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Unknownjulie:
I find myself flying off the handle and itching for a fight on this topic. I will try to control that. I see what you mean about not discriminating between properties but you must understand that "it won't discriminate (between plant species)" is one of the most common myths about bio-controls so if you want to be understood you need to be aware of such things and be explicit.
In a similar vein while it is true that dog is eaten in some cultures, this is generally not true in American culture. It is still not clear to me what point you were trying to make. It sounded like you were relying on that to show how some people are driven to extreme behavior. You did say "family dog" which is a firmly American/European concept.
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Saying that you would prefer to have pretty trees than to save Hawaii from this plague is a tad selfish.
That's my opinion.
ETA: Pigs can and will eat just about everything. There's no threat of a shortage there, ever.
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Pigs eat lots of earthworms. That's why they tear up lawns. I guess it's a major part of their diet.
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The dog comment was only in reference to alternate protein sources here, including pigs. Yes, agree. Kid was confused because the "family dog" was an idea he had in his head, and yet the uncle did not see the dog in this capacity.
I did also say that I wished this gall actually killed the trees. It is going to cost a fortune for us individual landowners to deal with ugly trees if this is what happens. I do not know what will happen. I am praying it doesnt make the trees look bad.
I also hope the pigs dont really rely on the guava for food, but I dont know if there are any studies about this.
I am hoping for the best actually, but expecting the worst, due mostly to the govt being in charge of this experiment...
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quote:
I am hoping for the best actually, but expecting the worst, due mostly to the govt being in charge of this experiment...
Perhaps you would prefer Helco or Exxon to be in charge of this experiment?
Introducing this bug was a decade long effort involving caged bugs being offered many types of possible bug food. The bugs were found to only affect the strawberry guava, likely because the plant and the bug coevolved in South America. "The government" was extremely careful in introducing this bug, motivated by the extreme invasiveness of the strawberry guava and its effects of overwhelming native plants.
You'd do Hawai'i a favor by cutting down and stump killing all of the strawberry guava on your property right now and replanting with native, or at least non-invasive, plant species. We're trying on our property but still have a ways to go.
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I suppose if I owned 100,000 acres of strawberry guava infested land, I would set up a nonprofit, get donations similar to the sierra club, and then build a "chipping mill". I would then set up youth programs for the youth to be "employed while doing something worthwhile". I would cut out the strawberry guava by hand and small dozer. I am not sure this would be effective but I would do this before I introduced a new bug to Hawaii. The strawberry guava "chips" would have to somehow be composted effectively to prevent new growth. I would then sell this compost locally to reduce our reliance on imported soil amendments. I would also have the kids trained in the use of small dozers and maintanance. But since I am not carnegie, I must just be content with posting my ideas on punaweb.
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A waiwi-based "mulch farm" would create plenty jobs, if only agriculture were a priority.
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This has all been covered before. There are certain catch phrases that are repeated by the likes of Syd "Bras cause breast cancer" Singer and his ilk that have been thoroughly discredited. The possibility of forests of crippled trees is one of them. It is a pure scare tactic. There won't be huge swaths of dead or visibly distorted trees. I only wish there were. If the trees on my property do show signs of infestation that is casually visible I will consider that a perk, extra value, but based on everything I have read I am unlikely to be so gratuitously rewarded.
Bulldozers will not be useful on the tops of remote mountain ridges. The guava is a biological bulldozer that does not discriminate. If you try to clear a property with a bulldozer you will essentially strip it.
This is all so easy to talk about but in practice the stuff is tenacious. I tried removing a guava tree with a come-along. I had the stump out of the ground, pulling on it with the come-along and prying up on the last couple of roots when I noticed a tree 10 feet away shaking. That one tree was connected to other trees. It forms a horrible invasive mat. The only way to control the guava without literally killing everything on the lot is to pursue a never-ending campaign of hand clearing small areas or enlisting the help of this bio-control.
Essentially you are talking about getting people with nothing better to do to work like dogs for free while skillfully steering bulldozers around the few remaining native plants. This falls under the category of " Gee, the world would be a completely different place if only it were a completely different place".
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julie, so if you owned 100,000 acres you would bulldoze the guava? But since you own much less you are going to protect your guavas? That seems to be illogical to me...
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It's not illogical. I do not believe my 2 acres of guava constitutes some kind of "public menace" but I might view it differently if I was a large land owner. I might feel more public responsibility. That is my point. Yes, I know that collectively, all of us that develop land are actually ruining the native forests. AT least I am trying to save my big Ohias! I didnt clear cut my lot. I am selectively removing guava around my Ohias.
I did not read about ugly trees. I looked at "images" in google. When I saw them I got upset. Simple as that!
