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Index of Subjects --Apple-Mail-14--242883102 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed Hi Steve, On 11-Oct-06, at 5:08 PM, Steve Shaw wrote: > Good stuff, nicely argued antidote to the apparently manufactured > hysteria on this topic, Chris. Many thanks. I was interested to note the results of Jon Sweeney et al.'s recent study on parasitism in Point Pleasant Park. I have collected several parasitic species there including Wroughtonia occidentalis (Cresson), a braconid which has been found to parasitize up to 56% specimens of Tetropium fuscum. When Friends of Point Pleasant Park released a preliminary note about this in July, 2000 skeptics such as Anthony Ricciardi dismissed the potential importance of predators and parasites to regulate Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle numbers, arguing that Nova Scotia lacked the suite of co-evolved predators and parasites which would be found in its native environment in Europe. Consequently an "unregulated" pest such as this could readily become "invasive" and that this therefore justified the "cut and incinerate forthwith" approach of the CFIA. While the jury was still out on this in 2000, Friends of Point Pleasant Park argued that prima facie evidence in the Point Pleasant Park indicated that a large suite of predators and parasites were indeed actively regulating the T. fuscum population (and indeed there was even some evidence that numbers were naturally declining). In any event, this all proved for naught since the CFIA went after the BSLB hammer and tongs. > In keeping with the apostrophial tone of recent posts here, note > that your 'ichneumon' has been mangled in two places (to > 'ichnemon') by the vigilant (viligant?) proofreader, at least in > the paper version of the CH that I read this A.M. Apostrophes in order, however, mea culpa when it comes to the spelling of ichneumon. For some reason I dropped the "u" and failed to pick it up in my proof-reading. The copy editor at The Herald did drop the italics from the Latin names, much to my chagrin ... ;-> Cheers, Chris -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- "The number of minute and obscurely-colored beetles is exceedingly great. It is sufficient to disturb the composure of an entomologist's mind, to look forward to the future dimensions of a complete catalogue." - Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle Christopher Majka <c.majka@ns.sympatico.ca> Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 2G5 -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-. -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- --Apple-Mail-14--242883102 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi Steve,<DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span"><BR><DIV><DIV>On 11-Oct-06, at 5:08 PM, Steve = Shaw wrote:</DIV><BR class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"><BLOCKQUOTE = type=3D"cite"><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; = margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Good stuff, nicely argued = antidote to the apparently manufactured hysteria on this topic, = Chris.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>Many thanks. I was interested to = note the results of Jon Sweeney <I>et al.</I>'s recent study on = parasitism in Point Pleasant Park. I have collected several parasitic = species there including <I>Wroughtonia occidentalis</I> (Cresson), a = braconid which has been found to parasitize up to 56% specimens of = <I>Tetropium fuscum</I>. When Friends of Point Pleasant Park released a = preliminary note about this in July, 2000=A0skeptics=A0such as=A0Anthony = Ricciardi dismissed the potential importance of predators and parasites = to regulate=A0Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle numbers, arguing that Nova = Scotia lacked the suite of co-evolved=A0predators and parasites which = would be found in its native environment in Europe. Consequently an = "unregulated" pest such as this could=A0readily become "invasive" and = that this therefore justified the "cut and incinerate forthwith" = approach of the CFIA.=A0</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span">While the jury was still out on this in = 2000,=A0Friends of Point Pleasant Park argued that <I>prima facie = </I>evidence in the=A0Point Pleasant Park indicated that a large suite = of predators and parasites were indeed actively regulating the <I>T. = fuscum</I> population (and indeed there was even some evidence that = numbers were naturally declining). In any event, this all proved for = naught since the CFIA went after the BSLB hammer and = tongs.=A0</SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR><BLOCKQUOTE type=3D"cite"><DIV = style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; = margin-left: 0px; ">In keeping with the apostrophial tone of recent = posts here, note that your 'ichneumon' has been mangled in two places = (to 'ichnemon') by the vigilant (viligant?) proofreader, at least in the = paper version of the CH that I read this = A.M.</DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV>Apostrophes in order, however, = <I>mea culpa</I> when it comes to the spelling of=A0ichneumon. For some = reason I dropped the "u" and failed to pick it up in my proof-reading. = The copy editor at The=A0Herald did drop the italics from the Latin = names, much to my chagrin ... ;-></SPAN></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Cheers,</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Chris<BR><DIV> <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; = border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times New = Roman; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; = font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; = text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: = 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; = white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; = border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times New = Roman; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-