Insects on Nettles

Book excerpt: Stinging nettles harbour a characteristic community of insects that are widespread, abundant, and rewarding to study. This book describes the natural history of the insects in that community, and describes the way they coexist using different parts of a stinging nettle plant. It discusses the feeding habits of herbivores and predatory insects, and the parasites that feed on them, as well as the seasonal distribution of the life cycles of the different members of the community. For a nettle-dwelling insect species, a nettle patch is an island in a sea of unsuitable habitat, and this book discusses the relationship between the size and isolation of the nettle patch and the nature of its community. Keys are provided for identification, and many of the commoner species are illustrated in colour. Techniques are described for investigating insect fauna. A three page addendum draws attention to the changes in the nettle community that may be expected to result from global warming.