Insect Architecture

How Insects Build, Engineer, and Shape Their World

Michael S. Engel, Tom Jackson

$49.99

Hardback

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English

Princeton University Pres
01 September 2025

Mathematics & Sciences; Insects (entomology); Wildlife: butterflies, other insects & spiders

The essential illustrated guide to the ingenious techniques that insects use to construct an astounding array of natural structures, from nests to shelters to traps

Insect Architecture takes you inside the amazing structures that insects build, from the paper galleries of yellowjacket wasps to elaborate termite mounds complete with royal chambers and air-conditioning systems. Each chapter focuses on a group of insect architects, describing the materials and methods they use while exploring the structures themselves in detail. Blending spectacular illustrations with illuminating case studies of representative species from around the world, this is the ultimate guide to insect artistry and innovation.

Features a wealth of colour photos, explanatory diagrams and blueprints, step-by-step sequences, and visual spreads Covers all major groups of insect architects and the broad array of structures they build Explains how anatomy, life cycle, and habitat are the ingredients to extraordinary creations Profiles the insect world's most accomplished builders

from beetles, bees, and cicadas to moths, wasps, ants, and termites Discusses the ecological impacts of insect architecture Reveals how insect builders have inspired human design innovations

By: Michael S. Engel, Tom Jackson
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions: Height: 254mm, Width: 203mm,
ISBN: 9780691275239
ISBN 10: 0691275238
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 01 September 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , General/trade , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Tom Jackson is an acclaimed science writer and conservationist. His books include Biology: An Illustrated History of Life Science, The Magnificent Book of Dangerous Animals, Micro Monsters, and Genetics in Minutes: 200 Key Ideas of Evolution and Biology in an Instant. He was the chief editor of Insects and Spiders of the World. Michael S. Engel is a world authority on bees and the diversity of living and extinct insects. His books include Innumerable Insects: The Story of the Most Diverse and Myriad Animals on Earth and Evolution of the Insects.

Reviews for Insect Architecture: How Insects Build, Engineer, and Shape Their World

""This book is about as fascinating a read as you will ever have, even if you never gave a thought to the lives of insects before. . . . You simply cannot fail to be impressed with it all and not a little gobsmacked along the way.""---David Gascoigne, Travels with Birds