05-17-2009, 07:03 PM
I agree with Paul and Mitzi. It is so discouraging to hear people rant about the mongoose when they are clearly ignorant of how much they themselves have benefited from the last several decades of successful bio-control. Further evidence of their distorted viewpoint is when they go on to say that this feral bug-eaten seedy fruit is a valuable food source, as though the fact that farmers can't get a decent harvest of many highly valued fruit and garden crops due to fruit fly infestation counts for nothing. The only way to manage the fruit flies is to clean up all the produce that has dropped. That of course is useless when there is an entire forest of invasive guava dropping fruit nearby. The scale insect targeting the guava is a sure winner in my book and we desperately need it