Nature Wars II ISS 310 Spring 2002 Prof Alan Rudy Questions Main Points Thursday April 18 Ch 3 Relatively Harmless Creatures Cockroaches Conserving Nature but not at home Structural Pest Controllers Exterminators or Guardians of Health Fleas Rats mice Mosquitoes Termites Sanitation IPM far better than chemicals or utterly natural controls Relatively Harmless Cockroaches Ancient like grasshoppers mantids crickets and termites 4000 species 4 main pest species Flat greasy flee from light Omnivorous scavengers Fecund High reproductive rates NOT A SERIOUS HEALTH THREAT Allergies usually worst A couple Who cares Relatively Harmless Cockroaches II When is an infestation bad enough to implement control measures Can low levels be tolerated or accepted Are chemicals necessary Are slower apparently more expensive short term methods feasible Relatively Harmless Cockroaches III Winston claims most chemicals highly tested IBT scandal Do we trust testers often companies Do we and others understand labels and safety measures Why do agricultural chemicals and practices get more scrutiny than home chemicals and practices Relatively Harmless Cockroaches IV How do we evaluate household chemical danger for humans Problems with and difficulty of social epidemiology Problems of and difficulties with pesticide resistance Esp for cockroaches where resistance to one chemical may impart resistance to others as well Relatively Harmless Cockroaches V Should we rotate chemicals often In a domestic retail setting how would that be done How about non pesticide methods Know your species habitat preferences Be clean store food and garbage in sealed containers eliminate standing water Selective and specific chemical baits traps and chemical applications Diatomaceous earth boric acid first Relatively Harmless Cockroaches VI Key consumers must demand IPM as opposed to chemical extermination This is because industry must serve clients who want extermination and or apparently cost cutting and time saving methods IPM professionalization better training but also long term sustained and regular maintenance and testing more time more commitment more education more extensive Relatively Harmless Cockroaches VII Need better gov t regulation certification training and renewal schedules Without this economics and the accelerating pace of life will trump social and natural ecological rationalities Refer back to O Connor natural personal and communal conditions upon which we depend but that we treat as if they were disposable or depreciable commodities Need better understanding of short term pennywisdom representing long term pound foolishness Very nice summary on p 58 Ch 4 Weeds Are human beings weeds Humans thrive everywhere and make their own surroundings even novel ecosystems like cities and suburbs Urbanism makes weeds in their plant insect mammalian and avian incarnations refer back to first chapter in re agriculture and urbanization Urban nature is a hybrid place and climate It is groomed sanitized and simplified often more about aesthetics and feeling than nature Ch 4 Weeds II Pigeons check out those many diseases 61 Geese mean stinky slimy sick birds Mike Mackintosh seeks diversified urban ecologies as a means of controlling pest populations and the reduction of pest being generated by urbanism More greenery can produce fewer weeds pests Ch 4 Weeds III Birds and Aircraft Airports Airports often placed near marshy birdintensive habitats ooops Marsh complex diverse ecology that Winston calls balanced Airport simplified reduced diversity ecology that Winston calls disrupted Interaction between the two is therefore likely to be problematic Remember student example of waste treatment plant in marshy areas too Ch 4 Weeds IV To legally and non toxically control bird populations Mowing Draining Garbage Removal Different Noises Spikes Hotfoot Move nests Raptor releases Ch 4 Weeds V Rats lean mean gnawing machines quick tough fecund and hard to kill carry a whole host of diseases and disease vectors cause fires by gnawing cables Buildings can be rat proofed but it isn t easy Anti coagulant chemicals are producing resistance in rats Ch 4 Weeds VI Coyotes classic mammalian generalist with high reproduction rates and smarts kill far fewer pets than cars do Raccoons move to cities when habitat destroyed and when transplanted for sport hunting Rabies Beaver Deer Squirrels Rabbits MAIN POINT SOCIETY contributes far more to the production of pests and weeds than NATURE does Learn repeat the key ways this occurs Ch 4 Weeds VI Lawns produce weeds Greatest advertising campaign EVER Quote on p 76 Alternatives Naturescaping for diversity Wildlife corridors Diversity Conservation and Stewardship