Insects and thistles

This book introduces the community of insects that make their home on thistles, feeding on the leaves, the flowerheads, the roots, the stems, or each other. It deals with creeping thistle and spear thistle. Because thistles are introduced to countries outside Europe, the insects that feed on them in Britain are of interest as potential biological control agents. This book describes the natural history of the important groups of insects, and shows how to find them and how to observe their lives. It discusses the effects of herbivorous insects on the plant, and the impact that they may have in biological control. The colour illustrations show the major insects, and there are keys for the identification of the characteristic thistle-dwelling insect species. Much remains to be discovered about these creatures, and the book draws attention to topics suitable for further investigation. Techniques are described.