Completely updated in a new edition, this book remains ideal for a reader with little or no background in entomology and those who cannot spend the time to take both a general entomology course and an applied course. This combines, in a single volume, general principles of entomology and modern principles of insect pest management, including factual details and specific examples.Features up-to-date coverage on environmentally sound insecticides; the Transgenic plant controversy; Pest management systems; Newly released and recently discontinued products and updated insecticides; Current government regulations and labeling of microbial pesticides, plant pesticides and biochemical pesticides; and Developments in genetic engineering and plant bio technology. For those with little or no background in entomology who want a comprehensive resource of both general entomology and applied aspects.

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While cultural and scholarly traditions have led us to believe that war and control of nature are separate, there are many more similarities than most people might suspect. Tracing the history of chemical warfare and pest control, Edmund Russell shows how war and control of nature coevolved. Ideologically, institutionally, and technologically, the paths of chemical warfare and pest control intersected repeatedly in the twentieth century. War and Nature helps us to understand the impact of war on nature and vice versa, as well as the development of total war, and the rise of the modern environmental movement. Edmund Russell is an assistant professor in the Division of Technology, Culture, and Communication in the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia. This is his first book.

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5 Stars creative synthesis
In War and Nature Edmund Russell, Associate Professor of Technology, Culture, and Communication at the University of Virginia, cleverly traces the interaction between chemical warfare and pest control from World War I to the Vietnam War. His central thesis is that war and control of nature have coevolved: "the control of nature expanded the scale of war, and war expanded the scale on which people controlled nature" (p. 2). Following up on his dissertation (University of Michigan, 1993), which won the Rachel Carson Prize from the American Society for Environmental History, Russell culled a wide variety of recently declassified U.S. government documents, business publications, and contemporary books and articles. Russell finds that World Wars I and II and the Cold War forged close ties between military and scientific institutions, and efforts to maintain such links became hallmarks of the post-World War II era. Scientifically and technologically, pest control and chemical warfare each created knowledge and tools that reinforced the other (p. 4) For example, on the eve of World War I, there were few U.S. chemical companies. They manufactured primarily low-profit bulk chemicals. In contrast, Germany had the best chemical factories and schools and had the largest output of sophisticated products. Eight German companies made up almost 80 percent of the world's dyes (p. 18). However, the increased use of mustard and chlorine gas in the war boosted the demand by European allies for these chemicals from the United States. The "Chemical Warfare Service" was created within the U.S. Army to employ civilian chemists to conduct research on war gases. This research also stimulated the invention of new insecticides to deal with such menaces as the boll weevil (attacking cotton crops), house fly (spreading typhus), the San Jose scale (damaging fruit trees), and mosquitoes (spreading malaria).
The use of chemicals in warfare is not new. Interestingly, Russell points out that the first recorded use of poison gas was in 428 BC, when Spartans besieging Plataea attempted to kill its defenders by burning wood soaked in pitch and sulfur under city walls (p. 4). However, chemical warfare increased throughout the twentieth century. According to Russell, at least 90,000 people were killed in World War I by gas, and estimated 350,000 were killed by gas in World War II, not including all the victims in Hitler's gas chambers. Even these figures seem low. Russell skillfully shows through cartoons how federal entomologists and chemists used insects in their propaganda as metaphors for human enemies. One cartoon depicts a conversation between two worms, one of them exclaiming: "What! Me sabotage that guy's victory garden? What do you take me for-a Jap? (p. 100)."
The Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 sought to exclude gas from warfare and define the rights of combatants. Public outrage at the use of chemicals as weapons of war continued to mount. After World War II, the Chemical Warfare Service and other chemical companies lobbied Congress vigorously, stressing the need to develop war gases as insecticides, for which increased funding was required. Noted chemists testified before Congress, claiming also that chemical and biological warfare was "more humane" than conventional warfare. According to Russell, who interviewed several of these chemists, Chief Chemical Officer William Creasy inanely argued in 1958 that 25,000 American casualties on Iwo Jima could have been avoided had the U.S. military employed chemical weapons (p. 208). Miracle "psychochemicals" were promoted, such as LSD-25 that could temporarily incapacitate troops but not permanently harm them. Russell cites a US Army propaganda film produced in 1958 in which a cat chased and caught a mouse, inhaled an unnamed gas, and then cowered from another mouse (p. 208). This publicity campaign persuaded Pentagon authorities to increase the U.S. Army's budget to $80,000,000 for chemical research.
Research to fight insects increased simultaneously with the development of chemicals to fight humans. As thousands of families moved to the suburbs in the 1950s, gardening became a popular hobby and stimulated the desire for pest control. Pesticide manufacturers such as Du Pont and Dow increased their marketing to this group of consumers, while federal crop dusting programs using DDT were initiated.
Russell shows how Rachel Carson's publication of Silent Spring in 1962 galvanized the American environmental movement, leading eventually to the ban on DDT in 1972. This immediate bestseller detailed the noxious effects of DDT on plants and animals and characterized pest control as a self-defeating form of warfare (p. 229).
Reading this book, one is struck by the immense irony of the twentieth century and the causal interaction of peace and war. Never before have so many human lives been saved (thanks to pesticides killing disease-carrying insects and increasing crop yields) and so many destroyed (mostly due to incendiaries, but also chemical weapons). Americans got better at saving lives partly because they got better at taking them, and vice versa. While War and Nature is almost too dazzling in its rich detail and sometimes a bit careless in its logic (e.g. implying that human beings should not be considered part of nature), the book breaks new ground in its connection of two traditionally disparate fields of inquiry, environmental and military history. It should be required reading in college courses in both security studies and environmental science.---Johanna Granville, Ph.D. (Stanford University)

4 Stars angels and insects
World War I was just the beginning of an ongoing cultural and scientific process in which chemical based weapons were created and marketed for use against human and insect enemies. Russell reminds us that the cultural, institutional, and political evolution of twentieth century science and warfare in the United States began not with the J. Robert Oppenheimer and the physicists of Los Alamos but with chemists like James B. Conant and his colleagues at Harvard and American University, emergent corporations like Dupont and the Hooker Company, and government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and the United States Chemical Warfare Service. With an eye for detail and a witty and readable narrative style, the author assembles scientific papers, declassified governmental and military planning documents, trade journals, and propaganda and advertising literature to reshape our understanding not only of the role of chemistry in warfare, but more importantly the reflexive nature of our understanding and relation to both technology and nature during times of peace.

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The first book in two decades to address this multi-faceted field, The Toxicology and Biochemistry of Insecticides provides the most up-to-date information on insecticide classification, formulation, mode of action, resistance, metabolism, environmental fate, and regulatory legislation. The book draws on the author’s groundbreaking research in insect detoxification. It discusses mechanisms at the molecular level such as specific enzymes that contribute to insecticide resistance, the modification of which can change insecticide susceptibility and influence host plant selections in phytophagous insects.
Beginning with a general introduction, eleven chapters integrate classical toxicology with physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology to present a comprehensive look at the field. The book discusses the demand and formulation of pesticides and describes each type from dusts and powders to baits and aerosols. It classifies insecticides by target, chemical compound, and mechanism; evaluates toxicity testing procedures; explains pesticide uptake, mode of action, and metabolism; and explores species differences, resistance, and interactions. It also considers pesticides in the environment and federal and state regulatory legislation and enforcement.
A long-awaited, state-of-the-science review on insect toxicology, this indispensable book brings you up-to-date on the many aspects and implications of pesticide use and provides the necessary background and platform from which to conduct future research.

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Is your garden troubled by cutworms or aphids? Need to know the best method for preventing the spread of viruses among your houseplants? Look no further than Pests and Diseases, the informative guide to the downside of gardening. Sooner or later, everyone's roses are troubled by black spot. Or maybe you haven't been having success treating known problems with chemical solutions. Pests and Diseases will answer all your questions, from prevention methods to lasting damage repair.

The close-up photos in the "identifying" area are certainly helpful, but are not for the squeamish. And it's not just the creepy crawlies that are a little discomforting--shots of full-blown bacterial infections on tree trunks aren't exactly a welcome sight, either. But to ensure healthy lives for their plants, responsible gardeners need to be as familiar with ladybug larvae as they are with lavender. It's better to recognize these problems in the early stages. Treatments discussed focus on organic and biological methods whenever possible. Beer-traps, barriers, and beneficial bugs are all explained in detail, along with reminders that regular weeding and cleanliness aren't just for looks, but for health as well. When chemical solutions are recommended, proper care is emphasized--not just for you, but for the other plants and animals in your garden. Proper techniques for preparation, treatment, storage, and disposal are gone over at length, as well as stern advice to only use these in moderation, and correctly--if they won't solve the problem thoroughly, then they're not worth the risks involved. Thorough and straightforwardly technical, even beginning gardeners will find it possible to tackle tough problems with this intelligent aid. --Jill Lightner

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Garden Reference
This book is an excellent reference for the gardener and was as represented. I regret not at all having purchased this volume and recommend it to anyone wanting such a reference in their library of garden-related books.

4 Stars Great series of books
I honestly have not used this book as much as the pruning and propagation books in the same series, but I will rely on it this spring as I had a nasty experience with Japanese beetles ravaging my fruit trees in 2007.

3 Stars It's okay
This is a book for a more experienced gardener. You almost need to be able to look at a plant and know what the disease/infestation might be before finding it in this book. It would be more helpful to have a section with a listing of plants/trees and their susceptabilities. I actually had to look up the plant in another reference book to find out what disease/infestation a certain plant may be susceptible to, then I was able to look that up in this book.

4 Stars Good Reference Text!
Thorough listing and descriptions of various pests and diseases with good suggestions of how to handle.

2 Stars Poor coverage of diseases and pests
First off, it's extremely difficult to identify a pest or disease by description alone. By the cover, which showed picture after picture, I thought for sure each disease or insect infestation would have a picture to help with identification. There were only a handful of the many plant diseases and insect damage that one encounters. I ended up using Davesgarden.com for my diagnosis.

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This practical guide is filled with effective tips for keeping squirrels and their relatives from destroying gardens and birdfeeders, and invading attics, garages, and basements.

User Ratings and Reviews

1 Star A misleading title for a not-very-useful book
I have a serious squirrel problem at home and thought this book would help. All it did was tell me how nice, brave, smart and resourceful squirrels are. In fact, the first 3/4 of the book is devoted to very complete descriptions of various breeds of squirrels. If you want to learn about squirrels, this is actually a good resource. The 'squirrel proofing' advice, when it does come, is restricted to a few pages at the end of the book -- and really doesnt tell you anything common sense or a 10 minute search of the web will. It didn't help my situation at all.

1 Star Disappointing for Ideas in Protection
Ms. Poe clearly has a thorough understanding of squirrels. In fact, you can sense a great appreciation for the smart litter critters which comes across in the book. Unfortunately, if you are a gardener looking for new and inventive ways to protect your investment from being ravaged by squirrels, this book definitely falls short. If you want to learn all about squirrels and identify just which species is attacking your flowers, then this book is for you. (In fact over half the book is dedicated to just this subject.) And unless you want the same, tired, ineffective tips and advice freely available on the internet, this book is not worth the investment.

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User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Great Book!
This is a very good book. Very easy to read. This book covers just about every problem in the garden. It is easy to understand. It covers preventing problems to troubleshooting problems. Just about everything you need to know about problems in your garden is in this book.

4 Stars Good organic garden reference book
This is not a book you read from cover to cover. It is interesting to browse the topics though. Some of those are: beneficial insects, cut worms, companion planting, soil, composting, planting and transplanting, row covers, slugs and snails and many more. I would buy it again. When you want information, you look up tomatoes or whatever and find good information on growing and solving problems related to that plant. It has gardening ideas like making a cold frame from straw bales and old windows.

5 Stars Great for Newbies!
This is a great book for those who are new at gardening. Lot's of info that can be used to avoid those really bad gardens.

5 Stars Best Garden Book ever
I have 6-8 gardening books by various authors- all good - but this gives the most specific information for each vegetable crop. This will be my ready reference for all my garden problems. This is a good book for both the novice and the experienced gardener. A great resource for those wanting to try growing new varieties.

5 Stars Knowledgeably compiled and skillfully organized
In "Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver", lifelong organic gardener Fern Marshall Bradley has knowledgeably compiled and skillfully organized a wealth of practical, applicable, 'user friendly' advice and instruction on dealing with pests, diseases, weeds, and other problems that beset the vegetable garden. The solutions to these diverse issues that vegetable gardens must commonly deal with are based on the cutting edge of horticultural research and offer gardeners hundreds of organic and natural solutions for plant disease, pests, and weed problems. From polytape and mesh fences, to deer repellents, to flea beetle infestations, "Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver" offers safe, effective remedies that will enhance a vegetable garden's performance producing healthy, bountiful, 'bumper crop' yields. If you have a vegetable garden of your own, you need to avail yourself of the "Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver", Fern Marshall Bradley's essential 'how to' manual.

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At long last, you can grow your tomatoes and eat them too with the help of this primer on gardening with fewer chemicals. Gardeners and homeowners alike need simple and safe ways to stop unwanted pests and plant diseases while allowing nature to flourish. A companion to the highly successful DEAD SNAILS LEAVE NO TRAILS, DEAD DAISIES picks up where the first book left off, offering a wide range of new tips and techniques for effective organic gardening, as well as advice on how to attract beneficial wildlife to your natural space.

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5 Stars Natural gardening at its best.
DEAD DAISIES MAKE ME CRAZY is the third title in the Janet Taylor, Loren Nancarrow natural gardening series. This is the best of the three and is highly recommended to all gardeners.

This book will help you to control diseases and pests that plague your lawn or garden. It will show you how to mix your own organic fertilizer and food recipes. It helps you to make and use your own potting soil, compost and mulch and much more.

I've never purchased beneficial insects for my garden before because I thought the insects would just fly away. This book tells how to keep them in YOUR yard.

I give it FIVE stars.

5 Stars Good, Inexpensive Advice
Great ideas on making safe garden solutions without chemicals. Makes a safer environment for our pets. Recommend this book to all gardeners.

5 Stars Good Product - Good Service
The title basically says it all. The advise the book contains is excellent for the beginner or experience home gardener.

5 Stars Dead Daisies Make Me Crazy
Lorren Nancarrow is a San Diego TV weatherman. He has a passion for gardening. His book is extremly useful and informative for people that want to avoid pesticides and has wonderful alternatives. The book covers many tips and recepies for solutions that save money rather than using commercial products. It covers soil prep and suggestions for planting all the way to growing and pruning. Anyone that is interested in gardening needs this book in their library.

Happy playing with dirt,

Jack Gartlan

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Gene Logsdon has found an imaginative way to introduce gardeners to a more total enjoyment of nature -- fauna as well as flora. From suburb to countryside, every gardener knows that there are many pests who delight in one's precious creations -- rabbits devour petunias, raccoons eat the almost ripe sweet corn, deer browse the morning glories, crows pull up young corn sprouts. How can gardeners and wildlife live together in harmony. Gene knows.

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5 Stars A collection of hard to find information

This book is organized in a unique way. . it isn't all fiction but is told by four fictional (but unforgettable) characters; the main one is Smith who has a wonderful backyard sanctuary, which includes a pond, trees, garden and meadows specifically maintained for wildlife. He is an ecologist and naturalist whose curiosity and good will towards all living things carries the book. Then there is the Dumb Farmer, a traditional but wise farmer who upholds the traditional values and ethics of someone who makes a living farming and living on the land. The Dumb Farmer is also a hunter, although a relatively ethical one. The Widow Lady lives nearby in a thicket of overgrown habitat and she brings the booklore from herbalists and practical living. She will and does eat just about everything and has natural cures for almost anything that ails you. Mr. White is Smith's neighbor and he has a typical suburban lawn. "Go ahead and kill the moles" Smith would remark peevishly (to White) "but don't come crying to me when slugs eat all your tomatoes."

But White confesses the moles ruin the look of his lawn. Smith points out that his lawn is greener than Whites and White retorts that is because he never mows it. "Precisely. And if you would quit trying to turn your lawn into a living room carpet, you wouldn't know you had moles either." Smith answers. Then there is the Beekeeper who knows more about bugs than anyone I have ever met. The stories are priceless and the characters are ones we know in our neighborhoods. The big issues like hunting and human encroachment of habitat are touched on throughout the book. The chapter called "When Wildlife Overpopulates" is full of ideas on mitigation. Although this book does not present the reader with the idea of restoring natural predators for the medium size mammals, there is plenty of useful and historic information in it. Even the chapter on "Human's Use of the Natural Food Web", which has 1959 recipes for raccoon, has information we might lose because people love the cute little buggers and are shocked that our ancestors used to hunt and eat them. In later chapters Smith gives ways of getting along with them. On the overall the book is for those who love animals and would see them thrive and the majority of advice is how to get along with them instead of eliminate them. The author did a tremendous amount of research, and the pitfalls of poisons and traps are explored in detail. For instance, the author details how to make a humane trap and how to catch pests and then you have a live animal you don't want in a cage. The reality of this situation is not touched on in other books which are sensitive. This book faces up to the fact that the trapper must then kill the animal. There are delightful chapters in the later half of the book on watching wildlife and wildlife adventures. This book should be kept on any gardener or naturalist's shelf for reference because there are specifics on building birdcages, birdfeeders, ponds, plant and bug relationships, lists of remedies and how successful each one is.

2 Stars Disappointed
I appreciate Mr.Logsdon's writing abililty. In fact, I was enjoying the book immensely until I got to the part about killing the raccoon, which happens to be the animal I wanted to learn to get along with. I think the title is very misleading. I wanted to know how to get along with my backyard neighbors, and not by killing them. To top it all, he actually gave recipes for raccoon dishes. Like I said, it was quite enjoyable until this part, but I feel there are much more pleasant ways to get along with our backyard neighbors. I don't offend easily, but this title does not fit the entire contents of the book.

5 Stars Best if sipped like fine, Kentucky bourbon
Gene does a fine job wrestling with this immense topic. As a house owner on the remotest fringe of suburbia, I can attest to the accuracy of the observations in his book.

Wildlife in the Garden has many characteristics in common with Gene's other writing. Some of the most enjoyable lines are his observations on human nature. Another characteristic of Gene's writing is the density. He packs many observations, facts, vignettes in each essay. This is not pulp fiction that you can bolt down in an afternoon. It is best taken in small bites and savored. This book is likely to have a long tenure in our private Imhof memorial library.

Lest you think the book is perfect (By the way Gene, thanks for the check) I do have a few *minor* quibbles.

A bibliography would have been a fine addition.

Some of the material seems to be a bit elementary. Many people who are starting to landscape for wildlife want a paint-by-numbers approach. Gene probably had to do that to serve their needs.

Gene tends to be a bit emphatic about The Right Way To Do Things, but that will only bother the feeble-minded. (I won't let it bother me. I won't let it bother me. I won't let it bother me.)

This book was first published in 1983. Gene's writing style has changed in that time. The book reads more smoothly when taken in sips and nibbles. But that is perfectly OK because this is the kind of book that wants to be read slowly.

Let me emphasize that these are *minor* quibbles and I enjoyed the book.

(Final note for those who are hooked up to public sewerage, the septic tank was invented by an engineer named Imhof)

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In many parts of the country, spring into fall is the "hot season" for Lyme disease. Upwards of 70% of Lyme disease victims are infected in their own yards, and the number of Lyme disease cases has been climbing in recent years. Fortunately, the arsenal of tick-control measures has also recently expanded, and these tick-thwarting strategies are detailed in the new book "Ticks Off! Controlling Ticks That Transmit Lyme Disease on Your Property".

The tick control measures described in the book focus on two main themes; landscape alterations and host control. These strategies, applied in tandem, are likely to be more effective in substantially reducing tick populations compared to using any single method of tick control.

As Lyme disease has become more common in many parts of the United States, more and more property owners are seriously exploring tick control measures. Ticks Off! is designed as a concise, up-to-date resource for controlling Lyme disease-transmitting ticks. Written by an experienced tick biologist, this book will give you the tools to make your yard inviting for humans, but not for ticks. Heavily referenced so you can do further research yourself on ticks and tick control. Softcover, eighty pages, 13 illustrations.

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Every year Americans use a staggering five hundred million pounds of toxic pesticides in and around their homes, schools, parks, and roads-a growing health risk for people and the environment. But are these poisons really necessary? This book, appealing to the hunter in us all, shows how to triumph in combat with pests without losing the war to toxic chemicals. Tiny Game Hunting, written in a lively and entertaining style and illustrated with detailed drawings, gives more than two hundred tried-and-true ways to control or kill common household and garden pests without using toxic pesticides.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Lose the Poisons, Gain Health
This book was just what I was looking for to keep my medium-sized yard and tiny garden in shape without adding to the chemical burden of my home town. I got accurate, easy advice that turned out in most cases to be more effective and less work than spraying with a chemical cocktail. Now I'm purchasing a copy for my neighbor, in the hopes that he'll see the light.

5 Stars Tiny Game Hunter likes this book....
Tiny Game Hunting: Environmentally Healthy Ways to Trap and Kill the Pests in Your House and Garden New Edition

No nonsense ways to control pests without killing yourself or your family and pets. I got it for the sugary recipe that kills carpenter ants. Written by a naturalis, the book gives you facts so you learn a bit about your prey...and sometimes you are counseled to live and let live as the "pest" really does not harm anything.

5 Stars Goodbye Gophers!
Tiny game hunting was the only book that covered getting rid of gophers extensively. All other books had one sentence. I tried the tips they suggested and it worked. I felt better reading this book and knowing I am not alone.

I learned a lot about taking care of my front yard and when various pests come onto the scene. This book was suggested to me by the clerk at the library who also had good results in getting rid of a pest.

The book also has some cute drawings of the various pests. This is the book for anyone who wants to follow the healthy and environmentally safe way to keep unwanted pests from their lawns and gardens.

5 Stars Tiny Game Hunting... two thumbs way up!
This could be the most useful book I own. It gets more use than my dictionary. Tiny Game Hunting offers practical and effective methods of capturing or killing common household and garden pests; everying from insects and spiders, to lizards and smakes, and mice and gophers. It focuses on environmentally safe extermination methods. Many of the traps, repellents, and pesticides can be made cheaply with common items found in the kitchen or garage. More than just pest control, the book offers some basic information on the habits and history of the critters. Have a problem with a pest? I bet it's in here. It's honestly one of the best books I'll ever own!

5 Stars Excellent resource for home and garden!
A great read and full of useful information on alternatives to pesticides and lethal traps for pests of all sizes. Very enjoyable reading and full of experiments to try with kids.

I have the old edition, too. Years ago, I checked that edition book out from the library so much that I decided I needed it. It was out of press, and I couldn't locate a copy. I wrote Adrian Wenner to explain my dilemma, and he mailed me his copy. Very cool.

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