Government views Monarch Butterfly Releases as a threat to We stern Milkweeds

[James Kruse]

on 12/7/01 8:14 AM, Paul Cherubini at monarch at saber.net wrote:

> that some scientists are urging that new research studies need to be
> carried out to determine whether or not monarchs actually constitute a
> threat to long lived perennial milkweeds.
> 
> Example:
> 
> Prof. O.R. (Chip) Taylor offered the following comments yesturday
> on dplex-l:
> 
> Does herbivory by monarch larvae, if it occurs, actually constitute a
> threat to long lived perennial milkweeds? "

Well, if we have to start spraying pesticides against the dreaded "monarch
threat" to protect milkweed... then the whole Bt corn pollen flap is a
non-issue! Soon we will all starve when farmers can no longer plow fields
with milkweed interspersed with the crops - hey, now there's an answer to
the overpopulation problem!

James J. Kruse, Ph.D.
Curator of Entomology
University of Alaska Museum
907 Yukon Drive
Fairbanks, AK, USA 99775-6960
tel 907.474.5579
fax 907.474.1987
http://www.uaf.edu/museum/ento



 
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