THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT

An exploration of how insects have influenced every corner of the world.

“As of 2020,” writes environmental studies professor Melillo, “there are 1.3 billion insects for every human on the planet.” That alone makes them a vital presence in our lives. In this succinct, colorful contribution to entomological literature, the author also reminds us that they are dominant actors in the processes of reproduction and decay as well as important players throughout human history. While Melillo doesn’t completely ignore the destructive aspects of our interactions with insects—from insects as vectors to illness to the harmful use of insecticides—he spends more time examining how “insects make many of the substances that pervade our daily lives: fabrics, dyes, furniture varnishes, food addi­tives, high-tech materials, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical ingredients.” The author looks at the long, diverse historical traditions involved with honey and the making of “iron gall ink,” an “indelible, waterproof substance [that has] served as Europe’s most important ink for the past two millennia.” He also discusses the production of shellac, the resinous, amber-colored secretion of the tiny lac bug that has been used as a coating for wooden products—not least of which were the violins of Antonio Stradivari—as well as a key ingredient in pioneering phonographic discs. Silk is an even more ancient product of insect industriousness, and Melillo draws a captivating picture of China’s 5,000-year-old sericulture industry and the extraordinary structural qualities of the silk thread. The cultural significance of the color red makes for especially good reading about the cochineal insect, the rare source of a peerless red pigment. The author also tells entertaining tales of the role of fruit flies in biomedical research; bees, pollination, and colony collapse disorder; and the future of entomophagy, “the eating of insects.”

A taut, vibrant story of awesome creatures and how humans have found countless ingenious uses for them.