking a good photograph of it is critical to identifying it. Armed with this information, contact your county agricultural extension office or the entomology department at your local university for assistance.
The Entomological Society of America (www.entsoc.org) offers a resource section on its Web site with links to entomological societies and other insect-related information.
The American Arachnological Society (www.americanarachnology.org) offers a photo gallery, answers to commonly asked questions, and links to more resources.
The Royal Entomological Society (www.royensoc.co.uk) offers an online identification guide and other information about British bugs.
BugGuide.net is an online community of insect enthusiasts who post pictures of insects, spiders, and other creatures.
Buglife (www.buglife.org.uk) is a charity dedicated to the conservation of invertebrates, including Britain’s rarest bugs.
INSECTARIUMS
Visiting an insectarium is a wonderful way to meet some of these creatures up close. Many natural history museums and zoos feature bug exhibits. Here are just a few of the more interesting insectariums around the world:
American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY (www.amnh.org). Holds one of the largest insect collections in the world; insect-related exhibits are a regular feature.
Audubon Insectarium, New Orleans, LA (www.auduboninstitute.org). The first major institution to open in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, this insect museum features live insect exhibits, a simulated underground encounter with human-sized bugs, and insect delicacies that brave children can sample in the cafeteria.
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA (www.calacademy.org). Features a four-story rain forest, natural history museum, educational naturalist center, and a living “green roof.”
Field Museum, C
hicago, IL (www.fieldmuseum.org). With an extraordinary insect and butterfly collection, this natural history museum regularly features special insect exhibits.
Montreal Insectarium, Montréal, Québec (www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/insectarium/). Live and preserved specimens, butterfly exhibits, and special programs.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA (www.nhm.org). Has an insect zoo with live specimens, along with regular “bug shows” where visitors can touch the creatures.
Natural History Museum, London, England (www.nhm.ac.uk). Known for its “creepy-crawly” exhibit, wildlife garden, and extraordinary Darwin Centre collection.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC (www.mnh.si.edu). Includes an insect zoo, butterfly pavilion, and a vast collection of specimens.
PEST CONTROL
Correctly identifying pests is the first step to getting them out of your home and garden. Contact your county agricultural extension office or university entomology department for help identifying and controlling unwanted insects.
Almost every state has an integrated pest management (IPM) program to help eliminate pests using low-toxic approaches. Do a search online for your state’s program; for instance, Illinois’s program can be found at www.ipm.illinois.edu.
Pesticide Action Network North America (www.panna.org) offers a pesticide information database and information about alternatives to pesticides.
Pest Control UK (www.pestcontrol-uk.org) offers a selection of pest control resources for UK residents.
Richard Fagerlund (www.askthebugman.com) has been delivering sensible and safe pest control advice for years through his syndicated “Ask the Bugman” column and now through his Web site.
INSECT-TRANSMITTED DISEASES
The Centers for Disease Control (www.cdc.gov) and the National Health Service in the UK (www.nhs.uk) offer advice for travelers to minimize exposure to insect-transmitted disease and provide basic overviews of many of those diseases.
The World Health Organization (www.who.int) monitors and fights insect-transmitted disease outbreaks worldwide and offers basic health information for travelers.
The Carter Center (www.cartercenter.org) is working to eliminate a number of the diseases described in this book. Their strategies include teaching people how to build healthier latrines, distributing water filters, and offering free medication. Even a small donation can save a life; visit their Web site to find out more.
Bibliography
IDENTIFICATION GUIDES
Capinera, John L. Encyclopedia of Entomology. Dordrecht: Springer, 2008.
Eaton, Eric R., and Kenn Kaufman. Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2007.
Evans, Arthur V. National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Insects and Spiders and Related Species of North America. New York: Sterling, 2007.
Foster, Steven, and Roger A. Caras. A Field Guide to Venomous Animals and Poisonous Plants, North America, North of Mexico. Peterson field guide series 46. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1994.
Haggard, Peter, and Judy Haggard. Insects of the Pacific Northwest. Timber Press field guide. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2006.
Levi, Herbert Walter, Lorna Rose Levi, Herbert S. Zim, and Nicholas Strekalovsky. Spiders and Their Kin. New York: Golden Press, 1990.
O’Toole, Christopher. Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2002.
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MEDICAL REFERENCES
Goddard, Jerome. Physician’s Guide to Arthropods of Medical Importance. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2007.
Lane, Richard P., and Roger Ward Crosskey. Medical Insects and Arachnids. London: Chapman & Hall, 1993.
Mullen, Gary R., and Lance A. Durden. Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Amsterdam: Academic Press, 2002.
PEST CONTROL
Ellis, Barbara W., Fern Marshall Bradley, and Helen Atthowe. The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy without Chemicals. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press, 1996.
Gillman, Jeff. The Truth About Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2008.
Gillman, Jeff. The Truth About Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Bottom Line. Portland, OR: Timber Press, 2008.
FURTHER READING
Alexander, John O’Donel. Arthropods and Human Skin. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1984.
Berenbaum, May R. Bugs in the System: Insects and Their Impact on Human Affairs. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1995.
Bondeson, Jan. A Cabinet of Medical Curiosities. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997.
Burgess, Jeremy, Michael Marten, and Rosemary Taylor. Microcosmos. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1987.
Byrd, Jason H., and James L. Castner. Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2001.
Campbell, Christopher. The Botanist and the Vintner: How Wine Was Saved for the World. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2005.
Carwardine, Mark. Extreme Nature. New York: Collins, 2005.
Chase, Marilyn. The Barbary Plague: The Black Death in Victorian San Francisco. New York: Random House, 2003.
Chinery, Michael. Amazing Insects: Images of Fascinating Creatures. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books, 2008.
Cloudsley-Thompson, J. L. Insects and History. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1976.
Collinge, Sharon K., and Chris Ray. Disease Ecology: Community Structure and Pathogen Dynamics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Cowan, Frank. Curious Facts in the History of Insects; Including Spiders and Scorpions: A Complete Collection of the Legends, Superstitions, Beliefs, and Ominous Signs Connected with Insects, Together with Their Uses in Medicine, Art, and as Food; and a Summary of Their Remarkable Injuries and Appearances. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott, 1865.
Crosby, Molly Caldwell. The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic That Shaped Our History. New York: Berkley Books, 2006.
Crosskey, Roger Ward. The Natural History of Blackflies. Chichester, England: Wiley, 1990.
Eisner, Thomas. For Love of Insects. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2003.
Eisner, Thomas, Maria Eisner, and Melody Siegler. Secret Weapons: Defenses of Insects, Spiders, Scorpions, and Other Many-Legged Creatures. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2005.
Erzinclioglu, Zakaria. Maggots, Murder, and Men: Memories and Reflections of a Forensic Entomologist. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2000.
Evans, Arthur V. What’s Bugging You? A Fond Look at the Animals We Love to Hate. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2008.
Evans, Howard Ensign. Life on a Little-Known Planet. New York: Dutton, 1968.
Friedman, Reuben. The Emperor’s Itch: The Legend Concerning Napoleon’s Affliction with Scabies. New York: Froben Press, 1940.
Gennard, Dorothy E. Forensic Entomology: An Introduction. Chichester, England: Wiley, 2007.
Glausiusz, Josie, and Volker Steger. Buzz: The Intimate Bond between Humans and Insects. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2004.
Goff, M. Lee. A Fly for the Prosecution: How Insect Evidence Helps Solve Crimes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.
Gordon, Richard. An Alarming History of Famous and Difficult! Patients: Amusing Medical Anecdotes from Typhoid Mary to FDR. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997.
Gratz, Norman. The Vector-and Rodent-Borne Diseases of Europe and North America: Their Distribution and Public Health Burden. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
Gullan, P. J., and P. S. Cranston. The Insects: An Outline of Entomology. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005.
Hickin, Norman E. Bookworms: The Insect Pests of Books. London: Sheppard Press, 1985.
Hoeppli, Reinhard.
Parasitic Diseases in Africa and the Western Hemisphere: Early Documentation and Transmission by the Slave Trade. Basel: Verlag fur Recht und Gesellschaft, 1969.
Holldobler, Bert, and Edward O. Wilson. The Ants. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1990.
Holldobler, Bert, and Edward O. Wilson. The Superorganism: The Beauty, Elegance, and Strangeness of Insect Societies. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009.
Howell, Michael, and Peter Ford. The Beetle of Aphrodite and Other Medical Mysteries. New York: Random House, 1985.
Hoyt, Erich, and Ted Schultz. Insect Lives: Stories of Mystery and Romance from a Hidden World. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2002.
Jones, David E. Poison Arrows: North American Indian Hunting and Warfare. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2007.
Kelly, John. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.