Robert J. Spear
University of Massachusetts Press, Amherst
2005; 336 pp.
Price: $34.95
ISBN: 1-55849-479-0

Trends in global trade and international travel have dramatically increased the likelihood that nonindigenous species will arrive. Whereas most scientists, as well as substantial portions of the public, are attuned to the invasive species problem, very little thought was given to the topic when an amateur entomologist from France carelessly allowed the gypsy moth to escape into North America in 1869. This book by Robert J. Spear details the history of the first, and quite massive, eradication effort against the gypsy moth, whose ongoing invasion of North America can be regarded as one of the most extensively documented examples of a biological invasion.

The introduction and first six chapters of Spear’s book chronicle the “pre-war” period, beginning with the introduction of the gypsy moth until the preparations for “war” against it. Spear then describes each year of the eradication effort, from 1891 to 1900, in successive chapters. The introductory chapter immediately challenges conventional wisdom, which has argued that the effort to eradicate the gypsy moth was irreparably hindered by the failure of the Massachusetts legislature to continue to fund the effort. Instead, Spear argues convincingly that the eradication effort was a futile endeavor from the beginning. To the modern invasion biology community, this claim does not necessarily come as a big surprise. The feasibility and costs of eradication efforts for any nonindigenous species are directly related to its degree of establishment, and in most cases, we often do not detect a new invader until it is relatively well established. The author stands on less secure ground with his claim that the people charged with the implementation of the eradication effort intentionally misled the public and state governments. In the author’s defense, this does not negatively affect his thesis, but rather is a strength of the book because it serves as important historical context. Learned readers are perfectly capable of forming their own opinions, and Spear should be credited with broaching the topic of eradication feasibility with the public.

One recurring criticism that the author levies against the group charged with the eradication campaign is that they suffered from a lack of entomological and general scientific knowledge needed to lead such an effort. This is not terribly surprising. Entomology in the late 19th century largely comprised natural history studies, and the concepts of invasion biology were simply unknown then, and to some extent, they are still unknown. Spear, however, seems quick to label the group’s efforts as ineffective when gypsy moth populations exploded despite massive management efforts. At the same time, he seems willing to label any degree of success (such as when populations declined in 1892) as the result of a natural reduction in gypsy moth abundance rather than the result of management tactics. The management of any insect, particularly nonnative ones, is an extremely complex ecological problem, and it is likewise challenging to conclude that any increase or decline of a population results from a specific cause, especially in the absence of any experimentation.

In the epilogue, Spear discloses the full force of his bias apparently against any management intervention against the gypsy moth, past or present. This too has no direct negative effect on the overall quality of the book; nevertheless, the epilogue was so disappointing that I wished I had never read it. It contained numerous factual errors and too many unsubstantiated opinions by the author. Some of this could even be construed as intentionally misleading simply to reinforce his position. Because many of the citations in the epilogue are from recent references, it is easy for readers to verify the sources and develop their own opinions. In contrast, verifying the content of the sources in the rest of the book is not easy because many of the more important citations are from personal letters among the various players active in the 1890s and are only available in specific library archives.

The result of the epilogue unfortunately and immediately calls into question the accuracy of the author’s interpretation of these unreferenced historical citations. In the epilogue, Spear gives readers the impression that gypsy moth is established in almost every state, mainly because he fails either intentionally or out of ignorance, to distinguish that the detection of the gypsy moth is not necessarily synonymous with the establishment of a reproducing population. Although it is true that gypsy moth life stages are detected in areas outside the current USDA quarantine, mainly because USDA and state governments are actively looking for them, it is a considerable stretch to imply, as Spear does, that the gypsy moth is everywhere. To question the effectiveness of active gypsy moth management programs simply because detection surveys, which attempt to prohibit the gypsy moth from establishing in new areas, do in fact detect life stages is illogical. In a span of 18 pages, Spear does considerable damage to the integrity of what otherwise would have been an outstanding book.

Nevertheless, I still highly recommend this book. It is very well written and engaging; and it is obvious that the author, who calls himself a “violinmaker, author, and independent scholar,” has spent considerable and admirable time researching this topic. I particularly recommend this book to those within the scientific community who will be able to discern intellectual lapses in scientific quality. The public would also gain useful insight into the early eradication history of what would eventually become an extensively studied insect, but likewise may get an incomplete and at times misleading picture about the struggles against nonindigenous species that exist today.

Patrick C. Tobin
Northeastern Research Station
USDA Forest Service
Morgantown, WV
American Entomologist
Vol. 53, No. 2, Summer 2007