Hi,
I suppose that most of us are happy about the warm winter, so far.
However, anyone who rough dug their plot during autumn to allow the frost
and winter weather to break it down has been out of luck so far.
Another problem which will most likely rear its ugly head is PESTS the
weather has been too mild to provide natural control over winter.
There may be another side of the coin whereby predators such as ladybirds
may have survived in greater numbers overwinter and will be active earlier,
so nature may provide a balance after all.
Wishful thinking or sitting on fence?
regards
Cineman

cineman writes
Hi,
I suppose that most of us are happy about the warm winter, so far.

Nope. Not happy at all. Scary. Global warming is bad news for us all,
and this winter is really out of the ordinary.

However, anyone who rough dug their plot during autumn to allow the frost
and winter weather to break it down has been out of luck so far.
Another problem which will most likely rear its ugly head is PESTS the
weather has been too mild to provide natural control over winter.
There may be another side of the coin whereby predators such as ladybirds
may have survived in greater numbers overwinter and will be active earlier,
so nature may provide a balance after all.
Wishful thinking or sitting on fence?

Wishful thinking. If pests get out of control in the summer in a normal
year, all that will happen is that they'll get out of control earlier
this year.


--
Kay

"K" wrote in message
...
: cineman writes
: Hi,
: I suppose that most of us are happy about the warm winter, so far.
:
: Nope. Not happy at all. Scary. Global warming is bad news for us all,
: and this winter is really out of the ordinary.
:
I prefer the bright and cold weather to this continual rain, although the
water supply will never be at risk down here which is good

For a long time I have believed that all this fuss one hears about pests
becoming rampant if there aren't any winter frosts, really is utter rubbish
/ extremely exaggerated... and very much an 'old wife's tale'.

After many years of gardening here, where we hardly get any frost, and snow
is as rare as hens' teeth, I have never experienced such a 'plague'.

Anyway, if it were that much of a problem, how on earth do they ever manage
to grow anything further south, on the Scillies, or more southerly still in
milder regions of the continent?

Best wishes,

Keith


"cineman" wrote in message
k...
Hi,
I suppose that most of us are happy about the warm winter, so far.
However, anyone who rough dug their plot during autumn to allow the frost
and winter weather to break it down has been out of luck so far.
Another problem which will most likely rear its ugly head is PESTS the
weather has been too mild to provide natural control over winter.
There may be another side of the coin whereby predators such as ladybirds
may have survived in greater numbers overwinter and will be active
earlier, so nature may provide a balance after all.
Wishful thinking or sitting on fence?
regards
Cineman

Keith (Dorset) wrote:
For a long time I have believed that all this fuss one hears about pests
becoming rampant if there aren't any winter frosts, really is utter rubbish
/ extremely exaggerated... and very much an 'old wife's tale'.

After many years of gardening here, where we hardly get any frost, and snow
is as rare as hens' teeth, I have never experienced such a 'plague'.

Anyway, if it were that much of a problem, how on earth do they ever manage
to grow anything further south, on the Scillies, or more southerly still in
milder regions of the continent?

Best wishes,

Keith


well I think global warming has a lot to answer for just look at the
insects flying around too many critters for this time of year

Agreed.

I reckon I've been pretty much in touch with the natural world all my life,
and I'm certain that global warming, from whatever cause, is hitting hard,
and importantly, very much faster than many researchers anticipated.

It doesn't take a degree in climateology for anyone with their eyes open to
realise what real problems we'll all face in the very near future.

So the suited, townie politicians better soon get their priorities right:
forget about foreign holidays and fancy 'upmarket' cars... and get back to
the real world - now.

(rant over.. aah, that's better)

Best wishes,

Keith


"The Minister" wrote in message
ups.com...

Keith (Dorset) wrote:
For a long time I have believed that all this fuss one hears about pests
becoming rampant if there aren't any winter frosts, really is utter
rubbish
/ extremely exaggerated... and very much an 'old wife's tale'.

After many years of gardening here, where we hardly get any frost, and
snow
is as rare as hens' teeth, I have never experienced such a 'plague'.

Anyway, if it were that much of a problem, how on earth do they ever
manage
to grow anything further south, on the Scillies, or more southerly still
in
milder regions of the continent?

Best wishes,

Keith


well I think global warming has a lot to answer for just look at the
insects flying around too many critters for this time of year

"The Minister" wrote in message
ups.com...

Keith (Dorset) wrote:
For a long time I have believed that all this fuss one hears about pests
becoming rampant if there aren't any winter frosts, really is utter
rubbish
/ extremely exaggerated... and very much an 'old wife's tale'.

After many years of gardening here, where we hardly get any frost, and
snow
is as rare as hens' teeth, I have never experienced such a 'plague'.

Anyway, if it were that much of a problem, how on earth do they ever
manage
to grow anything further south, on the Scillies, or more southerly still
in
milder regions of the continent?

Best wishes,

Keith


well I think global warming has a lot to answer for just look at the
insects flying around too many critters for this time of year

I don't think we have too many 'critters' in the UK.

Alan

"Keith (Dorset)" wrote in message
...
Agreed.

I reckon I've been pretty much in touch with the natural world all my
life, and I'm certain that global warming, from whatever cause, is hitting
hard, and importantly, very much faster than many researchers anticipated.

It doesn't take a degree in climateology for anyone with their eyes open
to realise what real problems we'll all face in the very near future.

So the suited, townie politicians better soon get their priorities right:
forget about foreign holidays and fancy 'upmarket' cars... and get back to
the real world - now.

Not a hope in hell, there are plans to increase the runway capacity for
Heathrow, so instead of one plane every minute, we can expect one every 70
seconds.

If this Government were REALLY serious about polution, they would cut the
number of flights out of Heathrow by half, at least.

Alan

On 17/1/07 22:52, in article ,
"Alan Holmes" wrote:


"The Minister" wrote in message
ups.com...

snip


well I think global warming has a lot to answer for just look at the
insects flying around too many critters for this time of year

I don't think we have too many 'critters' in the UK.

Sure we do. And some of 'em are two legged. ;-)) But with regard to
this, though going off at a bit of a tangent, I did read in a newspaper the
other day that while council offices are keeping quiet about it, rat
populations are growing fast because of the new regime of collecting
domestic food waste just once a fortnight. Without a prolonged cold spell,
that problem can only get worse.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

I reckon that 'most', not 'some' of the 'critters' in the UK are 'two
legged'! Not too many around here though thankfully. Lots of rats though.

(Is a 'critter' necessarily an ill-favoured creature / a pest? Can a dog be
deemed a 'critter' - or just if it bites someone....? I suppose rats must
be the 'mother-of-all-four-legged-critters'?) ...just thinking out loud
there...

The rats like to scudge around in the stone walls around the fields here. We
have all had to stop putting out bird food because, given half the chance,
they even climb up and hang upside-down on nut feeders!

I think the problem would be worse if the weather were to get hard...
wouldn't they come closer to the houses in search of food?

Our cooked food gets chucked into a metal dustbin and left for a year or so
to completely decompose. All the other green waste goes, you guessed it,
into the compost boxes. Whenever I see our neighbours' kitchen-waste bin put
out for collection, I nearly cry. I feel like asking them if instead - I can
tip it on my heap.

Only the thought of having to sort the green from the 'critter bait'
prevents me! ;-)

Keith




"Sacha" wrote in message
. uk...
On 17/1/07 22:52, in article ,
"Alan Holmes" wrote:


"The Minister" wrote in message
ups.com...

snip


well I think global warming has a lot to answer for just look at the
insects flying around too many critters for this time of year

I don't think we have too many 'critters' in the UK.

Sure we do. And some of 'em are two legged. ;-)) But with regard to
this, though going off at a bit of a tangent, I did read in a newspaper
the
other day that while council offices are keeping quiet about it, rat
populations are growing fast because of the new regime of collecting
domestic food waste just once a fortnight. Without a prolonged cold
spell,
that problem can only get worse.
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

In article , Alan Holmes
says...



Not a hope in hell, there are plans to increase the runway capacity for
Heathrow, so instead of one plane every minute, we can expect one every 70
seconds.


I'm sure the environmentalists would consider even such a small
reduction in flights a step in the right direction!

Following up to "Keith \(Dorset\)" :


Anyway, if it were that much of a problem, how on earth do they ever manage
to grow anything further south, on the Scillies, or more southerly still in
milder regions of the continent?


It'S not the mild winter /per se/ it's an unusually mild one that's a
potential problem.
Down south the predators and prey have had (hundreds of) thousands of years
to reach a balance for the local climate. An unusual warm or a
particularly cold winter even there can have similar effects.
--
Tim C.

Alan Holmes wrote:

Not a hope in hell, there are plans to increase the runway capacity for
Heathrow, so instead of one plane every minute, we can expect one every 70
seconds.

Erm Alan, not wishing to appear picky, but a plane every 70 seconds is
slightly less than a plane every minute ;-)

On 17/1/07 23:37, in article , "Keith
(Dorset)" wrote:

I reckon that 'most', not 'some' of the 'critters' in the UK are 'two
legged'! Not too many around here though thankfully. Lots of rats though.

(Is a 'critter' necessarily an ill-favoured creature / a pest? Can a dog be
deemed a 'critter' - or just if it bites someone....? I suppose rats must
be the 'mother-of-all-four-legged-critters'?) ...just thinking out loud
there...

One of my American friends calls all animals 'critters', including her
beloved dogs.

The rats like to scudge around in the stone walls around the fields here. We
have all had to stop putting out bird food because, given half the chance,
they even climb up and hang upside-down on nut feeders!

I think the problem would be worse if the weather were to get hard...
wouldn't they come closer to the houses in search of food?

I should think so. And not just for food but for shelter in attics and
cellars.

Our cooked food gets chucked into a metal dustbin and left for a year or so
to completely decompose. All the other green waste goes, you guessed it,
into the compost boxes. Whenever I see our neighbours' kitchen-waste bin put
out for collection, I nearly cry. I feel like asking them if instead - I can
tip it on my heap.

Why don't you? They might be delighted to be rid of it and OTOH, might be
inspired to start their own compost heap.

Only the thought of having to sort the green from the 'critter bait'
prevents me! ;-)
snip

Maybe you could make that a condition for 'taking it off your hands'. ;-)
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

"Steve" wrote in message
...
In article , Alan Holmes
says...



Not a hope in hell, there are plans to increase the runway capacity for
Heathrow, so instead of one plane every minute, we can expect one every
70
seconds.


I'm sure the environmentalists would consider even such a small
reduction in flights a step in the right direction!

It's the senile decay again, I should have said one more every 40 seconds!

Alan