Nature Wars II

1. Nature Wars II ISS 310 Spring 2002 Prof. Alan Rudy Questions? Main Points? Thursday, April 18

2. 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

3. 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!?

4. 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?

5. 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?

6. 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.

7. Delete sample documenticons and replace with working document icons as follows: • From Insert Menu, select Object... • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select “Action Settings” • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK 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.

8. 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

9. 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 penny-wisdom representing long-term pound foolishness. • Very nice summary on p.58

10. 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.”

11. 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.

12. Delete sample documenticons and replace with working document icons as follows: • From Insert Menu, select Object... • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select “Action Settings” • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK Ch.4: Weeds III • Birds and Aircraft/Airports • Airports often placed near marshy bird-intensive 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.

13. Ch.4: Weeds IV • To legally, and non-toxically, control bird populations: • Mowing • Draining • Garbage Removal • Different Noises • Spikes • Hotfoot • Move nests • Raptor releases.

14. 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

15. 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.

16. Delete sample documenticons and replace with working document icons as follows: • From Insert Menu, select Object... • Click “Create from File” • Locate File name in “File” box • Make sure “Display as Icon” is checked • Click OK • Select icon • From Slide Show Menu, Select “Action Settings” • Click “Object Action” and select “Edit” • Click OK 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.