Super Fly

The Unexpected Lives of the World's Most Successful Insects

By: Jonathan Balcombe

Narrated by: Jonathan Balcombe

Winner of the National Outdoor Book Award for Natural History and a New York Times Editors Choice Pick

"After reading Super Fly, you will never take a fly for granted again. Thank you, Jonathan Balcombe, for reminding us of the infinite marvels of everyday creatures."
—Sy Montgomery, Author of How to Be a Good Creature

From an expert in animal consciousness, a book that will turn the fly on the wall into the elephant in the room.

For most of us, the only thing we know about flies is that they're annoying, and our usual reaction is to try to kill them. In Super Fly, the myth-busting biologist Jonathan Balcombe shows the order Diptera in all of its diversity, illustrating the essential role that flies play in every ecosystem in the world as pollinators, waste-disposers, predators, and food source; and how flies continue to reshape our understanding of evolution. Along the way, he reintroduces us to familiar foes like the fruit fly and mosquito, and gives us the chance to meet their lesser-known cousins like the Petroleum Fly (the only animal in the world that breeds in crude oil) and the Chocolate Midge (the sole pollinator of the Cacao tree). No matter your outlook on our tiny buzzing neighbors, Super Fly will change the way you look at flies forever.

Jonathan Balcombe is the author of four books on animal sentience, including the New York Times bestselling What A Fish Knows, which was nominated for the PEN/E.O. Wilson Award for Science Writing. He has worked for years as a researcher and educator with the Humane society to show us the consciousness of other creatures, and here he takes us to the farthest reaches of the animal kingdom.

Bought this on a whim

I always knew we had undervalue the importance of insects which is why I bought this book. I was fascinated by the diversity of flies and their importance to our lives.

This type of reading should be mandatory at school level, before children become insect exterminators, just because they are bugs.

Passed with fly-ing colors!

Excellent book on an often irritating order of insects. Really, everyone would benefit from this book. I'm a beekeeper, so naturally I'm more of a fan of bees and wasps, but flies are just as diverse and at times bizarre. Buy this now!

The author also does a great job with the narration.

Awesome!

Learned so much about the value of flies! I never knew and now have respect

super fly me!

it's good. lots of intfo on all types of insect life. entertaining listen and feel less ick around insects.

Flies, Who Knew?!

Before reading this book, I would squash a fly without hesitation. After reading this book, I hesitate to admire the intricacies of all it's parts, the way light is reflected in a myriad of colors, and marvel at this tiny specimen of biological engineering, before squashing it.

All jokes aside, while I did realize that "dirty" insects play a vital role in our ecosystem, the author's vision and unique perspective prompted me not only to spare a few lowly fruit flies, but take notice of their behavior, beyond what I had previously found annoying.

Besides, given their relatively short life spans, I figured I could tolerate and maybe even co-exist with a few of the buggers.

Mosquitoes, on the other hand, I'll continue to admire strictly through the author's perspective. Regardless, I am grateful for this book and would recommend it to anyone seeking to better understand a most under-appreciated insect.