May 3, 2011 • Category: Blog, Excerpts, Promotions
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Amy Stewart, author of the New York Times bestsellers Wicked Plants and Flower Confidential, is back with her newest book, Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered Napoleon’s Army and Other Diabolical Insects. (Be sure to see the hilarious trailer for the book at bottom, where you’ll also find an excerpt.) And, as is typical with Stewart’s books, there’s been a wealth of national media attention, including a New York Times interview; a Fresh Air interview; and an NPR Weekend Edition interview.
Wicked Bugs is a darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the natural world. Stewart details over one hundred of our worst entomological foes–insects that infest, infect, and generally wreak havoc on human affairs. With wit, style, and exacting research, she 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.
To celebrate, we’re giving away three copies of the book and three cute, cuddly stuffed bookworms, courtesy of Giant Microbes. Just leave a comment detailing your worst bug encounter–you can post it here on our blog or on our Facebook page and you’ll automatically be entered.
Want to purchase an autographed/personally inscribed book for yourself or a friend? Visit Stewart’s website for details. It would make a great Mother’s Day present, don’t you think?
Watch the book trailer:
Read an Excerpt:
Excerpt from Wicked Bugs
Tags: Amy Stewart, bookworm, Briony Morrow-Cribbs, Fresh Air, Giant Microbes, NPR, Terry Gross, The New York Times, Wicked Bugs
Carol says...
Perhaps it was that first day of entomology class in college, walking into a building with hallways lined with cases full of insect specimens of all sizes, shapes, and colors. But I got over it and actually enjoyed studying insects. I’m ready to have my skin crawl with imaginary bugs while I read Wicked Bugs.
May 3, 2011@ 8:59 PMDiana in NYC says...
While visiting Tuscon, AZ, I checked in to my hotel, kicked off my shoes and walked barefoot around the room while putting away my things. As I opened the closed door a giant tarantula scurried out and had me jumping on the bed to get away from it. It was the largest, hairiest spider I’ve ever seen. I asked for and received a different room!
May 3, 2011@ 5:36 PMElizabeth says...
When I was a kid at girl scout camp, a wasp got in our tent, so we all screamed and jumped into our sleeping bags and pulled them over our heads. I didn’t realize until quite too late that the little guy had heeded our warnings and jumped into my sleeping bag with me, where I had conveniently sealed him in. I got stung several times before I managed to get the wasp out of my sleeping bag. I never went to girl scout camp again!
May 3, 2011@ 4:29 PManne says...
A friend and I went for a late-Winter hike in the dry east end of the Columbia River Gorge. Beautiful, sunny day; we climbed up to the ridge top and half-way back down, stopping by some small brush oaks to sit and admire the view. Not paying much attention, engrossed in our conversation…..but minutes later, we were covered in swarms of the tiniest ticks I’ve ever seen. It was as if they’d been recently born and were starving, waiting for the first mammal to pass by, and that was us! We flew down to the parking lot, hopping in and out of our clothing along the way, in full sight of the interstate. No accidents though! And fortunately, no bites either.
May 3, 2011@ 2:53 PMDan Long says...
I was in Kunming, China in August and saw live hornet larva in nests that were being sold by some of the vendors. You could buy food stuffs from the vendors and take them to a sidewalk cafe/restaurant to have them cooked. As we were waiting for our meal, the cook on a few occasions would run through the cafe to the street, and stomp on one of our hornets that were a little beyond the larva stage. The fried hornets were rather tasty. This story isn’t so much a bad encounter that I had with insects but a story of an insects worst nightmare!
May 3, 2011@ 2:28 PMroc_phd says...
My husband and I lived in Belize for a couple of years, and marching army ants came and stayed for about 2 weeks in the attic of our house. We got used to them, and they cleaned out many of the other bugs living there, but that first night, it was hard to sleep!
May 3, 2011@ 1:52 PMKate says...
I was in Northern Thailand, on a raft on a small river, carefully focusing my camera on some sight or another, when all of a sudden I had the most astounding sharp pain in my ankle. There was a large wasp-like insect that had just stung me with no provocation. Within minutes my whole leg was numb, and it remained numb for several days. The guide who was with us was very concerned about my well-being, and helpfully started telling me stories about local people who had been killed by such wasps (fortunately adding that it takes at least 4 bites to kill an adult)
That would be my worst bug story
May 3, 2011@ 1:39 PMLiann says...
Discovering giant scorpions crawling precariously on the thatch ceiling of the beach palapa we had rented that evening on the Yucatan coast. It was really difficult to think about getting in bed and sleeping that night. We went to the little palapa bar nearby, thinking we at least needed a drink before trying to sleep. The locals told us not to worry too much about the huge scorpions. They would only make us tongue-numb if we were stung! It was the little ones that were deadly…..
May 3, 2011@ 1:26 PMNicole Deyton says...
I was on vacation with my girlfriend touring ruins in New Mexico when she snapped a picture of me – just as a bug flew into my ear. It was horrific (both the picture and the experience). I could hear and feel the bug fluttering about next to my eardrum the entire day. We tried getting it out with a q-tip and then with a swiss army knife tweezer set, but it only dug in deeper. We tried rinsing my ear out with warm water and an ear cleanser & the bug latched on. Later that day we drove to Las Vegas – as I was having to endure this bug exploring the depths of my inner ear – my friend had to endure the occasional turrets-like shouts as the bug moved about – over 8 hours of loud buzzing, rubbing, and tickling before we finally managed to get the darn thing out (it finally stuck its head out & we grabbed it with the tweezers). Even thinking about it now, I still feel the relief that washed over me 15 years ago.
May 3, 2011@ 1:15 PMLaura Bell says...
Worst bug episode ? Perhaps the time I ran over a ground hornet nest with the lawn mower. I was stung dozens of times, mostly on the face. Just before the first day of high school, no less. Imagine showing up as a freshman with brand-new classmates sporting what looked like the worst case of acne in the history of the world !
May 3, 2011@ 12:21 PM