Wayne wrote:
I think in the case of the genetically modified (GM) corn, it might
have been insect resistant corn and the monarch butterfly was an
inadvertant victim. However, even the mindset that we need *more*
toxins in plants because insects are becoming resistant to the current
arsenal of insecticides seems to me the wrong way of solving the
problem.
Comment:
Given that the insect resistant corn injured the Monarch butterfly habitat,
people are
forgetting that the alternative to this scenario is NOT corn that is not
insect resistant.
Before there was insect resistant corn, the problem was addressed by
spraying insecticide
from airplanes on to the corn, thereby affecting not just Monarch
butterflies feeding nearby
(a problem that could be addressed by planting the no-resistant kind in a
border around
the field, so the pollen from the poisonous kind was less likely to invade
monarch habitat),
but any birds that happened to be flying by, cars passing near the field,
children and dogs
playing in yards, etc.
So you get your choice, corn that looks out for itself locally, or gets
bombed from the air.
Those are the real alternatives.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Thu Oct 19 2000 - 16:53:55 EDT