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Fear No Weevil: Taking on the World’s Worst Weed

Fear No Weevil: Taking on the World’s Worst Weed

oritteropo says...

They've been trying to breed frost tolerant weevils, but so far without much success.

Really the weevils seem like much less of a problem than the weed they're helping to control. Not all introduced species go as badly wrong as nutria or cane toads (both of which would have benefited from some small scale studies in areas they couldn't escape).

I quite agree about unforseen consequences though!

newtboy said:

The thing about unforseen consequences is they're unforseen. The probable yearly die off should limit any unwanted damages to a few seasons...assuming Texas continues to freeze every year, which is far from certain.
I really hope this solution works without issues, because they clearly need one. I just fear that these kinds of species introductions often end badly, and once done they are irreversible. It seems likely that in a few years a colony of frost tolerant weevils could evolve and quickly spread on birds.

Fear No Weevil: Taking on the World’s Worst Weed

newtboy says...

The thing about unforseen consequences is they're unforseen. The probable yearly die off should limit any unwanted damages to a few seasons...assuming Texas continues to freeze every year, which is far from certain.
I really hope this solution works without issues, because they clearly need one. I just fear that these kinds of species introductions often end badly, and once done they are irreversible. It seems likely that in a few years a colony of frost tolerant weevils could evolve and quickly spread on birds.

oritteropo said:

Nutria don't die off every winter, so the weevils are likely to be less of a problem. There was actually a small scale trial before they built the weevil greenhouses, which didn't uncover any major issues with them.

See https://features.texasmonthly.com/editorial/creature-green-lagoon/ for many more details including the lack of frost tolerance:

Fear No Weevil: Taking on the World’s Worst Weed

oritteropo says...

Nutria don't die off every winter, so the weevils are likely to be less of a problem. There was actually a small scale trial before they built the weevil greenhouses, which didn't uncover any major issues with them.

See https://features.texasmonthly.com/editorial/creature-green-lagoon/ for many more details including the lack of frost tolerance:

Still, their campaign faced a significant obstacle: Caddo’s unfortunate latitude. The bug, like the plant it craves, is tropical. Problem is, weevils are felled by frost, while salvinia can stand slightly lower temperatures. This has proven to be Caddo’s curse, said Julie Nachtrieb, a biologist who raises and studies salvinia weevils at the Lewisville Aquatic Ecosystem Research Facility, part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In places with mild or even nonexistent winters, weevils can be released a few times and then “you can walk away and let nature take its course,” she said. But at Caddo, the weevil populations must be reconstituted every spring, giving salvinia a running start.

newtboy said:

I hope this goes better than the introduction of nutria, which Texas did to combat other invasive water weeds. They are now a major problem, causing massive erosion problems and displacing naive species. It makes me wonder what problems these weevils are going to cause in 10 years....how many native plants will they eat to extinction?

Fear No Weevil: Taking on the World’s Worst Weed

newtboy says...

I hope this goes better than the introduction of nutria, which Texas did to combat other invasive water weeds. They are now a major problem, causing massive erosion problems and displacing naive species. It makes me wonder what problems these weevils are going to cause in 10 years....how many native plants will they eat to extinction?

Progressive Dems To Clinton: This Race isn't Over

newtboy says...

I only hope there are enough like you that we don't end up with a president Trump. I also see her (Clinton) as the lesser of two evil weevils.

dag said:

Quote hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Well, I'm a big Bernie supporter an I will hold my nose and vote for Clinton if I have to. I'm only assuming that others are pragmatic like me. I'll choose the lesser of two weevils.

Progressive Dems To Clinton: This Race isn't Over

dag says...

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

Well, I'm a big Bernie supporter an I will hold my nose and vote for Clinton if I have to. I'm only assuming that others are pragmatic like me. I'll choose the lesser of two weevils.

newtboy said:

I fear you are making the same mistake the Clinton campaign makes. You think that if the candidate of choice for so many, Bernie, is no longer an option, his supporters will vote for the other Democrat....but Bernie's supporters are largely independents that don't support him because he's the Democratic candidate of choice, they support him DESPITE the fact that he's running as a Democrat.
Bernie is supported because of his perceived honesty and the documented stances he takes on various issues, mostly finance reform but many, many others. It is not the kind of support you can hand off to someone else, particularly not to someone that is the antithesis of the stances and values that garnered the support in the first place. Even if Sanders does endorse Clinton (I think he will, he said he would and he's seemingly a man of his word), I'm guessing a large part, likely the majority of his supporters still won't vote for Clinton, most of the young ones will just not vote at all, and some will vote for Trump out of spite or anger. That may hand the house and senate to the Republican's as well....so it's even worse than you think.
Not to mention the likely indictment(s) a few weeks before the election with no time or opportunity for her to defend herself against the charges. The Republicans control that process, it's insanity to think they won't abuse it.

She doesn't just need Bernie, she needs the independents that want Bernie's policies. I fear she will NEVER get them, they mostly despise her and distrust her immensely, which is one more reason the DNC pushing so hard for her makes no sense to me, it's a game they can only lose, even if they win.

Helicopter crop dusting in Kentucky

newtboy says...

Absolutely....it scares the hell out of the corn weevils!

ChaosEngine said:

is anyone else mentally adding Flight of the Valkyries to this video?

da duh duh DAA DUN da duh duh DAA DUN da duh duh DAA DUN
da duh duh DAA DAAAAAAAAA

Oakland CA Is So Scary Even Cops Want Nothing To Do With It

newtboy says...

Always chose the lesser of 2 weevils!

You could have run yourself!

I have a hard time finding a candidate I can really get behind, and never vote on party lines (and I try to avoid the 2 main parties like the plague). My candidate rarely wins, and my view is under represented (to my liking, but probably not percentage wise). With corporate personhood and few campaign limits, it seems people are all under represented today, one solution is to try to ignore the barrage of campaigns and look for other alternatives to make main stream (someday). One is to refuse to vote for anyone not actively working to fix the system, no matter what else they do for or against you.
I know, good luck with that. A newtboy can dream, can't he?

Trancecoach said:

A "lesser evil" is still evil.

None of the candidates represent me,

>"I can't find a group that fits me (or vice versa)."

Even more remarkable then that you have "representatives" that adequately "represent' you.

What you're not being told about Snowden and Booz Allen.

chingalera says...

That tool McConnell has that look of the classic intelligence insect:

Big, scary skull
Forced smile (his resting face being a permanent frown)
Scripted, emotionless newsspeak
Ex-Military written all over his manner and tone

It's a goddamn cockroach infestation in the dry-goods pantry is what it is and weevils in the fucking flour tin!!

Movies I've Walked Out of Because they're Really, Really Bad: a List (Blog Entry by dag)

spoco2 says...

I have never walked out of a movie, although I've felt many were crap.

I don't subscribe to the 'all hollywood blockbusters are terrible' though.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first two Pirates movies, and I think I even thought the third one was ok (I can't really remember, but have it on DVD to watch again at some stage... I buy the dvds sometimes for the making of features moreso than the movies ), I thought the first Transformers movie (not the cartoon) was great fun, while the second one was a steaming pile of putrescent weevil pooh.

But it really is all subjective, I see above someone fell asleep during Inglorious Basterds, whereas I thought that was a brilliant movie, just wonderfully paced and beautifully shot.

Also, it can be very much as to your 'time of life' when you see a film, or just mindset at the time.

But a person's overall taste in movies can be a good indicator of how easily you may get along as people

To say that Hollywood isn't making any real films is a bit of fallacy though. Pretty much any Pixar film is great, and that's Disney, can't get much more mainstream than that. The Social Network, that was a very entertaining flick, also pretty mainstream. Inception, great flick, in fact most of Nolan's work. It's fair to say that there's an awful lot of dross out of Hollywood, but there's also a huge amount of independent dross too. Self involved, arty for arty's sake, navel gazing drivle. So both sides make shit, both sides make great stuff.

Proof that American Voters are Morons (Politics Talk Post)

Doc_M says...

"it's certainly true that a much larger percentage of conservatives are likely to answer "I don't trust either party" in polls, even if they reliably go into the voting booths to give the Republican party power.
The big problem is that they don't find that to be contradictory in the slightest."

Lesser of two weevils voters. It's not really contradictory. They stay with their party because of worldview-based judgments of which party stands more in line with their stance on the majority of issues... this of course excludes people who just don't really think much about it and just plop their vote in where they always have... or where it's "hip" with their crowd.

Police Shoot 42 Bullets Into Car. Critically Wound 2 yr. Old

NordlichReiter says...

So what are you guys suggesting? Let the robber drive off? Then you are just asking for a hostage situation, suicide-homicide, or fatal crash. Yes, it was reckless, but an armed man on the loose with nothing to lose is a pretty bad situation as well.


...one must always choose the lesser of two weevils.

Rep. Grayson on the Christian Right's "Pact with the Devil"

rougy says...

^ God damn, you're a lying piece of shit.

Reagan more than tripled the deficit:

"The policies were derided by some as "Trickle-down economics,"[18] due to the significant cuts in the upper tax brackets. There was a massive increase in Cold War related defense spending that caused large budget deficits...."
(source)

"Technically, the GOP only controlled the Senate and the White House after the 1980 election, but de facto, they had an alliance with the Boll Weevil House Democrats, led by then-Democrat Phil Gramm, who rammed through tax and spending cuts in alliance with the GOP. Only with the 1982 election did real Democrats gain enough seats to regain operational control of the House. In response to that loss of control by the GOP-Boll Weevil alliance, Phil Gramm resigned from Congress in 1983 and became a Republican, running for Congress, then the Senate.
(source)

You're an evil little shit, whoever you are, and I hope you get what's coming to you.

Acorn Weevil

Raaagh says...

The first Ferraro Roche i ever had was as a kid. It got brung down to my home town from someones trip to the city. I wasn't allowed to have any cos they where for the adults. But after a few days of patiently biding my time - and keeping the chocolates out of sight by moving them to the top, back corner surrounded by other food - I asked if I could have one. Mum gave me the go ahead, and I grabbed one and smashed it.

I was completely unimpressed. Not very chocolaty, or sweet. Just this really weird taste - which didn't surprise me adults ate gross stuff all the time. So after chewing, and thinking I figured it wasnt to bad so I took another Ferraro Roche and bit it in half and thought some more about the flavour.

Then I looked at the half left in my hand, and it was filled with grey fibres, and then i realised it was all moving. Full to the brim with little weevils and their evil fluffy nesting material.

Moral of the story? I dont know but I still feel a bit ill thinking about it.



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