#44: Eric Eaton - Insectpedia, Insect Ecology, Wasps, and the Future of Entomology

Eric Eaton is an entomologist and the well known author of Wasps: The Astonishing Diversity of a Misunderstood Insect, and co-author of the Kaufman Field Guide to Insects of North America. We discuss his most recent work, Insectpedia. Insectpedia is  a fascinating and non-traditional look at insects, the people who study them, and their role in history and society.

Today, learn about Eric's non-traditional path to entomology and writing, and the lasting impact of one of his kindergarten teachers.

And soon enough we get into some amazing entomological facts. For example, do you know what the fly belt is? As a hint, I'll tell you it's not a leather strip used to keep a fly's pants from falling off. Joking aside, you will hear exactly what the fly belt is and how the tsetse fly is filling a preservationist role. You'll also learn about parasitoids - and specifically, the differences between parasites and parasitoids. You'll hear how a wasp targets yellow jacket wasps, but only indirectly through a third party caterpillar. Prepare to have your mind blown.

And Eric tells us why aphids are actually really important to our food web. And as frequent listeners know, I love aphids for that reason!

Eric also gives us some perspective on how we, as individuals, can help make societal-level shifts to help our environment. And stick around to the end - Eric has plenty of fine book recommendations, too (all listed in the full show notes).

You can find Eric on Twitter, iNaturalist, and Facebook. You can also find him on his blog.

People, Organizations, Websites
Arthro-pod Podcast
Birdability
Bird Names for Birds
Eric's Interview on the Ologies podcast with Allie Ward
Mike Houck - Portland Audubon Society
Oregon Entomological Society
senseofmisplaced.blogspot.com - Eric's social commentary blog

Books (affiliate links)
Insects Did It First, by Greg Paulson and Eric Eaton
Late Night Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony Lewis Thomas
Lives of a Cell Lewis Thomas
Mariposa Road Robert Michael Pyle
Thunder Tree: Lessons from an Urban Wildland Robert Michael Pyle
What Are People For? by Wendell Berry

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Music: Spellbound by Brian Holtz Music
License (CC BY 4.0): https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
Artist site: https://brianholtzmusic.com

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