Insect ID

Tue Oct 9 21:59:13 EDT 2001

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Mikie wrote:

> Try looking at this picture:
>
> http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Pests/hummingb.htm

As far as the identificatioon goes, OK.  One huge problem, however: treat
insects as pests, and what does one get?  The fact is that if one gets rid of
the tobacco and tomato hornworms, one is jeopardizing the lives of the birds and
other predators that feed on them.  Although some feed only on larger insects or
on smaller ones, this exclusivity is far from universal.  The same situation
came to the fore with coyotes: When ranchers realized that certain Canidae were
predators, they thought that exterminating them would be an asset in the fight
to keep their cattle out of trouble.  The problem with that idea is that canids
do consume large numbers of rattlesankes, rats and mice and other species that
the ranchers like even less.  Without the predators to keep them under control,
prey populations multiply like mad.  The same applies to insects: let the sphinx
moths do their thing (a few tomato or tobacco leaves here and there won't be
much of a problem).  Better yet, let the local larval host plant grow (here it
seems to be Datura innoxia) and it might even use it instead.  Just keep the
kids off the Datura (using it for anything other than caterpillar food is not a
healthy thing to do).

The species in the illustration to which the URL you gave (above) is Hyles
lineata, which is prime choice food for the roadrunner, one of the native North
American cuckoos.  In Malibu, California, it is known to consume up to 300 per
night at a single site (whether this is one single bird or a group of birds
eating that many I don't know).  Also in California, the big poplar sphinx
(Pachysphinx occidentalis) is taken by the yellow-billed cuckoo (an listed
endangered species), and tomato and tobacco hornworms (Manduca quinquemaculata
and M sexta, respectively), both as adults and as larvae, are recorded as food
for jays, and are probably also taken by other large birds.

Comne on, let's let the birds have a decent meal once in a while -- minus the
pesticides.

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Mikie wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>Try looking at this picture:
<a href="http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Pests/hummingb.htm">http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Pests/hummingb.htm</a></blockquote>
As far as the identificatioon goes, OK.&nbsp; One huge problem, however:
treat insects as pests, and what does one get?&nbsp; The fact is that if
one gets rid of the tobacco and tomato hornworms, one is jeopardizing the
lives of the birds and other predators that feed on them.&nbsp; Although
some feed only on larger insects or on smaller ones, this exclusivity is
far from universal.&nbsp; The same situation came to the fore with coyotes:
When ranchers realized that certain Canidae were predators, they thought
that exterminating them would be an asset in the fight to keep their cattle
out of trouble.&nbsp; The problem with that idea is that canids do consume
large numbers of rattlesankes, rats and mice and other species that the
ranchers like even less.&nbsp; Without the predators to keep them under
control, prey populations multiply like mad.&nbsp; The same applies to
insects: let the sphinx moths do their thing (a few tomato or tobacco leaves
here and there won't be much of a problem).&nbsp; Better yet, let the local
larval host plant grow (here it seems to be Datura innoxia) and
it might even use it instead.&nbsp; Just keep the kids off the Datura
(using it for anything other than caterpillar food is not a healthy
thing to do).
The species in the illustration to which the URL you gave (above) is
Hyles lineata, which is prime choice food for the roadrunner, one of the
native North American cuckoos.&nbsp; In Malibu, California, it is known
to consume up to 300 per night at a single site (whether this is one single
bird or a group of birds eating that many I don't know).&nbsp; Also in
California, the big poplar sphinx (Pachysphinx occidentalis) is
taken by the yellow-billed cuckoo (an listed endangered species), and tomato
and tobacco hornworms (Manduca quinquemaculata and M sexta,
respectively), both as adults and as larvae, are recorded as food for jays,
and are probably also taken by other large birds.
Comne on, let's let the birds have a decent meal once in a while --
minus the pesticides.
 &nbsp;</html>

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