--- product_id: 116664962 title: "The Sting of the Wild Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition" brand: "justin o. schmidt" price: "$33.97" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/116664962-the-sting-of-the-wild-illustrated-edition-kindle-edition store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # The Sting of the Wild Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition **Brand:** justin o. schmidt **Price:** $33.97 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Sting of the Wild Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition by justin o. schmidt - **How much does it cost?** $33.97 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/116664962-the-sting-of-the-wild-illustrated-edition-kindle-edition) ## Best For - justin o. schmidt enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted justin o. schmidt brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![The Sting of the Wild Illustrated Edition, Kindle Edition - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61Y7Y3an1eL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A fascinating exposition by an intrepid scientist *by P***N on Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2016* A fascinating exposition on the evolution of the insect sting, by an intrepid scientist who has spent decades observing insects in their natural habitats on six continents. Author Justin Schmidt is best known for inventing the Schmidt Scale of Pain to measure the relative efficacy of insect stings, providing biologists with a basis for developing testable hypotheses about the evolution of insect stings. This account is packed with details about the lives of the six-legged fellow travelers we share the planet with. The blue digger wasp uses its stinger to paralyze a cricket, and then lays an egg atop its victim, which revives a few minutes later and crawls back into its burrow, whereupon the larva hatches out and eats its hapless host alive, thereby saving mom the trouble of digging a burrow for her little one. The dwarf honeybee has invented a remarkable method of defending itself against the depredations of the much larger giant hornet: hundreds of dwarf honeybees will cluster in a ball around the invading hornet and then vibrate their wings muscles to generate enough heat to cook their would-be attacker to death.We learn about the harvester ant, which boasts the most toxic venom of any insect (35 times more deadly than rattlesnake venom) and the dreaded “cow-killer” wasp, which escapes predation by means of a combination of its massively painful sting, its rock-hard exoskeleton, and its powerful legs, which it uses to escape the grasp of attackers. We learn how to avoid being stung when approaching a hive full of honeybees (they recognize us by the smell of our breath, so hold your breath as long as you can and turn aside to exhale), and what to do when stung by the aforementioned “cow-killer” wasp (the sting is horribly painful but carries no lasting ill effects, so just lie down and scream, thereby avoiding the risk of hurting oneself further by dashing about in a fog of pain).We also learn about the nineteenth-century British gentleman who eliminated yellowjackets from his estate, which subsequently was overrun by a plague of flies, and about the destructive and ultimately futile attempts to contain the spread of the fire ant, a struggle Harvard biologist Edward O Wilson has dubbed “the Viet Nam of entomology.”All this is leavened by Schmidt’s reminiscences about his boyhood as a budding young naturalist growing up in rural Pennsylvania and the personality quirks of his fellow biologists. The author’s presence is constant but never overbearing, a seasoned guide initiating the reader into the arcana of the insect world. Terms and concepts are explained in plain English. This book is heartily recommended for anyone interested in learning more about the natural world. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ The author took me through a series of interesting tales based on the biology of representatives of a few types of stinging inse *by O***D on Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2016* This is a most enjoyable book, written by a scientist who really knows his stuff. Moreover, he loves his chosen research area. His fascination with the topic is more than evident -and quite contagious!- in every single page of the book. The author took me through a series of interesting tales based on the biology of representatives of a few types of stinging insects like bees, ants, and wasps. There was a little bit of something in this book for pretty much everyone. He talked about behavior, pharmacology / biochemistry, ecology, and evolution among many other topics. I loved his writing style, his prudent use of notes, and the nice set of references/further readings at the end of the book. This is good, because I was left wanting for more. Also, I liked that he minimized the scientific jargon without sacrificing accuracy but more importantly, he was not at all patronizing. This shows respect for the interested reader. Moreover, he is a natural storyteller; this is a rare quality that is sadly absent in most popular science books nowadays.Dr. Schmidt is the inventor of the well-known stinging insects pain scale, but to him this was not a mere academic exercise, he came up with the scale directly from personal experience, by allowing (and sometimes encouraging) a wide variety of insects to sting him. Some have characterized his efforts as "crazy" and although I do not share that opinion, I must say that he is a braver person than most. I certainly would not engage in something like this voluntarily, you'll never know what will you turn to be allergic to. That being said, if you think Dr. Schmidt is nuts, wait until you read the story about another entomologist (Michael Smith, a grad student at Cornell University… BTW, where I got my PhD...(:-)…) who refined the pain scale, also using himself as a research subject. I'll let you read about this other guy for yourself. You'll be either fascinated or totally freaked out, but it is well worth the read!Now, if you are one of the two and a half people in this universe who read my reviews, you know that I am kind of a nitpicker. Here’s the only two “nits” that I was able to find in this book:Page 88: “…like a mongoose neutralizes the effects of cobra venom.” - As far as I know, this is not exactly what happens. Rather, the protein in the mongoose (a muscle receptor), that is the target of the cobra venom displays some mutations that make this muscle receptor venom-resistant. The venom is not neutralized, it merely cannot interact with its intended target.Pages 202-203: The description of the mechanism of how Japanese honeybees defend themselves against giant Japanese hornets is not quite right.Another thing that made me a little less enthusiastic about the book is that I felt that it ended rather “suddenly”, without general remarks leading to a conclusion. This book literally left me wanting for more.Overall, great reading!Note: This review was originally posted in my personal blog, Baldscientist. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Innformative and Entertaining *by R***T on Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2017* I'd had this book in my wish list for several months. How could someone make the topic of being stung by many insects interesting? Finally, I said: "What the heck", and ordered it.It's a delightful book. There's a story behind the stings. the author's great sense of humor comes through very well.If you have a general interest in bees or other Hymenoptera, and you want to what's in a sting, you'll enjoy this book. I highly recommend it. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/116664962-the-sting-of-the-wild-illustrated-edition-kindle-edition](https://www.desertcart.us/products/116664962-the-sting-of-the-wild-illustrated-edition-kindle-edition) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-05-16*