Wicked Bugs: The Meanest, Deadliest, Grossest Bugs on Earth

193 Pages·2017·108.66 MB·English

by  Amy Stewart

WICKED
BUGS
Also by AMY STEWART
From the Ground Up:
Th e Story of a First Garden
Th e Earth Moved:
On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms
Flower Confi dential:
Th e Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful in the Business of Flowers
Wicked Plants:
Th e Weed Th at Killed Lincoln’s Mother &
Other Botanical Atrocities
Wicked Bugs:
Th e Louse Th at Conquered Napoleon’s Army &
Other Diabolical Insects
WICKED
BUGS
THE MEANEST, DEADLIEST,
GROSSEST BUGS ON EARTH
AAMMYY SSTTEEWWAARRTT
Illustrated by Briony Morrow-Cribbs
algonquin young readers 2017
Published by
Algonquin Young Readers
an imprint of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Post Office Box 2225
Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515-2225
a division of
Workman Publishing
225 Varick Street
New York, New York 10014
© 2017 by Amy Stewart.
All rights reserved.
Illustrations © 2017 Briony Morrow-Cribbs.
Printed in China.
Published simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited.
Design by Becky Terhune.
Library Of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Stewart, Amy, author.
Title: Wicked bugs : the meanest, deadliest, grossest bugs on earth / Amy Stewart.
Description: First edition. | Chapel Hill, North Carolina :
Algonquin Young Readers, 2017. | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Audience: Ages 8 to 12. | Audience: Grades 4 to 6.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017013260| ISBN 9781616206994 (pbk.) |
ISBN 9781616207557 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Insect pests—Juvenile literature. | Arachnida—Juvenile literature.
Classification: LCC SB931 .S83 2017 | DDC 632/.7—dc22
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017013260
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition
TTTTooo PPPSSSBB
Table of Contents
Warning: We Are Seriously Outnumbered . . . . ix
a brief explanation of
scientific classification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
DEADLY CREATURES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Brazilian Wandering Spider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Tsetse Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Assassin Bug. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Mosquito. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Oriental Rat Flea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Curse of the Scorpion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
EVERYDAY DANGERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Cockroach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Deer Tick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Bed Bug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Body Lice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Head Lice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Th e Enemy Within. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
UNWELCOME INVADERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Nightcrawler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
African Bat Bug . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Millipede . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Zombies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
DESTRUCTIVE PESTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Death-Watch Beetle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Rocky Mountain Locust. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Mountain Pine Beetle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Formosan Subterranean Termite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Corpse Eaters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
SERIOUS PAINS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Asian Giant Hornet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
Paederus Beetle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
Brown Recluse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105
Giant Centipede . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
Scabies Mite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113
Bombardier Beetle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Tarantula . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Stinging Caterpillars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Th e Ants Go Marching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
TERRIBLE THREATS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Black Widow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Chigoe Flea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Chigger Mite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Sand Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
Black Fly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
Filth Fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155
I’ve Got You Under My Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .158
Fear of Bugs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

Warning: We Are Seriously
Outnumbered
I
n 1909, the Chicago Daily Tribune ran an article titled “If Bugs
Were the Size of Men.” Th e reporter asked what would happen
“if some mighty magician’s wand should be waved over the
world tomorrow and mankind be reduced to the size of insects,
while these tiny creatures should reach the size of men.”
Th e article imagined what it would be like if humans traded
places with bugs: the giant Hercules beetle was not just tough, but
immoral, with a taste for drinking and fi ghting; bark beetles would
mow down massive fortresses; armies would be helpless against the
weapons of the bombardier beetle; and spiders would “destroy ele-
phants . . . a man’s only possible salvation would be that he was
too insignifi cant to attack.” Even lions would cower in fear against
these new winged and multilegged enemies.
Th e reporter’s intent was, undoubtedly, to make the point that
insects are powerful in their own way, and that it is only their size
that keeps them from conquering the world.
In fact, insects have changed the course of history. Th ey have
halted soldiers in their tracks. Th ey have driven farmers off their
land. Th ey have devoured cities and forests, and infl icted pain, suf-
fering, and death upon hundreds of millions.
Th is is not to say that they don’t do good as well. Th ey pollinate
the plants that feed us, and they are themselves food for creatures
up and down the food chain. Th ey do the vital work of decompo-
sition, returning everything from fallen leaves to fallen heroes back
ix