★ 03/14/2016
Whether he’s kicking over anthills or chewing on velvet mites, Schmidt (Insect Defenses), an entomologist at the University of Arizona, evinces a childlike mix of gleeful fascination and terror-induced bravery as he subjects himself to stinging insects in the name of science. After some general discussion about the differences between chemicals that cause pain and those that cause physical damage, Schmidt covers key species of ants, wasps, and bees with such colorful names as “tarantula hawk” and “cow killer.” He describes their evolution, life cycles, social habits, offenses and defenses, predator-prey relationships, and—most importantly—their often antagonistic relationships with humans. Schmidt claims that “getting stung by the same species gets boring after a while,” and he presents more than enough evidence for readers to want to take his word for it. The Schmidt Pain Index (for which the author was awarded an Ig Nobel Prize in 2015) puts the stings of a variety of species on a four-point scale, with sensuous descriptions worthy of a connoisseur: the bite of Platythyrea lamellose (“a purplish ant”) is “like wearing a wool jumpsuit laced with pine needles and poison ivy,” while the sting of the western yellow jacket is “hot and smoky, almost irreverent.” Schmidt’s tales will prove infectiously engaging even to entomophobes. Color photos. (May)

Schmidt's tales will prove infectiously engaging even to entomophobes.
—Publishers Weekly

On Schmidt's pain scale, this book rates a zero—painless. On the pleasure scale, it rates a ten, a highly enjoyable read.
—Natural History

Readers who share my fascination with the natural world, and particularly those who revel in unusual animal facts, will love The Sting of the Wild.
—Between the Covers

An excellent book.
—Newsweek

A good read, with valuable evolutionary context for bees and their insect relatives interwoven with entertaining travel tales of an engaged entomologist.
—American Bee Journal

Even though the pain-laced topic might leave you wincing, Schmidt’s engaging and entertaining writing makes for a tale worth reading.
—Scientific American

[Schmidt's] low-down on sting biochemistry and physiology is relentlessly zestful, even as he recounts the swelling, burning consequences of his curiosity.
—Nature

The Sting of the Wild is full of the stories of science of stings. Schmidt is an engaging writer, and his youthful enthusiasm for scary critters makes for a book that will sometimes scare you and sometimes make you double over with laughter . . . It’s a masterpiece of nature writing.
—Nature's Cool Green Science

If you’re interested in bugs of any kind, and especially the notorious ones, this book will entertain, educate, and excite.
—Discover Magazine

Not only does he explain his Schmidt Sting Pain Index, wherein he rates the pain of numerous stings on a scale of one to four, but he also relates the fascinating natural histories of these animals.
—National Geographic

Totally fascinating.
—FiveThirtyEight

The arms race that created the stinger hypodermic, and its biochemical warfare toxins, was a direct result of communal nesting, because the greater risk of predation demanded a formidable defensive strategy. This is the evolutionary theme through which the author lovingly interjects his own personal anecdotes.
—BBC Wildlife Magazine

It's hard to imagine a nature book being more fascinating and fun.
—Virgin Radio UK

In addition to providing colorful, connoisseur-grade descriptions of the pain caused by stings, The Sting of the Wild provides all sorts of information about stinging insects.
—Newser

Beautifully written . . . like nothing else you have ever read.
—NPR's Science Friday

Full of adventure, humor and Schmidt's impressive scholarship.
—Redlands Daily Facts

Schmidt, an entomologist at the Southwestern Biological Institute, is an excellent writer. He can write clear, engaging explanations of sting evolution and venom chemistry, as well as spin a good yarn about his adventures collecting stinging insects. I enjoyed his dry, judiciously applied, wit.
—Pica Hudsonia

The Sting of the Wild weaves [Schmidt's] theories about stinging insects through a narrative of his personal experiences digging in the dirt. For many readers, the highlight of the book will be the appendix, his celebrated Pain Scale for Stinging Insects, which rates the pain level of dozens of insect stings, an index he created mostly by firsthand experience, either by suffering stings incidentally during field research or, in some cases, by inducing them. Because stings of the same magnitude don’t necessarily feel the same, Schmidt has written haiku-like descriptions for each of the 83 sting entries.
—New York Times Magazine

The Sting of the Wild is a delicate and highly refreshing glimpse into the private mind of a professional scientist.  
—Times Literary Supplement

Schmidt’s story is really new, refreshing, and thoroughly entertaining.
—Journal of Natural History

This is an informative and engaging story about the fascinating lives behind the insects that you may just think of as very annoying visitors at picnics.
—The Biologist

[A] surprisingly joyful book. . . Schmidt does a good job of passing on his boundless enthusiasm for insects. The sting of the wild is an easy read, packed with chemistry and anecdotes.
—Chemistry World

The Sting of the Wild sheds light on the mysteries of stinging insects in a delightful and humorous narration. I recommend the book to every entomologist, ecologist, and naturalist interested in exploring the impressive world of Hymenoptera.
—American Entomologist

Anecdotes of field encounters with research subjects (and some incidentally encountered forest and desert coinhabitants) are woven throughout and bring readers close to what it feels like to be a field biologist. I will not spoil these dispatches fromthe front lines of venom, other than tomention that amongmy favorites were the author’s adventures with a large Bushmaster snake (a tropical viper) at night in the rain forest, a venomspraying species of wasp nesting above a tropical cliff, and the giant Asian honey bee (again at night) with a team of lucky (?) coworkers. If this cast of animal characters piques your curiosity, I am confident you will thoroughly enjoy The Sting of the Wild.

Full of adventure, humor and Schmidt's impressive scholarship.

The Sting of the Wild is a delicate and highly refreshing glimpse into the private mind of a professional scientist.  

On Schmidt's pain scale, this book rates a zero—painless. On the pleasure scale, it rates a ten, a highly enjoyable read.

The arms race that created the stinger hypodermic, and its biochemical warfare toxins, was a direct result of communal nesting, because the greater risk of predation demanded a formidable defensive strategy. This is the evolutionary theme through which the author lovingly interjects his own personal anecdotes.

[A] surprisingly joyful book. . . Schmidt does a good job of passing on his boundless enthusiasm for insects. The sting of the wild is an easy read, packed with chemistry and anecdotes.

Totally fascinating.

Not only does he explain his Schmidt Sting Pain Index, wherein he rates the pain of numerous stings on a scale of one to four, but he also relates the fascinating natural histories of these animals.

The Sting of the Wild sheds light on the mysteries of stinging insects in a delightful and humorous narration. I recommend the book to every entomologist, ecologist, and naturalist interested in exploring the impressive world of Hymenoptera.

This volume represents the best kind of natural history writing—a treasure trove of solid and fascinating biology cleverly disguised as a good read.

Schmidt’s story is really new, refreshing, and thoroughly entertaining.

The Sting of the Wild is full of the stories of science of stings. Schmidt is an engaging writer, and his youthful enthusiasm for scary critters makes for a book that will sometimes scare you and sometimes make you double over with laughter . . . It’s a masterpiece of nature writing.

If you’re interested in bugs of any kind, and especially the notorious ones, this book will entertain, educate, and excite.

This is an informative and engaging story about the fascinating lives behind the insects that you may just think of as very annoying visitors at picnics.

Even though the pain-laced topic might leave you wincing, Schmidt’s engaging and entertaining writing makes for a tale worth reading.

[Schmidt's] low-down on sting biochemistry and physiology is relentlessly zestful, even as he recounts the swelling, burning consequences of his curiosity.

The Sting of the Wild weaves [Schmidt's] theories about stinging insects through a narrative of his personal experiences digging in the dirt. For many readers, the highlight of the book will be the appendix, his celebrated Pain Scale for Stinging Insects, which rates the pain level of dozens of insect stings, an index he created mostly by firsthand experience, either by suffering stings incidentally during field research or, in some cases, by inducing them. Because stings of the same magnitude don’t necessarily feel the same, Schmidt has written haiku-like descriptions for each of the 83 sting entries.

The Sting of the Wild is a great book for lay readers. Think of it as insect gossip, though verified gossip, of course. It has that convivial tone of sharing what's going on with the Jones, but the Jones are killer bees... You don't have to be a bug lover to enjoy The Sting of the Wild. I sure am not one, but nature is endlessly inventive and Schmidt knows how to make her inventions interesting and enjoyable.

An excellent book.

Beautifully written . . . like nothing else you have ever read.

Schmidt, an entomologist at the Southwestern Biological Institute, is an excellent writer. He can write clear, engaging explanations of sting evolution and venom chemistry, as well as spin a good yarn about his adventures collecting stinging insects. I enjoyed his dry, judiciously applied, wit.

Readers who share my fascination with the natural world, and particularly those who revel in unusual animal facts, will love The Sting of the Wild.

A good read, with valuable evolutionary context for bees and their insect relatives interwoven with entertaining travel tales of an engaged entomologist.

It's hard to imagine a nature book being more fascinating and fun.

In addition to providing colorful, connoisseur-grade descriptions of the pain caused by stings, The Sting of the Wild provides all sorts of information about stinging insects.

"[Schmidt's] low-down on sting biochemistry and physiology is relentlessly zestful, even as he recounts the swelling, burning consequences of his curiosity."

"Not only does he explain his Schmidt Sting Pain Index, wherein he rates the pain of numerous stings on a scale of one to four, but he also relates the fascinating natural histories of these animals."

"An excellent book."

"On Schmidt's pain scale, this book rates a zero—painless. On the pleasure scale, it rates a ten, a highly enjoyable read."

"Schmidt's tales will prove infectiously engaging even to entomophobes." —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

" The Sting of the Wild is a delicate and highly refreshing glimpse into the private mind of a professional scientist. "

"... The Sting of the Wild weaves [Schmidt's] theories about stinging insects through a narrative of his personal experiences digging in the dirt. For many readers, the highlight of the book will be the appendix, his celebrated Pain Scale for Stinging Insects, which rates the pain level of dozens of insect stings, an index he created mostly by firsthand experience, either by suffering stings incidentally during field research or, in some cases, by inducing them. Because stings of the same magnitude don’t necessarily feel the same, Schmidt has written haiku-like descriptions for each of the 83 sting entries.""

"... beautifully written... like nothing else you have ever read."

"... totally fascinating..."

"Even though the pain-laced topic might leave you wincing, Schmidt’s engaging and entertaining writing makes for a tale worth reading."

Entomologist Justin O. Schmidt doesn't TRY to get stung when he's dealing with harvester ants and other venomous creatures. However, he's been stung enough to consider the stings a data point. Narrator L.J. Ganser's voice is cheerful as he reads Schmidt's first-person account, even when the text is comparing the painful ant stings the author has lived through. Schmidt's fatalistic sense of humor also carries through to the science of stings and poisonous animals. It's not all bleak; some of the stinging creatures, such as the domesticated honey bee, are beneficial to humans. The audiobook wraps up with a pain scale, in which Ganser rattles off pain descriptions as if describing the tastes of wines. Getting stung is never funny, but Schmidt's take on the subject often is. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine