"A devastating exploration of how the collapse in insect populations around the world threatens everything from wild birds to the food on our plate. From the ants scurrying under leaf litter to the bees able to fly higher than Mount Kilimanjaro, insects are seemingly everywhere. Three out of four of the planet's known species are insects, but a torrent of recent evidence suggests this kaleidoscopic group of creatures is suffering the greatest existential...

Bees are disappearing--but they aren't the only species at risk. Populations of fireflies, butterflies, and ladybugs have all been declining in recent years, too. This book explains the growth, spread, and recent declines of each of these four types of insects and shows just how much bugs matter to our world.

An entomologist and conservationist examines the evidence of an alarming drop in insect numbers around the world, which could cause an ecological disaster. What will happen when the bugs are all gone? Goulson explores the intrinsic connection between climate change, nature, wildlife, and the shrinking biodiversity and analyzes the harmful impact for the earth and its inhabitants. --From publisher description.