Amateur Entomology Society Publications

The Titles

The Amazing World of Stick and Leaf Insectsby Paul D Brock
Habitat Conservation for Insects, a neglected green issue, by R. Fry and D. Lonsdale (Eds)
A Guide to Moth Traps and there Use, by R. Fry and P. Waring

The Reviews

The Amazing World of Stick and Leaf Insects

by Paul D Brock
ISBN = 0 900054 638
Price (including P&P) = HB £14.75 in the UK, £16.20 outside the UK
Published = 1999
165 pages
Review written = 23/September/1999
40 Colour plates

Stick insects are a small but publicly popular group of insects. Their large size, vegetarian habits and slow movements endear them to many people for whom many insects are too flighty or potentially dangerous to be the focus of much positive attention. There are a good number of smaller books introducing phasmids and how to keep them to the general public, but this is the first book of this scope that I have seen.

Scientifically accurate and well illustrated, as you would expect of a book written by a pillar of the Phasmid Study Group, this work contains an amazing amount of information. Divided into three parts, it starts with an introduction to the phasmids in general. This 33 page section includes Morphology, Classification, Distribution, Conservation and Collecting Code, Courtship and Mating, Phasmid Record Holders, Life History and Development, and Defence and Phasmid Enemies.

Part 2: 23 pages in length, takes a detailed look at Collecting and Studying Techniques. It includes not only information on Keeping Live Specimens, Importation, Collecting Killing and Storing, but also a useful list of Phasmid Collections Around the World. Finally it ends with a lovely section on Phasmid Oddities : Elaborate Stories, Beliefs and Poems.

Part 3: introduces us to the insects in all their fascinating diversity. Starting with species naturalised to the UK it moves on to European and the Afro-Tropical species. From here it looks at the Nearctic, Neo-tropical, Oriental, Australian and New Zealand fauna. This section ends with a look at phasmids in the fossil record.

The author's extensive experience and deep love of his subject are evident throughout. The colour plates are excellent and include many species not often seen by any but the keenest collectors.

The book ends with an Index to Scientific Names, a list of Scientific Names equated with Common Names and 3 appendices; 1 - Glossary of terms, 2 - Further information/Sources of supply, 3 - References to major taxonomic publications.

All in all this is another very useful publication from the AES and at Ł . is good value for money.

Highly Recommended

Habitat Conservation for Insects, a neglected green issue

by R. Fry and D. Lonsdale (Eds)
ISBN = 0 900054 52 2
Price (including P&P) = HB £12.00 in the UK, £13.20 outside the UK
Published = 1991
262 pages
Review written = 26/Jan/1997
This is an excellent book, it covers all aspects of Insect Habitat conservation in the UK in good detail. It is well set out with a discussion of, and management recommendations for, all the common habitat types in the UK. It is well referenced, has an excellent series of appendices, including advice on setting up and maintaining a wildlife pond, and on monitoring aquatic invertebrates for water quality control. This is an easily readable book and personally I think ti will be enjoyable and thought provoking reading for anyone with an interest in the Countryside, Conservation and or Entomology, it should also be available in every secondary school and university in the UK at least. The really nice thing about this book, apart from the wealth of information it contains and the practical attitude it adopts, is that though the lepidoptera feature strongly, because of the input of people like Alan Stubbs they do not dominate the scene completely way they do in some other insect conservation literature. This book was written basically for the British market, and therefore all its reference material relates to British insects, however it will be a valuable resource to anyone managing temperate habitats in the Northern hemi-sphere.
Highly Recommended

A guide to Moth Traps and there Use

by R. R. Fry and P. Waring
ISBN = 0 900054 61 1
Price (including P&P) = PB £5.00 in the UK, £5.50 outside the UK
Published = 1996
60 pages
Review written = 26/Jan/1997
This pamphlet contains all you could ever want to know about the construction and operation of light traps for collecting moths. It does not limit itself to light traps though but includes a brief section on non-light source trapping methods as well. The discussions include Light and the Insect Eye, High Pressure MB lights and Low Pressure Fluorescent ones, design and relative performance of Rothampstead, Robinson, Heath or Actinic and Skinner light traps and the Sheet method, generators, weather, killing agents, site choice and the possible effects of trapping on moth populations, and suppliers. All in all if you are looking for information on the use of lights for collecting moths then this is the place to start.

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