My bugs get their encyclopedia
On January 16, 2014 at 18:37:17, I received an email from Gordon Gordh (of the USDA APHIS), about a World Encyclopedia of Plant Pests being prepared by the Center for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) in Great Britain. Gordon was the editor of this book and asked me to develop the section on pest Orthoptera. I accepted with pleasure but I did not yet know that the adventure was going to be long and full of twists and turns.
I contacted around thirty colleagues around the world who each agreed to treat one or more species of their choice. After a certain number of months, then years, the text was finally completed, illustrated with color photos for each of the 61 species selected as major pests. Unfortunetly, the affair was considerably slowed down by Gordon's illness. News was scarce and CABI did not give any sign of life. Finally, around the fall of 2018, I received a message from Gordon announcing that CABI was desisting and renouncing to publish this World Encyclopedia of Plant Pests. At this occasion, I could then see that the work was only completed for two groups of insects, including mine, the Orthoptera.
Drawing on silk (from a Zhang Long's relative).
What should I do? Had I mobilized for nothing thirty eminent colleagues? Finally, in just a few days, my friend Zhang Long from Beijing (who had written several articles in the encyclopedia) found the solution with the China Agricultural University Press. This publisher agreed to take care of editing the book, the costs being supported by Long on various projects he had in progress. It only remained to write an introduction, an index and provide the publisher with the final version of the manuscript. Then correct the proofs, and it's there that I had some cold sweats while receiving the first tests where the printed characters held as much English as Chinese (just a bit of exaggeration but the printed text was far from good). Finally, the solution was found and after proofreading and correcting the second and third proofs, the book was finally printed and Long received the first copies in its office in Beijing in early 2020.
My favorite bugs had, finally, their encyclopedia!
LECOQ M., ZHANG L. (Sc. Ed.), 2019. Encyclopedia of Pest Orthoptera of the World. China Agricultural University Press, Beijing. 311 p. ISBN: 978-7-5655-2232-1
This encyclopedia covers the main Orthoptera species–locusts, grasshoppers and crickets–considered as important pests of crops and pasture worldwide. Some of these species are invasive at a continental scale. Their control is sometime critical to food security worldwide, requiring governmental or international involvement. This book–illustrated with more than 120 color photos–may be useful in identifying these pests, also providing biological and ecological data, as well as information on how to manage them in the framework of integrated pest management strategies. It will provide diverse readers–academics, entomologists, farmers, researchers, extensionists–with key information on this group of insects of great economic importance.
My special thanks to Gordon, at the origin of this book, for encouraging me to embark on this adventure; and to Long who found an editor in a few days when the situation seemed hopeless.
