Bt pollen and the little guys

[Rcjohnsen]

<< Subject: Bt pollen and the little guys
From: viceroy at gate.net  (Anne Kilmer)
Date: Sun, Mar 26, 2000 4:10 PM
Message-id: <38DE320D.1713A4F7 at gate.net>

A friend of mine is carrying the flag in the battle for Butterflies
Against Bt Corn. 
She is concerned, among other things, about the possibility of  genetic
damage among the Monarchs that survive their childhood sublethal dose of
Bt corn and survive to spread their tainted seed among the world's
Monarch gatherings in Mexico. 
This seems to me a very unlikely problem, and I've suggested that she
aim her big guns some provable problems. She suggested the food chain,
not only the missing leps of all species, but the impact of Bt-flavored
organisms on predators. 
She has heard, also, that the critters in the soil around the plant are
also killed. 
Her feeling is that more research is needed, and I'm with her there. 
Is the bycatch going to be exclusively lepidoptera, or could predators
be affected by eating poisoned prey? 
What about the genetics argument ... I don't see how it could hold
water, but what do you folks think? If it's true of Bt pollen, it's true
of all Bt spray, and we have a real problem. 
Thanks
Anne Kilmer
south Florida
 >>
I just reposted an article on Bt corm may not be so harmful in this newsgroup. 
Bt is very effective as  spray and on lawns against Japanese Beetle grubs. 
I've never had a problem with earthworms.
   The evidence appears to be that it's dangerous in the field planted with BT
corn because the concentration of BT pollen on milkweed is very high, but not
10 m away from the field.  Hence, monarchs eating outside the field are not
affected.  By planting stands of non Bt corn in the fields, farmers shove shown
BT resistance among the borers has not increased as opposed to fields where
Bt-corn are interplante with non-BT-corn.
Roger