Endless Forms

May 2, 2022
Entomologist Sumner debuts with a tour de force on the world of wasps, delving into their daily lives, economic value to society, and the important ecological niches they fill. Though they have a bad rap, the insects are full of surprises, Sumner writes. For example, they’re the evolutionary precursor of both bees and ants, and their social structures feature “divisions of labour, rebellions and policing, monarchies, leadership contests... negotiators, social parasites, undertakers.” Their genetics open the door to a deep consideration of the evolution of altruism, “one of the longest-standing puzzles in the natural sciences,” Sumner writes, because their willingness to “sacrifice themselves to promote the survival of their relatives” is a central feature of the life of a hive. She recounts their reproductive strategies of paralyzing prey then laying eggs in the bodies, suggests that wasps and bees can recognize individual human faces, and extends her study into a clever calculation of the economic value of wasps, noting that they account for “almost 50 per cent of the 230 invertebrate species that are commercially used as biocontrol agents,” which has an “estimated value of well over $400 billion a year.” Funny, informative, and zippy, this is just the thing for budding entomologists.

May 1, 2022
Sumner, a professor of behavioral ecology, provides a fascinating introduction to the much-maligned wasp. She laments the focus and emphasis placed on bees, which she describes as "wasps that have forgotten how to hunt." Sumner's research has taken her around the world and introduced her to many other "wasp whisperers." Her passion for wasps and their global importance as both predators and pollinators is compelling. In one instance, she frames using wasps as a biocontrol agent in place of pesticides in sub-Saharan Africa as a humanitarian issue. The text is full of intriguing facts about wasps, ranging from cultural references to their complex social lives. The writing is engaging and humorous; Sumner describes a certain species of wasp as feasting "like a hungry teenager at a sushi bar." While entertaining, sections describing imagined conversations with wasp whisperers of the past and a dinner party with Aristotle seem slightly out of place. The book concludes with a detailed notes section. This interesting and entertaining work is sure to leave readers buzzing.

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Starred review from May 1, 2022

Sumner (behavioral ecology, Univ. Coll. London) argues that wasps are the least-loved, most enigmatic of insects. Designed as a defense of wasps, this book explores the lifespan, social behavior, and crucial roles these insects play in earth's ecology. She uses pasta--yes, pasta--as a way to explain evolution, the forms of a potato to explain pleiotropy, and a fictitious dinner with Aristotle to juxtapose past research studies with much-needed future scientific inquiries. Wasps are chemists, mathematicians, and, Sumner points out, less understood and studied than bees, who are really just wasps that have forgotten how to hunt. There are references to Hunger Games and Game of Thrones, an analogy about shopping for jeans, and an impressively accessible explanation for Hamilton's Rule, all bundled in with the historical narrative of key discoveries of earlier scientists (Jean-Henri Fabre; George and Elizabeth Peckham; Margaret Morley). Science-curious or garden-devoted readers of any level will emerge from Sumner's book with a better understanding of ecology and a new appreciation for wasps. VERDICT Sumner successfully makes the case for wasps in this engaging read with her deft humor, thorough research, and astute analogies.--Tina Panik

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Starred review from May 15, 2022
An appealing study of the almost universally despised "gangsters of the insect world." "The wasp has long been a powerful metaphor for an evil, devious character who does no good," writes British entomologist and behavioral ecologist Sumner. Fascinated by wasps since childhood, the author points out that wasps are voracious predators who eat a wide range of insects, including agricultural pests. In some parts of the world, they are farmed on a factory scale and released into fields to destroy caterpillars and other pests. Without them, we would need to use more toxic insecticides. "Without the services of wasps as pest controllers, pollinators, seed-dispersers and decomposers, our forests, grasslands, parks, gardens, deserts, highlands, moorlands and heathlands would not support planetary health in the way they currently (just about) do," writes the author. Wasps make up over 80% of the order Hymenoptera, which includes bees and ants. There are around 150,000 described species of Hymenoptera, but perhaps 10 times more yet to be described, making them the most numerous insect order, and their communities rival those of ants and humans in complexity, division of labor, and pugnacity. Almost all wasps are solitary, tiny parasitoids, which lay their eggs on or inside other insects, not excluding other wasps. When they hatch, the larvae eat the living host as they grow. Sumner excels in describing historical naturalists ("wasp whisperers"), and she offers an imaginative chapter on Aristotle, who shared her unfashionable fascination and showed impressive imagination and endurance while crawling around to learn the secrets of the often miniscule insects. Sumner devotes considerable attention to the relevant research about the social structure of wasp communities, the details (and mathematics) of their impressive altruism, and descriptions of their evolution in light of modern genetic analysis. A nature documentary would likely pass over these complexities, but they are accessible in Sumner's skillful hands. A wasp admirer makes a delightful case for their importance.

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