Page 8 - ALG Issue 3 2019
P. 8

 book reviews
Extraordinary Insects
   Queen Spotting
By Hilary Kearney
Storey Publishing, £14.99 Hardback, 128 pages ISBN: 9781635860375
Written by experienced beekeeper and professional ‘swarm catcher’ Hilary Kearney, explore the life of a queen bee and learn about the signs of how to spot one, as well as learning the ins and outs of life in
a royal hive. Complete with 48 visual puzzles to test your queenspotting knowledge, and stories from Kearney’s swarm catching adventures.
199 Flowers
By Hannah Watson Usborne, £5.99 Hardback, 16 pages ISBN: 9781474950909
In the garden or in tropical places, this book is the perfect aid for children to identify 199 flowers. From white clover and feverfew,
to water
violets and Japanese wisteria, each page is full of colourful and detailed illustrations, all labelled and categorised for where they might be found by young aspiring botanists!
  by Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson Mudlark, £14.99
ISBN 978-0-00-831635-8 Audio and e-book available
Allotments are important places
for biodiversity, especially in urban areas, and many plotholders get great enjoyment from the contact with nature that a visit to the plot delivers. An increasing number of plotholders also take steps to encourage wildlife such as beneficial insects, small mammals, amphibians and reptiles (deer, rabbits, rats and badgers probably receive less encouragement). This fascinating book by Norwegian author Anne Sverdrup- Thygeson takes a close look at probably the most significant animal you will find on your plot – insects.
Anne’s book examines insects’ relationship with ourselves, how we rely on them for pollination, decomposition and soil formation and also to serve as food for other animals, keep harmful organisms in check, disperse seeds, help us in our research, and inspire us with their smart solutions. The ability of the greater wax moth to digest plastic and turn it in to anti-freeze may well lead to a practical solution to deal with our plastic waste. More pertinently for plotholders, a German study found
that insect pollinated strawberries
are redder, firmer, less ill-shapen and tastier than those that are wind or self- pollinated and similar effects have been seen in apples, blueberries, melons, cucumbers and tomatoes.
The stories about the insects’ private lives make this a very accessible read. Who would have thought that insects lead lives
full of fun, intrigue and wonder – musical mating rituals; house-hunting for armies of beetle babies; metamorphosising into new characters; throwing parties in fermenting
sap; cultivating fungi for food; farming smaller species for honeydew
and always ensuring
that what is dead is decomposed, ready
to become life once again?
Anne Sverdrup- Thygeson says: ‘Even after working with
Who would have thought that insects lead lives full of fun, intrigue and wonder – musical mating rituals; house- hunting for armies of beetle babies...
Illustrator credit: Carim Nahaboo
insects for 25 years, they never cease to surprise me. My hope is that this book will open more people’s eyes
to the weird and wonderful world of insects, whilst marvelling over all the connections between their lives and ours”.
Anne concludes her book by saying that humans have long taken the
free services of insects for granted
and that through intensive land use, climate change, insecticide and invasive species, we now risk altering conditions so quickly that insects will have difficulty continuing to deliver
the vital eco-system services they
have done to date. She encourages everyone to start to take care of insects’ health and well-being, as a form of
life insurance for our children and grandchildren. For allotment holders that means taking the time to educate yourself about the role of insects in
helping your plot to be productive and this
wonderful book would be an entertaining start to
that process.
Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson is a professor at the
Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) in Ås, Norway, as well as a
scientific advisor for The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research NINA.
She has a Doctorate degree in conservation biology
and lectures on nature
management and forest biodiversity. Her research focuses on insect ecology.
Anne has just become the first female scientist to be awarded the coveted Bonnevie Award
for her services to science.
            8 Allotment and Leisure Gardener



















































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