book: The Sting of the Wild , Justin Schmidt
You might know the late Dr Schmidt: he's the guy who got stung by as many stinging insects as possible & created the Schmidt pain index. This is that guy.
The Sting of the Wild weaves between an autobiography of an entomologist-chemist who gained pop-culture notoriety, and precise science pertaining to the stinging insects he loved. This feels right to read, the idea of Dr Schmidt, the pain index, and stinging insect biology inextricably interwoven in the general psyche. It doesn't hurt that Dr Schmidt got up to all kinds of shenanigans, which he describes humorously. I learned a whole lot about a bunch of stinging insect species: anatomy, behaviour, ecology, and evolution. He also does admirable work dissecting and then attempting to dismantle the hateful mythology around many hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, sawflies). After all, most animals on the index are less painful than a honeybee, and many more non-stinging hymenoptera exist than are on the index.
a brilliant read for anyone who loves bugs and wants to hear another bug-lover talk about them. Combining anecdote and science, Dr Schmidt finds that sweet spot balancing emotionally warm and factual.
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