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

The world of flies is amazing and multifaceted: they are unjustly forgotten pollinators, hardworking ecologists responsible for waste removal, and also key assistants to criminologists. Although for most people a pesky fly causes irritation, it is actually hard to imagine our lives without it. In this book, outstanding biologist and myth buster Jonathan Balkcom showcases the order Diptera, which includes flies, in all its diversity — and even beauty! The author explains the crucial role dipterans 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 cacao flowers. This book will forever change your attitude toward flies and help you see them in a new light.
“In my book, I consider flies as amazing 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, mate, pollinate plants, drink blood, process waste, and learn about predatory flies, parasites, and parasitoids, agricultural pests, deceivers, and cooperators. We will discover the astonishing, utterly incredible, bold, wonderful, and simply spectacular ways that flies survive in a world that seems to be governed solely by humans.” (Jonathan Balkcom)