In a previous post announcing the return of ladybugs I asked no one in particular if this might happen again next year. I brought up the fact that the possibility does indeed exist because mother nature is having her way with us by way of the unnaturally and unprecedented accelerated rate of global warming. I got an indirect answer to this recently thanks to the Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC).
I’ll explain this, but let’s back up first, just a wee bit. I saw Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth and I buy into it, despite the critics noting that he drives a big car and lives in a big home. Despite any hypocrisy the critics will shout about, I think the documentary is on target. The evidence, anecdotal or otherwise, was compelling and convinced me there is a problem, and further, that it is exacerbated by humanity as a whole. And now, thanks to BIRC, I have even more detailed information to convince me.
In an article appearing in the the September/October issue of the IPM Practitioner (volume XXIX, number 9/10) titled “Global Warming Means More Pests” by long time GreenMethods friend Bill Quarles, ph.D., there were a wide variety of specific and supported predictions and events that are a result of global warming. In this post I will reveal the headings used in his rather lengthy article with a synopsis of each. If you want to get the full story, including two whole pages of reference citations, all you have to do is join BIRC at the “Practitioner” level. It’s a really good deal if you’re interested in the scientific side of IPM. Okay, following the entire cover content providing background facts and figures, the article’s first sub-heading begins…
Warming Means More Pests
This is rather speculative (at this point in the article), but the author states there are probable issues with the increase in our planet’s median temperatures that will affect pest populations. The effects result directly from the increases, and indirectly by way of some of the other variables such as weather implications affecting plant growth. More heat (to a point) means more growth, wider ranges, and ultimately, more pests.
Increased Structural Pests
Ants, termites, bed bugs, wood boring beetles, and cockroaches (though not exclusively “structural” pests) are just a few of the pests mentioned under this heading. It is noted in a matter-of-fact way that increased temperatures will indeed affect the populations of these pests. One example of some of the figures provided pertains to the German cockroach, Blattella germanica. The article states that a 5.4°F median temperature increase will nearly double this pest’s growth rate. Similar facts point to the same thing as it pertains to other listed pests.
Increased Human Diseases
You may immediately wonder what this has to do with pests. Well, take into consideration the geographic range of human disease-spreading pests such as mosquitoes and ticks. Now you see the problem, right? Malaria is spreading, and it’s not just because of the carrier’s broadened range, the falciparum protozoa that causes malaria is also affected by temperatures. For instance, a 9°F increase will double the protozoa’s growth rate. It’s a double-edged sword; not only will the range of the carrier be expanded — is expanding as I write this — the actual causative agent will be (is) more prolific. This is serious, and this is just one example.
Effects on Crops
Some crops will grow faster with increased CO2 levels. This may sound like a good thing, but it comes with a price: Increased pest activity to match. Outmatch if the predictions about pest population increases in true. The article does state that some of these increases will be somewhat nullified by an increase in flooding and other pest-mitigating events, but the curve will still be on the rise. As one example, increased night temperatures will increase the growth rate of the imported cabbage worm, Pieris rapae. It’s also feasible that some pests will have an increased fecundity and will possibly have an extra generation or more within the extended seasons. For instance: The diamond back moth, Plutella xylostella, may have two additional generations per year in Japan.
Increased Outbreaks and Upheavals
You, wherever you’re reading this from, have more than likely already seen the writing on the wall. You’ve probably seen oddball weather in your area. If the scientific community is right, this is due to global warming affecting water temps, air currents, smog levels, and more. While these events aren’t tied directly to pests, the effect they will have in combination the other, more direct effects, can spell disaster to any scenario where one is already on the edge.
The absence of ladybugs this year might serve as an example. There were already pressures on young foraging ladybugs and their larvae. When coupled with the hot, dry California weather — in the Sierra-Nevada where it should have been much cooler — it was enough to send the ladybugs underground instead of being openly available in their mountain mass aggregation sites (to learn more about this, see this humorous but revealing educational anecdote called “California Girls“). The main point of this heading’s content is that one thing leads to another because nature is inherently and stubbornly interdependent. The ripple effect. The domino effect. The butterfly effect. What comes around, goes around. You pick. One thing does lead to another.
Yep, the saga continues…
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