Monarchs and Corn Pollen

[Jim Mouw]

I have been reading the Leps-L for a couple years and have refrained from 
posting until now.  I have found the messages over the years to be both 
informative and entertaining.  Just checking to see who is posting 
usually gives me a pretty good idea of what to expect.  I have come to 
expect and respect the common sense responses from some of you 
"regulars".  Paul Cherubini is certainly one I have come to value for 
his logical common sense approach as opposed to the scare tactics and 
emotional outbursts employed by others.
I live here in the middle of Iowa in the middle of the corn belt.  I have 
worked in the corn fields during the summers and have a pretty good idea 
of how the pollen spreads.  I can tell you that Paul's mathematical 
model makes a lot of sense.  I have watched crop dusting planes spray 
corn fields with insecticides for corn borers and can tell you that the 
drift from the spray goes a lot farther than the pollen. So, as others 
have already noted , we need more evidence and solid scientific facts 
before we blurt out to the world that "the sky is falling, the sky is 
falling". I suspect that we will find that this genetically altered corn 
will be less harmful to non target species than the older method of 
aerial spraying.
By the way, when the corn is tasseling and pollen is produced during the 
middle of July,it is traditionally quite hot and winds are calm.  The 
pollen just does not blow very far.
Cheers,
Jim Mouw