USDA / USFW Insect Permits

[Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX]

Great. If the list of lepidoptera pests is based on sound information and
explicit criteria then it would likely serve as a good starting point to
allow the regulators of plant pests to focus their valuable time and scarce
public funds.  As I understand it; some people are arguing that because some
lawyers say so, the Monarch is a plant pest.  The normal response of human
society is to take active measures to control plant pests.  I am not aware
of any efforts to reduce or control the populations of the Monarch so I
conclude that this butterfly is in fact not a plant pest by any reasonable
definition of a plant pest.  What social benefit is derived from treating
the Monarch as a plant pest ?? I view it as a desirable animal to have
around and am pretty sceptical about it fitting any logical definition of
plant pest which needs regulation and population reduction to protect the
public interest in plants.  Sometimes reasoning with regulators is not
effective and political action to clarify matters is needed :-)
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Walsh [mailto:jbwalsh at u.arizona.edu]
Sent: Thursday, June 15, 2000 8:48 AM
To: 'cherubini at mindspring.com'; leps-l; Kondla, Norbert FOR:EX
Subject: RE: USDA / USFW Insect Permits


A few more thoughts on the permit process.

First, there is a standard listing of all lepidoptera pests, 
B.-C. Zhang. 1994. Index of Economically Important Lepidoptera.

Second, the risk of inter-state transport is entirely from a lack of
containment.  Excluding breeding colonies, most collectors get a few
cocoon/pupae in the mail and guard those suckers for all they are worth.
The
collector has a HUGE emotional investment in not letting even a single
individual escape.  In almost all cases, there is at least double
containment ---
usually a sealed cage inside ones house, and usually triple containment
(cage inside a closed door room inside a house).  Hence, for such cases the
risk of release of even a single individual is VERY low.

Cheers

Bruce