B) Introduced/Exotic Species

1. Pests are social products.

a) Monocropping

b) Introduced/exotic species

c) Pesticides

d) Habitat destruction

1. loss on native species, including natural predators
2. ECOLOGICAL SIMPLIFICATION

e) urbanization – post-nomadic civilization

1. Monocropping

a) If pests and crops coevolve, and there is one crop in super-abundance, you are likely to have one pest in superabundance.

b) If natural predators depend on plants removed in the process of monocropping, their populations fall and pests populations increase.

c) POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

1. rotational controls = two cycle monocropping
2. plant attractant plant species to draw pests from primary crop
3. i. and ii. are kinds of IPM

1. Introduced/exotic species

a) Gypsy moth

1. sort of “accidently” introduced
2. historical significance lies in the dynamic regulatory response
3. manual/physical removal
4. Paris green – French, copper based insecticide
5. highway quarantine
6. first eminent domain law
7. first international plant quarantine regulations

b) Vancouver struggle around Bt

1. One species from Russia via ships, one species from Eastern NA via wood products
2. globalization is likely to increase this kind of problem.
3. “Eradication” is necessary because of provincial dependence on forest product trade and FPT is dependent on no gypsy moths
4. Folks don’t trust gov’t scientists when it comes to pesticides
5. Gov’t has to learn to change its receptivity to questions and concerns from the public

c) introduced species can lead to the search for and introduction of exotic natural predators and ENP can become (or generate new) pest themselves

d) they are plants as much as insects, and are likely to be weeds as well as pests

1. Pesticides

a) 1900-1945 at the chemical level the bases were boric acid, sulfur-based chemicals… plant breeding for resistance, more of it is natural predators, rotational controls and what we now call IPM.

b) DDT, and other organophos-phates, are the first major, broad-spectrum pesticides

c) Bioaccumation “up” the foodchain making the world toxic for far more than the original pest

d) we also need to take into account the environmental half-life and acute or chronic toxicity of the chemicals we apply.

e) RESISTANCE

f) pesticides take out natural predators that used to control an insects population

1. lower populations, nat. preds are generally more susceptible…
2. secondary pest outbreaks

1. urbanization

a) structural pest control and ITS dominance by pesticide eradication ideologies and applications

b) we want that icky bug out now! Oh, and by the way we want ALL of them dead. Mr. ORKIN man…. “see you next time.”

c) Once this program is initiated, structural pest control industries make a lot of money.

d) The whole thing, “is penny wise and pound foolish.”

1. Structural adaptation of houses, etc., costs more at the start but saves tons in the long run.
2. There are also the “costs” to childrens’ and pet health to take into account.
3. A lot of this is simply about our lifestyles…
4. As with IPM, there’s a difference between aesthetic “injury” and real health “risks” (in the IPM context is called economic “damage.”
5. Given the IBT scandal, we really don’t know whether or not many of the chemicals are safe at legal levels of application
6. “we” don’t apply these things according to label instructions
7. how much, how often, where, precautions

1. Pests vs. Weeds

a) Pests according to Winston:

1. florae or fauna with which we compete for resources
2. Examples
3. gypsy moth – eat trees
4. cockroaches – steal food/allergies
5. rats – disease vectors
6. pigeons – disease vectors

b) Weeds according to Winston

1. anything and everything that isn’t where you’d want
2. crab grass/dandelions
3. st johns wort
4. geese
5. coyotes
6. airports
7. bird/plane accidents
8. airports almost always placed marshes
9. urban/rural planning might want to take these things into account in zoning/development meetings

1. Unreviewed:

a) Material on GMOs, which are pretty well covered on the powerpoint presentation already linked to the syllabus.

b) Also, I pointed out that it is worth knowing the ways Winston and I see these things differently (grounded in the differences between his bio-environmentalist approach and my sociology of environment approach.