Handbook of Urban Insects and Arachnids

William H. Robinson, ed.
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005
472 pp., hardback, $170.00
ISBN: 0-521-81253-4

The Handbook of Urban Insects and Arachnids is a reference book that will be useful for researchers, teachers, and extension/technical specialists. It is a compilation of urban pest species in domestic and peridomestic habitats, including structures, stored foods and stored-products, public health, and landscapes (turf and ornamental plantings), and it is worldwide in its coverage. The book's goal is to build on the foundation of other authors by expanding the format to all urban habitats and by providing international coverage. This goal is met by William H. Robinson's book, which he correctly refers to as a global census.

As mentioned, this text will be useful for urban entomologists. The publisher's statement that the book will serve as a student textbook, professional training manual, and handbook for pest control professionals and regulatory officials is an overstatement. Not only is its utility limited by the fact that it is a reference text and a census of urban pests but also by its $170.00 price tag, a major impediment to its use by these broader audiences.

The book is divided into three parts: Urban Entomology, Insects in the Urban Environment, and Other Arthropods in the Urban Environment. The major portion of the book is dedicated to the pests (brief description and biology) and more detailed information on their distribution, development, and behavior. The reader who is looking for complete, in-depth coverage of a particular pest may not find it. However, the bibliographies at the end of each chapter can lead the reader to more extensive information, although some important references have been omitted. In the preface, the author acknowledged having missed species, included some species of limited importance, and presented data that are incomplete. That said, we must recognize that 1) this is the first attempt at a comprehensive international reference on urban pests, and 2) the author resolves to improve the book with the help of those using it as a resource.

This text is formatted to serve as a ready reference, with primary consideration being given to utility. The chapters are arranged alphabetically by order of insect pest, and within chapters the families and scientific names are organized alphabetically. Although this format excludes the natural grouping of pests (e.g., wood-destroying, food, public health, turf) and removes phylogenetic relationships, it is a good way to format a resource book so that it will be most useful to readers. The 570 illustrations cover many of the major pest species; all are line drawings, and their quality is generally very good. Only scientific names are used in figure titles, and this style may be a bit daunting to nonscientific readers; however, it is probably the most efficient way to organize the figure titles.

Some readers may go to this handbook looking for information on pest prevention and management. They will not find it—control methods and materials are not included. There is an introductory chapter that addresses pest status and pest control, but only as a broad overview of the subject. I understand the author's reasons for not including integrated pest management (IPM) information, but I wonder whether a more accurate title for the book could have been formulated, such as Census of Urban Insects and Arachnids. Most, if not all entomological handbooks and users' guides include IPM information, so the use of the word handbook for this resource text might not be the most clear and correct title.

In conclusion, Handbook of Urban Insects and Arachnids is an excellent reference text for urban entomologists. It is the first international census of the pests affecting households, structures, public health, and landscapes. With internationalization and the "shrinking globe," pest distributions are expanding. In addition, lines between structures, public health, and landscapes, as well as lines between regional and international research and cooperation on urban pests, are becoming less static. Thus, this resource is a timely addition to our libraries, and it will fill an important niche.

Gary W. Bennett
Center for Urban and Industrial Pest Management
Purdue Universit
 West Lafayette, IN 47907-2089
E-mail: gbennett@purdue.edu

Journal of Economic Entomology
Vol. 99, No. 6, December 2006, Page 2219