Super Flies. Amazing Stories from the Lives of the Most Successful Insects in the World

The world of flies is astonishing and multifaceted: they are undeservedly forgotten pollinators, hardworking ecologists responsible for waste removal, and also major assistants to criminologists. Although for most people, an annoying fly is more likely to cause irritation, it is actually hard to imagine our lives without them. In this book, the outstanding biologist and myth-buster Jonathan Balcomb showcases the order Diptera, which includes flies, in all its diversity — and even beauty! The author explains the crucial role Diptera play in the ecosystem, how they achieved evolutionary success, and gives us a chance to rediscover these remarkable insects — from the fruit fly and its close relative, the mosquito, to the lesser-known oil fly (the only living creature in the world that develops in oil pools!) and the chocolate midge, a unique pollinator of cocoa flowers. This book will forever change your attitude towards flies and help you see them in a new light.
«In my book, I consider flies as astonishing opportunists capable of finding benefits and ensuring a decent life in the most unexpected places. We will meet flies that carry diseases, feed on flesh, engage in love, pollinate plants, drink blood, process waste, learn about predatory flies, parasites, and parasitoids, agricultural pests, deceivers and cooperators. We will discover the astonishing, utterly incredible, daring, wonderful, and simply spectacular ways in which flies survive in a world that seems to be governed only by humans». (Jonathan Balcomb)