> Dear Folks, I'm sorry. I can't resist throwing more fuel to
> the fire of this discussion. I hope those of you in non-SE
> parts of the country enjoy hearing about our trials...
>
> Some years ago after much research (78-82) the multicolored
> Asian Lady Beetle - Harmonia axyridis - was released by USDA
> to deal with an aphid problen (possibly on southern pine
> trees?). It seemed to disappear and the
> experiment was thought to be a failure. Surprise!
>
> Suddenly it started showing up in large numbers and now has
> spread up the Atlantic Coast and through SE states. It's
> been in Missouri since the 92-93 winter with steadily
> growing numbers. They're doing a great deal of good in
> attacking almost any kind of aphid - and will go whereever
> there is food - alfalfa and other field crops, home gardens
> and in the city. The cotton farmers in SE Missouri are
> absolutely estatic with the great aphid control. Up here in
> the Ozark Hills I suspect that our visitors are enjoying the
> recent excess of aphids in Maple trees. So, maybe before
> too long there won't be as many folks complaigning about the
> "tree sap" (aphid honey dew) that ruins their car's
> finishes. So, that's all to the good and things might seem
> to be working like a dream example of the release of a
> beneficial insect for pest control.
>
> There's just one problem. The home habitat for these
> Japanese lady beetles allows them to join together in
> friendly colonies of thousands to hibernate over the winter
> in the crevices of cliffs and rocky hillsides. Here in the
> US the next best thing to home looks like OUR homes! These
> beneficial insects are now well on their was to being
> considered a MAJOR HOUSEHOLD PEST.
> mutate into plant eating pests. And one newspaper article
> (I forget, either Kentucky or Georgia) told of the trials of
> getting dressed in the morning when ladybugs are inside your
> underpants and of bathing when the little jewels are in your
> bath tub.
>
Well live and learn. I could say the I bet the USDA did not release the
beetles like us farmers would but I don't know for sure. everything the
gov. does they do in a big
way . I don't think the 1 or 2 gal. of lady bugs I let out here are
going to
take over the earth. They probablly release more than a farmer would
trying to control aphids. Here u got the USDA that messes up on lady bugs
and get a lot of people mad. So you want them to make the rules on what
a pest is and what bio-control does. I don't understand is this thier
reward
for being the folks that messed up a benficial release. look at food
stamps. It sound good. Feed the poor. who would be against feeding the
poor. But look what happens under
the USDA now people are trading food stamps for cokecaine . The gov.
just seems
to over do things. They don't make releases like us farmers when they
spray for med fly they spray schools homes citys miles and miles what
ever it takes for months and months. If
they find one fly they spend multi millions of $'s spraying so I
don't think they did a little ladybug release. they may have release
too many and soon nature will make
up for that mastake the USDA made and the predator -pest will even out.
All kidding aside as a organic farmer I always dream of establishing the
benificials I release but they never stay and I have to release them
again. NOw to be truely substainable I would love to find the bugs and
microorganisms that will establish where they were not before. I
would love to have to buy them maybe once or twice and that they like it
here and set up colonies. Thats the dream . I'm looking for the bugs
that will over winter and be here next year to help me with the fight
against real plant pests. I'm a bet worried that the wording in the USDA
paper is against what I'm looking for. I want to establish helpers where
they were not before. Thats the whole idea. No one wants to keep
releasing bugs when you can find one that will live and work after only a
few releases. Those ladybug population will even out but the new rules
the USDA is making will have a more lasting effect . They may kill off
the dream of not using pesticides. Suppose we found a bug that eats
medflys think of the millions and millions and millions we can save not
spraying. Ofcourse some one is not going to get those millions so they
may not want to see that bug found. Now tell me if I'm wrong but I heard
that where the med fly comes from Africa that they are not even a
problem because there are 10 predertors to every fly. Could that be
true.
I got to go back to work I heard about that ladybug deal on rec.gardens
but I did not know the USDA were responsible. Thanks for the" rest of the
story : >I see the USDA
got a little heat over the ladybugs and want to pass the load
down to me. U got to know someting when you let things out. You don't
want to let out microbes if you don't have anything for them to eat. You
don't want to release something if you don't have something for them to
eat. We have a lot to learn to make releasing helper helpful. Lets not
put big stumbleing blocks in front of Bio-control. Lets research every
one but don't charge everyone so much moneys that we stop the bugs that
will help us from comming in ,in favor of pesticides. Thats going
backwords.
I got swallows that come here every April and build nest under my eves on
my house. the pack mud and shit all around the house. they are supposed
to live in cliffs but because we have messed up their usual homes they
pick my house to live. And I love it. Some people might say "look at
all these birds shiting everywhere flying in big flocks building mud
nest on the house what a pest. nOT me I love them .they eat so many insects.
All day
they are eating insects. Sure I can call them a pest because they come
here every year but they are helpers and I hope they keep comming. Some
people take the swollows as a curse some take them as a blessing. They fly around
all day with there mouths open eating bugs . Just
like the rain . To some that need rain its a blessing to others (that may
miss a days work the rain comes as a curse. You can't call those
ladybugs plant pests. They eat pests. The whole point is they are not
plant pests.
Sal Schettino,Organic Farmer,don't panic eat organic,sals@rain.org
or check out my homepage: http://www.rain.org/~sals/my.html .