Saturday, November 19, 2011
Invasive Species and How They Affect the Eco-System.
In Iowa, we have witnessed the invasion of Multi-flora Rose which can completely take over open timbers and pastureland. It is so invasive that only a bulldozer can get through it. Young calves can get trapped in the dense vines covered with fishhook shaped thorns. Wild Parsnip, now widespread, has taken over road ditches and some native plantings. It can cause severe burns that leave permanent scars. Garlic Mustard is walking over and crowding out native vegetation in our timbers. It appears the only hope right now is that nature will again get things in order however this may take several thousand years to undo or redo.
Howard Bright
AKA...Earthyman ³Helping you create your own natural beauty²
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Bumblebees Are at Risk Around the World
Bumblebees are in trouble all around the world. This article comes from the UK. Here is a great site to get up to speed on what you can do to help, if we all do our part one person at a time it will make a difference. http://www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk/
Bumblebees are beautiful, hard working and incredibly important pollinators. In the last 70 years two species have become nationally extinct, and others are have declined dramatically. In short, bumblebees are in trouble...
Now imagine a different future, in which our towns and countryside are rich in colourful wildflowers and teeming with bees, other beneficial insects and a diversity of wildlife for everyone to enjoy...
To halt the recent dramatic declines, we urgently need to improve habitats. Everyone can play their part - gardeners, farmers, land managers, councils and governments can all help.
This website is packed with useful information, and includes pages to help you identify bumblebees, advice on how to garden or farm in a sensitive way, and surveys which you may like to take part in. We hope you enjoy the site.
Bumblebees are beautiful, hard working and incredibly important pollinators. In the last 70 years two species have become nationally extinct, and others are have declined dramatically. In short, bumblebees are in trouble...
Now imagine a different future, in which our towns and countryside are rich in colourful wildflowers and teeming with bees, other beneficial insects and a diversity of wildlife for everyone to enjoy...
 |
"Bumblebees are lovely little creatures - their bright stripes and gentle buzz bring colour and sound to our summer gardens. They are also very important because they pollinate our wildflowers and crops. Sadly things aren't going well and some species are threatened with extinction. I'm really concerned by these declines and I'm pleased to support the work of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust." Kate Humble, March 2009 |
This website is packed with useful information, and includes pages to help you identify bumblebees, advice on how to garden or farm in a sensitive way, and surveys which you may like to take part in. We hope you enjoy the site.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
In Midwest, Butterflies May Be Far Fewer.
Rich Beauchesne/Portsmouth Herald, via Associated Press
HABITAT The use of a herbicide has taken away a home for monarchs.
By ANDREW POLLACK Published: July 11, 2011
By ANDREW POLLACK Published: July 11, 2011
As recently as a decade ago, farms in the Midwest were commonly marred — at least as a farmer would view it — by unruly patches of milkweed amid the neat rows of emerging corn or soybeans.
Get Science News From The New York Times »
Janet Jarman for The New York Times
WINTER HABITAT Pupils from Angangueo, a mountain town in Michoacan state in Mexico, during a celebration of migration of the monarch butterfly.
Not anymore. Fields are now planted with genetically modified corn and soybeans resistant to the herbicide Roundup, allowing farmers to spray the chemical to eradicate weeds, including milkweed.
And while that sounds like good news for the farmers, a growing number of scientists fear it is imperiling the monarch butterfly, whose spectacular migrations make it one of the most beloved of insects — “the Bambi of the insect world,” as an entomologist once put it.
Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, and their larvae eat it. While the evidence is still preliminary and disputed, experts like Chip Taylor say the growing use of genetically modified crops is threatening the orange-and-black butterfly by depriving it of habitat.
“This milkweed has disappeared from at least 100 million acres of these row crops,” said Dr. Taylor, an insect ecologist at the University of Kansas and director of the research and conservation program Monarch Watch. “Your milkweed is virtually gone.”
The primary evidence that monarch populations are in decline comes from a new study showing a drop over the last 17 years of the area occupied by monarchs in central Mexico, where many of them spend the winter. The amount of land occupied by the monarchs is thought to be a proxy for their population size.
“This is the first time we have the data that we can analyze statistically that shows there’s a downward trend,” said Ernest H. Williams, a professor of biology at Hamilton College and an author of the study along with Dr. Taylor and others.
The paper, published online by the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity, attributes the decrease partly to the loss of milkweed from use of “Roundup Ready” crops. Other causes, it says, are the loss of milkweed to land development, illegal logging at the wintering sites in Mexico, and severe weather.
The study does not suggest the monarch will become extinct. But it questions whether the annual migration, the impetus for butterfly festivals around the United States and waves of tourism to Mexico, is sustainable.
Still, the paper does not present any data backing its contention that genetically engineered crops are reducing monarch populations. Some experts dispute that the monarch populations are declining at all, and say it is unclear whether the biotech crops are having an effect.
Andrew K. Davis, an assistant research scientist at the University of Georgia, said censuses of adult monarchs taken each fall at Cape May, N.J., and Peninsula Point, Mich., did not show any decline.
It could be that “even though the overwintering population is getting smaller and smaller, once they come northward in the spring they are able to recoup the numbers,” Dr. Davis said. His paper disputing that there has been a decline in the monarch population was published online by the same journal.
Leslie Ries, a research professor at the University of Maryland, said other butterfly counts she had examined also did not show a decline, but rather year-to-year fluctuations. Since milkweed populations are not likely to fluctuate as much, the milkweed is probably not the major determinant of butterfly populations, she said.
But two other researchers, Karen Oberhauser of the University of Minnesota and John M. Pleasants of Iowa State, cite other evidence for a decline: the number of monarch eggs in the fields of the Midwest.
“Monarch production has decreased significantly” Dr. Pleasants said. “The reduction is caused by loss of milkweed resources available to them.”
The two scientists have submitted a paper to a scientific journal and said they did not want to discuss their data before publication.
Roundup Ready crops contain a bacterial gene that allows them to withstand Roundup or its generic equivalent, glyphosate, allowing farmers to kill the weeds without harming the crop.
Because they make weed control much easier, the crops have been widely adopted by farmers. This year, 94 percent of the soybeans and 72 percent of the corn being grown in the United States are herbicide-tolerant, according to the Department of Agriculture.
That in turn had led to an explosion in the use of glyphosate, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. About five times as much of the weed killer was used on farmland in 2007 as in 1997, a year after the Roundup Ready crops were introduced, and roughly 10 times as much as in 1993.
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And while that sounds like good news for the farmers, a growing number of scientists fear it is imperiling the monarch butterfly, whose spectacular migrations make it one of the most beloved of insects — “the Bambi of the insect world,” as an entomologist once put it.
Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed, and their larvae eat it. While the evidence is still preliminary and disputed, experts like Chip Taylor say the growing use of genetically modified crops is threatening the orange-and-black butterfly by depriving it of habitat.
“This milkweed has disappeared from at least 100 million acres of these row crops,” said Dr. Taylor, an insect ecologist at the University of Kansas and director of the research and conservation program Monarch Watch. “Your milkweed is virtually gone.”
The primary evidence that monarch populations are in decline comes from a new study showing a drop over the last 17 years of the area occupied by monarchs in central Mexico, where many of them spend the winter. The amount of land occupied by the monarchs is thought to be a proxy for their population size.
“This is the first time we have the data that we can analyze statistically that shows there’s a downward trend,” said Ernest H. Williams, a professor of biology at Hamilton College and an author of the study along with Dr. Taylor and others.
The paper, published online by the journal Insect Conservation and Diversity, attributes the decrease partly to the loss of milkweed from use of “Roundup Ready” crops. Other causes, it says, are the loss of milkweed to land development, illegal logging at the wintering sites in Mexico, and severe weather.
The study does not suggest the monarch will become extinct. But it questions whether the annual migration, the impetus for butterfly festivals around the United States and waves of tourism to Mexico, is sustainable.
Still, the paper does not present any data backing its contention that genetically engineered crops are reducing monarch populations. Some experts dispute that the monarch populations are declining at all, and say it is unclear whether the biotech crops are having an effect.
Andrew K. Davis, an assistant research scientist at the University of Georgia, said censuses of adult monarchs taken each fall at Cape May, N.J., and Peninsula Point, Mich., did not show any decline.
It could be that “even though the overwintering population is getting smaller and smaller, once they come northward in the spring they are able to recoup the numbers,” Dr. Davis said. His paper disputing that there has been a decline in the monarch population was published online by the same journal.
Leslie Ries, a research professor at the University of Maryland, said other butterfly counts she had examined also did not show a decline, but rather year-to-year fluctuations. Since milkweed populations are not likely to fluctuate as much, the milkweed is probably not the major determinant of butterfly populations, she said.
But two other researchers, Karen Oberhauser of the University of Minnesota and John M. Pleasants of Iowa State, cite other evidence for a decline: the number of monarch eggs in the fields of the Midwest.
“Monarch production has decreased significantly” Dr. Pleasants said. “The reduction is caused by loss of milkweed resources available to them.”
The two scientists have submitted a paper to a scientific journal and said they did not want to discuss their data before publication.
Roundup Ready crops contain a bacterial gene that allows them to withstand Roundup or its generic equivalent, glyphosate, allowing farmers to kill the weeds without harming the crop.
Because they make weed control much easier, the crops have been widely adopted by farmers. This year, 94 percent of the soybeans and 72 percent of the corn being grown in the United States are herbicide-tolerant, according to the Department of Agriculture.
That in turn had led to an explosion in the use of glyphosate, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. About five times as much of the weed killer was used on farmland in 2007 as in 1997, a year after the Roundup Ready crops were introduced, and roughly 10 times as much as in 1993.
RSS Feed
“It kills everything,” said Lincoln P. Brower, an entomologist at Sweet Briar College who is also an author of the paper documenting the decline of monarch winter populations in Mexico. “It’s like absolute Armageddon for biodiversity over a huge area.”
The amount of milkweed on farms in Iowa declined 90 percent from 1999 to 2009, according to Robert G. Hartzler, an agronomist at Iowa State. His study, published last year in the journal Crop Protection, found milkweed on only 8 percent of the corn and soybean fields surveyed in 2009, down from 51 percent in 1999.
Because of weed-control efforts, even before the advent of Roundup Ready crops, any one farm is not likely to harbor that much milkweed.
But the sheer amount of farmland in the Corn Belt has meant that farms, in aggregate, have accounted for a vast majority of monarch births, according to another study published by Dr. Oberhauser and colleagues in 2001. That study estimated that in Iowa, farms produced 78 times the number of monarchs as nonagricultural sites, and in Wisconsin and Minnesota, 73 times as much.
And while monarchs come from other parts of the country as well, the Midwest is widely believed to be where most of them are hatched.
Still, even Dr. Hartzler said in his paper that it was difficult to assess what impact the decline of Iowa milkweed was having on monarch populations.
A spokesman for Monsanto, the inventor of the Roundup Ready crops and the manufacturer of Roundup, agreed, saying “knowledge is still evolving about whether and how agriculture in Iowa affects monarch population biology.” And what is true of Iowa, he said, might not apply to other regions.
This is not the first time genetically modified crops have been thought to threaten the monarch.
In 1999, researchers at Cornell reported that monarch caterpillars could be killed if they ate milkweed onto which the researchers had dusted pollen from another type of engineered crop known as BT corn. That corn has a bacterial gene allowing it to produce a toxin that kills certain pests.
But subsequent research, financed in part by the biotechnology industry, found that caterpillars were not likely to be exposed to lethal amounts of BT corn pollen under actual field conditions. That concern has died down.
Scientists say it is not surprising that suppressing weeds would have an effect on insects, and probably not just the monarch.
The National Academy of Sciences discussed this in a 2007 report on bees and other animals that pollinate crops. The report cited a British study that found fewer butterflies in fields growing genetically engineered beets and canola than in fields growing nonengineered crops.
That raises the somewhat radical notion that perhaps weeds on farms should be protected. “There’s a change in agricultural thinking, because the weed-free field was the gold standard,” said May Berenbaum, head of entomology at the University of Illinois.
Still, she and other insect experts say it is unrealistic to expect farmers to give up the herbicide-tolerant crops — so efforts should be made to preserve or grow milkweed elsewhere, perhaps on farmland set aside for conservation. Monarch Watch is encouraging gardeners to grow milkweed.
Dr. Taylor of Monarch Watch offered a modest, possibly ironic proposal for biotechnology companies. “I would implore them to develop a Roundup-resistant milkweed,” he said.
The amount of milkweed on farms in Iowa declined 90 percent from 1999 to 2009, according to Robert G. Hartzler, an agronomist at Iowa State. His study, published last year in the journal Crop Protection, found milkweed on only 8 percent of the corn and soybean fields surveyed in 2009, down from 51 percent in 1999.
Because of weed-control efforts, even before the advent of Roundup Ready crops, any one farm is not likely to harbor that much milkweed.
But the sheer amount of farmland in the Corn Belt has meant that farms, in aggregate, have accounted for a vast majority of monarch births, according to another study published by Dr. Oberhauser and colleagues in 2001. That study estimated that in Iowa, farms produced 78 times the number of monarchs as nonagricultural sites, and in Wisconsin and Minnesota, 73 times as much.
And while monarchs come from other parts of the country as well, the Midwest is widely believed to be where most of them are hatched.
Still, even Dr. Hartzler said in his paper that it was difficult to assess what impact the decline of Iowa milkweed was having on monarch populations.
A spokesman for Monsanto, the inventor of the Roundup Ready crops and the manufacturer of Roundup, agreed, saying “knowledge is still evolving about whether and how agriculture in Iowa affects monarch population biology.” And what is true of Iowa, he said, might not apply to other regions.
This is not the first time genetically modified crops have been thought to threaten the monarch.
In 1999, researchers at Cornell reported that monarch caterpillars could be killed if they ate milkweed onto which the researchers had dusted pollen from another type of engineered crop known as BT corn. That corn has a bacterial gene allowing it to produce a toxin that kills certain pests.
But subsequent research, financed in part by the biotechnology industry, found that caterpillars were not likely to be exposed to lethal amounts of BT corn pollen under actual field conditions. That concern has died down.
Scientists say it is not surprising that suppressing weeds would have an effect on insects, and probably not just the monarch.
The National Academy of Sciences discussed this in a 2007 report on bees and other animals that pollinate crops. The report cited a British study that found fewer butterflies in fields growing genetically engineered beets and canola than in fields growing nonengineered crops.
That raises the somewhat radical notion that perhaps weeds on farms should be protected. “There’s a change in agricultural thinking, because the weed-free field was the gold standard,” said May Berenbaum, head of entomology at the University of Illinois.
Still, she and other insect experts say it is unrealistic to expect farmers to give up the herbicide-tolerant crops — so efforts should be made to preserve or grow milkweed elsewhere, perhaps on farmland set aside for conservation. Monarch Watch is encouraging gardeners to grow milkweed.
Dr. Taylor of Monarch Watch offered a modest, possibly ironic proposal for biotechnology companies. “I would implore them to develop a Roundup-resistant milkweed,” he said.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Help Stop the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Beetle
What Is EAB?
The adult Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) beetle:
This invasive insect is bright, metallic green, about 1/2″ long with a flattened back. It has purple abdominal segments under its wing covers. The EAB can fit on the head of a penny, and is hard to spot in the wild.
The EAB larva: It’s the larva that does all the harm to ash trees. Larvae tunnel under the bark and disrupt the tree’s systems that transport food and water, eventually starving and killing it.
Since it was first detected in North America, the beetle has been found in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. More states are at risk.
The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) beetle has killed tens of millions of trees, from forests to neighborhoods. Here’s how you can help protect our trees:
Never Move Firewood
Burn It Where You Buy It
Report Beetle Sightings or Signs of Infestation
How did it get here?
The EAB probably arrived inside wood packing material from Asia. Since its discovery in southeastern Michigan in 2002, the EAB has killed tens of millions of ash trees.
How does it spread?
EAB adults are strong flyers, but most of them only fly short distances (about 1/2 mile). So they don’t spread far on their own. Most new infestations are caused by people unknowingly taking infested ash to an uninfested area.
Where can the beetle hide?
Infested ash materials can include nursery stock, mulch(?), logs — and especially firewood. When people move infested firewood, they spread the beetle to our forests and neighborhoods.
What is the cost?
EAB infestations have already cost municipalities, property owners, and industries millions of dollars. If we don’t stop the beetle, the economic costs will be unimaginable and our yards, woods and neighborhoods may never be the same again.
To report seeing the EAB in Iowa contact – Rob Meinders
Rob Meinders, State Plant Health Director
USDA, APHIS, PPQ
11213 Aurora Ave.
Urbandale, IA 50322
Phone: (515) 251-4083
Fax: (515) 251-4093
robert.d.meinders@aphis.usda.gov
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Butterflies on Noxious Weeds
Posted on June 29, 2011 by Chris Helzer The Prairie Ecologist
As I mentioned in my last post, regal fritillaries are out in high numbers in our Platte River Prairies. We’re watching – among other things – what plant species they’re using for nectaring, and are interested to see if that use is similar to what we saw last year. Right now, the most attractive plant to fritillaries is one that might surprise you – musk thistles.
On the other hand, if you’ve spent much time watching butterflies, you’ll not be too surprised at the attractiveness of this noxious weed to butterflies and other pollinators. Native thistles are recognized as important nectar sources, but non-native thistles, especially those we’re legally obligated to eradicate, don’t always get the same positive attention. This week our technicians were out looking for both musk thistles and regal fritillaries (for different reasons) and they were finding both simultaneously! We ended up killing a lot of thistles out from under butterflies.
Here is a selection of photos from last Friday, showing fritillaries getting what they can out of these noxious weeds before we kill them off (the thistles, not the butterflies…)
To View pictures go to Ion Exchange Blog
On the other hand, if you’ve spent much time watching butterflies, you’ll not be too surprised at the attractiveness of this noxious weed to butterflies and other pollinators. Native thistles are recognized as important nectar sources, but non-native thistles, especially those we’re legally obligated to eradicate, don’t always get the same positive attention. This week our technicians were out looking for both musk thistles and regal fritillaries (for different reasons) and they were finding both simultaneously! We ended up killing a lot of thistles out from under butterflies.
Here is a selection of photos from last Friday, showing fritillaries getting what they can out of these noxious weeds before we kill them off (the thistles, not the butterflies…)
To View pictures go to Ion Exchange Blog
Monday, June 27, 2011
Companion Planting - Plants to Help Control Potato Bugs
Potato bugs (Colorado Potato Beetle) are a well known garden pest that target potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants and even your prized petunias! They not only thrive on the leaves of a plant, but are also known to feast on the fruit. If left unchecked, they will affect your garden’s yield and can kill young, tender plants.
Discourage Colorado Beetles By Growing Plants That Naturally Repel Them
You can get a step ahead of them by growing certain plants between potatoes to help repel them away from your garden. I’ve listed a few recommended companion plants below along with a section of tips for getting rid of them (including recipes for “Potato Bug Spray” which can be used on plants to help keep these pesky fellows at bay).
Critters other than the Colorado Potato Beetle are also commonly referred to as potato bugs, I added those at the bottom with reference links for more information on them.
How To Spot An Infestation: If you have holes and damaged leaves on the plants, check underneath leaves and look for larvae or eggs, they can be a yellow cluster of eggs or larvae with orange and black. If you spot them simply remove the infested leaf part and destroy. A good resource for pictures of the eggs, larvae and adult beetle along with more detailed information about this pest can be found here: Vegetable Pests: Colorado Potato Beetle (pdf).
Suitable Companion Plants
These plants and herbs are recommended as being suitable for deterring a potato bug population, intercrop between potatoes or in the space between rows:
1. Horseradish
2. Bush Beans: These are mutually beneficial since potatoes return the favor by repelling insects that attack the beans.
3. Catnip: Plant these in pots because it can be invasive…downside is that once the neighborhood cats figure out you’ve got the good stuff growing, you’ll be herding cats (use this plant in more remote areas rather than city or towns).
4. Cilantro
5. Coriander
6. Tansy: Also repels squash bugs.
7. Marigolds
Getting Rid of Them
• Manual pest control: Spot check plants and shake off any beetles that you see (or hand pick them off but make sure to wear gloves), dispose of immediately by crushing them.
• Did you know: Ladybugs consider the larvae of potato beetles a tasty treat, consider growing a few plants in the garden that will attract them so you have a thriving ladybug population (some ideas: Marigolds, Tansy, Fennel and Dill).
• Diatomaceous Earth: This is a non-toxic method of pest control, simply dust the leaves and surrounding soil with the powder and repeat after each rainfall.
Keep In Mind: The larvae will go underground to pupate and then emerge as adults after 10 days or so, you’ll likely need to continue removal methods until all the adults and larvae have been dealt with.
Homemade Repellent Teas or Infusions:
Here are two different recipes you can try, once they’ve cooled pour into spray bottles and use on plants (for best results spray fresh applications after each rain).
• Tansy or Marigold Infusion: Fill a pot with freshly picked tansy (or marigolds), cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until liquid has been halved. Strain, cool and use as needed.
• Wild Mustard Tea: Steep 4 whole cloves, a handful of wild mustard leaves, a clove of garlic in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool, then use as spray. Source: Jerry Baker’s Bug Off!: 2,193 Super Secrets for Battling Bad Bugs, Outfoxing Crafty Critters, Evicting Voracious Varmints and Much More!
Other Bugs
• Some consider potato bugs to be Pill Bugs (pillbugs), Roly Polys or Rolly Polly Bugs (because they roll up into a ball when aggravated), but these critters are more attracted to dead plant matter than they are live plants (though they will munch away on young plants too). You can try attracting them away from the garden by setting out corn cobs and then dispose of them once they gather on the cob. You can find more information about them here.
• Jerusalem Crickets: These are ugly! Known as potato bugs by some but they feed on dead plant matter and aren’t really attracted to potatoes. You can learn more about them here.
Discourage Colorado Beetles By Growing Plants That Naturally Repel Them
You can get a step ahead of them by growing certain plants between potatoes to help repel them away from your garden. I’ve listed a few recommended companion plants below along with a section of tips for getting rid of them (including recipes for “Potato Bug Spray” which can be used on plants to help keep these pesky fellows at bay).
Critters other than the Colorado Potato Beetle are also commonly referred to as potato bugs, I added those at the bottom with reference links for more information on them.
How To Spot An Infestation: If you have holes and damaged leaves on the plants, check underneath leaves and look for larvae or eggs, they can be a yellow cluster of eggs or larvae with orange and black. If you spot them simply remove the infested leaf part and destroy. A good resource for pictures of the eggs, larvae and adult beetle along with more detailed information about this pest can be found here: Vegetable Pests: Colorado Potato Beetle (pdf).
Suitable Companion Plants
These plants and herbs are recommended as being suitable for deterring a potato bug population, intercrop between potatoes or in the space between rows:
1. Horseradish
2. Bush Beans: These are mutually beneficial since potatoes return the favor by repelling insects that attack the beans.
3. Catnip: Plant these in pots because it can be invasive…downside is that once the neighborhood cats figure out you’ve got the good stuff growing, you’ll be herding cats (use this plant in more remote areas rather than city or towns).
4. Cilantro
5. Coriander
6. Tansy: Also repels squash bugs.
7. Marigolds
Getting Rid of Them
• Manual pest control: Spot check plants and shake off any beetles that you see (or hand pick them off but make sure to wear gloves), dispose of immediately by crushing them.
• Did you know: Ladybugs consider the larvae of potato beetles a tasty treat, consider growing a few plants in the garden that will attract them so you have a thriving ladybug population (some ideas: Marigolds, Tansy, Fennel and Dill).
• Diatomaceous Earth: This is a non-toxic method of pest control, simply dust the leaves and surrounding soil with the powder and repeat after each rainfall.
Keep In Mind: The larvae will go underground to pupate and then emerge as adults after 10 days or so, you’ll likely need to continue removal methods until all the adults and larvae have been dealt with.
Homemade Repellent Teas or Infusions:
Here are two different recipes you can try, once they’ve cooled pour into spray bottles and use on plants (for best results spray fresh applications after each rain).
• Tansy or Marigold Infusion: Fill a pot with freshly picked tansy (or marigolds), cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until liquid has been halved. Strain, cool and use as needed.
• Wild Mustard Tea: Steep 4 whole cloves, a handful of wild mustard leaves, a clove of garlic in 1 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool, then use as spray. Source: Jerry Baker’s Bug Off!: 2,193 Super Secrets for Battling Bad Bugs, Outfoxing Crafty Critters, Evicting Voracious Varmints and Much More!
Other Bugs
• Some consider potato bugs to be Pill Bugs (pillbugs), Roly Polys or Rolly Polly Bugs (because they roll up into a ball when aggravated), but these critters are more attracted to dead plant matter than they are live plants (though they will munch away on young plants too). You can try attracting them away from the garden by setting out corn cobs and then dispose of them once they gather on the cob. You can find more information about them here.
• Jerusalem Crickets: These are ugly! Known as potato bugs by some but they feed on dead plant matter and aren’t really attracted to potatoes. You can learn more about them here.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Elk in Allamakee County Could Be Gone Soon
Image via WikipediaFind attached link to today's TV story. Iowa Department of Natural Resources' (IDNR) knee jerk reaction to a sustaining herd of elk (wapiti) in Allamakee County. Its so typical for this government bureaucracy. This is the same government bureaucracy that witnesses massive wetland destruction,fish kills, can't protect our watersheds & assists the federal government's ethanol subsidized/ corporate GMO heavily chemical-treated corn growing "plow up every acre", heavily soil eroding madness in this state.This agency is falsely releasing to the media that elk are not native to Iowa (Beautiful Land). When in fact elk herds were seen & recorded by all the early explores of our state. re:A Country So Full of Game, The Story of Wildlife in Iowa by Dr James Dinsmore (1994 ISU) Many of us local folks have watched this wild herd for a couple years and have always held out some hope for preserving the wildness of NE Iowa similar to when a black bear is spotted in the wooded valleys or a bobcat track or it's scream in the night. But let the Iowa DNR help propagate factory farms & their polluting unhealthy ways, so the Farm Bureau membership can ship antibiotic loaded pork to Asia. Ya lets do away with a wild elk herd! What the hell are we teaching our young folks?Tim Mason
http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=14009873
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Patterns of Widespread Decline in North American Bumble Bees
bySydney A. Cameron, Jeffrey D. Lozier, James P. Strange, Jonathan B. Kochb , Nils Cordesa, Leellen F. Solter, and Terry L. Griswold
Bumble bees (Bombus) are vitally important pollinators of wild plants and agricultural crops worldwide. Fragmentary observations, however, have suggested population declines in several North American species. Despite rising concern over these observations in the United States, highlighted in a recent National Academy of Sciences report, a national assessment of the geographic scope and possible causal factors of bumble bee decline is lacking. Here, we report results of a 3-y interdisciplinary study of changing distributions, population genetic structure, and levels of pathogen infection
in bumble bee populations across the United States. We compare current and historical distributions of eight species, compiling a database of >73,000 museum records for comparison with data from intensive nationwide surveys of >16,000 specimens. We show that
the relative abundances of four species have declined by up to 96% and that their surveyed geographic ranges have contracted by 23– 87%, some within the last 20 y. We also show that declining populations have significantly higher infection levels of the microsporidian
pathogen Nosemabombi and lower genetic diversity compared with co-occurring populations of the stable (nondeclining) species. Higher pathogen prevalence and reduced genetic diversity are, thus, realistic predictors of these alarming patterns of decline in North America, although cause and effect remain uncertain.
The first author wishes me to point out that the bees have undergone reduction of genetic diversity (loss of genes because of shrinking populations), not inbreeding.
James C. Trager, Ph. D.
Biologist - Naturalist
Shaw Nature Reserve
P.O. Box 38
Gray Summit MO 63039
636-451-3512 ext. 6002
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