Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for the
government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two secret
sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will eradicate
JK in the UK. =-O

Don

On Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:06:14 +0000, Donwill
gently dipped his quill in the best
Quink that money could buy:

Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for the
government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two secret
sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will eradicate
JK in the UK. =-O

Don

Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

The insects will not erradicate the weed, only stunt it and control it
somewhat: as in Japan.
Perhaps you misheard, or Radio 4 passed inaccurate burbage .. not for
the first time.

Mike P the 1st

Mike P the 1st wrote:
On Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:06:14 +0000, Donwill
gently dipped his quill in the best
Quink that money could buy:


Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for the
government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two secret
sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will eradicate
JK in the UK. =-O

Don


Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

The insects will not erradicate the weed, only stunt it and control it
somewhat: as in Japan.
Perhaps you misheard, or Radio 4 passed inaccurate burbage .. not for
the first time.

Mike P the 1st

Or maybe just "frighten" it :-) , yes, I probably used the wrong word.
For "eradicate" read :- control, keep in check, influence,
moderate, stunt.
Take your choice.
BTW to be equally pedantic there is only one R in eradicate :-) .
Cheers
Don

In article ,
Donwill wrote:
Mike P the 1st wrote:

Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for the
government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two secret
sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will eradicate
JK in the UK. =-O

The insects will not erradicate the weed, only stunt it and control it
somewhat: as in Japan.
Perhaps you misheard, or Radio 4 passed inaccurate burbage .. not for
the first time.

Or maybe just "frighten" it :-) , yes, I probably used the wrong word.
For "eradicate" read :- control, keep in check, influence,
moderate, stunt. Take your choice.

Which is all that is needed in the UK. Despite the gibbering, even
Japanese knotweed isn't a ubiquitous ecological problem, because
our ecology is so robust against introductions.

BTW to be equally pedantic there is only one R in eradicate :-) .

The other one is eroneous and needs erradication :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote:
In article ,
Donwill wrote:

Mike P the 1st wrote:



Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for the
government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two secret
sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will eradicate
JK in the UK. =-O

The insects will not erradicate the weed, only stunt it and control it
somewhat: as in Japan.
Perhaps you misheard, or Radio 4 passed inaccurate burbage .. not for
the first time.

Or maybe just "frighten" it :-) , yes, I probably used the wrong word.
For "eradicate" read :- control, keep in check, influence,
moderate, stunt. Take your choice.


Which is all that is needed in the UK. Despite the gibbering, even
Japanese knotweed isn't a ubiquitous ecological problem, because
our ecology is so robust against introductions.


BTW to be equally pedantic there is only one R in eradicate :-) .


The other one is eroneous and needs erradication :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Well said Sir. :-)

Regards
Don

On Tue, 9 Mar 2010 Mike P the 1st wrote:

Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for the
government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two secret
sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will eradicate
JK in the UK. =-O

Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

The insects will not erradicate the weed, only stunt it and control it
somewhat: as in Japan.
Perhaps you misheard, or Radio 4 passed inaccurate burbage .. not for
the first time.

It was on the television breakfast programme as well. Yes, they did give
the impression in the intro that the weed was soon to be a thing of the
past but in the detailed report it was apparent what it would actually
do.

David

--
David Rance writing from Caversham, Reading, UK
http://rance.org.uk

In article ,
Mike P the 1st wrote:

Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

Oh, God! "..., including plants closely related to Japanese
knotweed such as bindweeds, ...."


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote:
In article ,
Mike P the 1st wrote:
Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

Oh, God! "..., including plants closely related to Japanese
knotweed such as bindweeds, ...."

Removing the vigour from bindweed would not be such a bad thing.
I doubt if any pest could take that stuff down.

I suspect the thing will be less effective against the knotweed than is
hoped too. There are multiple parasites and fungi that affect the stuff
in its native habitat, but most are too cold sensitive to live here.

We have to hope the thing doesn't do a cane toad on us.

Regards,
Martin Brown

On Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:58:18 +0000, Martin Brown
gently dipped his quill in the best
Quink that money could buy:

wrote:
In article ,
Mike P the 1st wrote:
Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

Oh, God! "..., including plants closely related to Japanese
knotweed such as bindweeds, ...."

Removing the vigour from bindweed would not be such a bad thing.
I doubt if any pest could take that stuff down.

I suspect the thing will be less effective against the knotweed than is
hoped too. There are multiple parasites and fungi that affect the stuff
in its native habitat, but most are too cold sensitive to live here.

We have to hope the thing doesn't do a cane toad on us.

Regards,
Martin Brown

I agree .. they would not be half as much fun flattening them as they
cross the road :-)

Mike P the 1st

In message ,
writes
In article ,
Mike P the 1st wrote:

Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

Oh, God! "..., including plants closely related to Japanese
knotweed such as bindweeds, ...."

They presumably mean black bindweed (Fallopia convolvulus) and copse
bindweed (Fallopia dumetorum).


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

wrote:
Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

Oh, God! "..., including plants closely related to Japanese
knotweed such as bindweeds, ...."

Which would probably put a halt to the already tricky task of growing sweet
potatoes.

On Tue, 9 Mar 2010 12:24:36 +0000, Sacha wrote:

On 2010-03-09 09:51:48 +0000, said:

In article ,
Mike P the 1st wrote:

Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

Oh, God! "..., including plants closely related to Japanese
knotweed such as bindweeds, ...."


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

You mean "there goes the Ipomoea"?

Sweet and Lovely, the Girl from Ipomoea?


--
(¯`·. ®óñ© © ²°¹° .·´¯)

A Japanese insect is to be introduced on a trial basis in Britain to
tackle a damaging super-weed, the government announced.

The Japanese knotweed was originally used as an ornamental plant in
gardens across Britain but has rapidly spread, costing over 150
million pounds (225 million dollars, 165 million euros) a year to
control.

Agricultural and environmental research organisation CABI claim the
psyllid bug from Japan -- or "jumping plant lice" -- is a successful
and natural way of controlling the weed.

"We have every reason to believe that this knotweed specialist can
help limit impacts of this harmful invasive weed safely and
sustainably," said Dick Shaw, lead researcher of the project.

The non-native bug will be released to a small number of sites across
England this spring -- the locations are being kept secret to prevent
the trials being disrupted -- and monitored to check progress.

Huw Irranca-Davies, a minister at the Department for Environment and
Rural Affairs (Defra), said: "This project is not only ground-
breaking, it offers real hope that we can redress the balance.

"These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese knotweed, will
help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of
treating and killing this devastating plant."

The plant can grow up to a metre a month, causing damage to anything
in its path such as buildings, roads and pavements.

CABI says it is sure the psyllid will only target the Japanese
knotweed and a few other similar non-native species, after testing it
on 90 different British plant species over seven years.

Critics say this is not guaranteed and the bug could target other
species once released. CABI says it has contingency plans in place
just in case.

"There are isolated sites in the south of the country .. so that we
can monitor very closely and have a contingency plan in place, and
then it'll be a wider scale release if it passes that test," Shaw told
BBC radio.

Critics say this is not guaranteed and the bug could target other
species once released. CABI says it has contingency plans in place
just in case.

"There are isolated sites in the south of the country .. so that we
can monitor very closely and have a contingency plan in place, and
then it'll be a wider scale release if it passes that test," Shaw told
BBC radio.

Remember the Cane Toad?
--
Jim S
Tyneside UK
www.jimscott.co.uk

In article
,
Dave Hill writes
Critics say this is not guaranteed and the bug could target other
species once released. CABI says it has contingency plans in place
just in case.


So i wonder what the contingency plans consist of?


--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk