Includes bibliographical references and index.

Classification and nomenclature ("a rose-chafer by any other name...") -- Physiology -- Behavior -- Social lives -- Vegetarian lifestyles -- Eating insects -- Parasites and hosts -- Odd appetites and out-of-the-way places -- Insects and people -- Appreciating insects -- Equal time (the insect perspective).

The vast majority of people consider it a high priority to minimize the extent of their interaction with the insect world. Homes are sealed, sprayed, and kept meticulously clean so as to reduce the probability that they will be invaded by insects; similarly, bodies are bathed, hair is shampooed, and clothing regularly washed in order to eliminate any unwanted contact with six-legged life forms. In the overwhelmingly vast majority of daily conversations, insects are conspicuous in their absence; those rare conversations in which insects feature prominently are generally carried out in guarded tones, often with a touch of embarrassment.