Tag Archives: invasive species

Stowaways in potted plants

Posted on April 18, 2014 by argylesock

Potted plants can seem so benign. Beautiful, fascinating, good to grow and give, but they may carry invasive species which are not benign. Tom Bawden at The Independent tells us about invasive species reaching Europe, including the New Guinea flatworm … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, horticulture, money and trade | Tagged alien species, America, Argentine ant, arthropod, Asia, Asian hornet, beetle, biosecurity, coleopteran, Europe, flatworm, garden, harlequin ladybird, herbivore, hymenopteran, insect, invasive species, invertebrate, ladybird, landscape, lepidopteran, light brown apple moth, lily beetle, mollusc, moth, native species, New Guinea flatworm, New Zealand flatworm, oak processionary moth, pest, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, predator, rosemary leaf beetle, slug, snail, Spanish slug | 5 Comments

James C. Scott on Food sovereignty: a critical dialogue

Posted on April 4, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on the anthropo.scene:
argylesock says… I like the way James C. Scott explains food sovereignty and food security in this lecture. He remarks on how we humans rely, mostly, on only three food sources: maize (corn, Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa) and wheat … Continue reading →

Posted in food, human health, knowledge transfer | Tagged corn, crop, crop diversity, food, food security, food sovereignty, grain, invasive species, maize, neglected crop, plant_monocot, politics, population, rice, staple food, wheat | 8 Comments

A new invader to eat rice plants?

Posted on December 13, 2013 by argylesock

The Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) for Britain doesn’t list apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata and P. maculata) as invasive species, but perhaps it should. Apple snails are aquatic. They spread when there’s flooding, when they cling onto larger animals or onto … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, miniculture | Tagged alien species, America, apple snail, aquaculture, Asia, crop, data, farmer, flood, gastropod, heliculture, herbivore, invasive species, map, mollusc, nematode, parasite, parasite transmission, pest, pet, plant_monocot, rice, roundworm, snail, vector, waterway | Leave a comment

Exotic trees

Posted on December 9, 2013 by argylesock

Lewis at woodlands.co.uk tells us about the exotic (alien) trees which are familiar in our British landscapes. Lewis tells us how many of these trees arrived during colonial times when great houses and gardens were built. He doesn’t mention how … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology | Tagged alien species, arboriculture, disease, disease reservoir, ecosystem, forest, garden, hedge, history, human, invasive species, landscape, native species, naturalised species, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, sugar cane, tree, wood, woodland | Leave a comment

Who’s the most hated company? Monsanto!

Posted on November 24, 2013 by argylesock

The chemical and biotechnology giant, Monsanto, calls itself ‘a sustainable agriculture company.’ If you want to know more of its viewpoint you can read its blog, Beyond the Rows. Not everybody thinks that Monsanto is all about sustainable agriculture. Do … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, human health, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged BASF, Bayer, biotechnology, climate, climate-ready crop, conservation, crop, development, Dow, DuPont, evolution, fertiliser, food, food safety, genetic modification, herbicide, history, human, invasive species, Monsanto, pesticide, politics, seed, sustainable, Syngenta, trade, water, weed, yield | 8 Comments

Leave Them Bee- The Honeybees That Fearfully Avoid Hornets

Posted on October 4, 2013 by argylesock

argylesock says… Don’t scare the bees! We need pollinators for crops and wild plants. There are many pollinating insects but one of those is the European honeybee (Apis mellifera). There are many kinds of hornet too, including the Asian hornet … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology | Tagged apiculture, arthropod, Asian hornet, behaviour, entomoculture, honeybee, hornet, hymenopteran, insect, invasive species, pollination, predator, research | 1 Comment

Paving the Way For Invasive Species

Posted on September 29, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Living With Insects Blog:
Horticulturalists help bring beauty to our gardens and landscapes by introducing plants from other parts of the world and breeding them for aesthetic characteristics. In the past, not enough attention was paid to…

Posted in ecology, horticulture | Tagged alder buckthorn, alien species, aphid, arthropod, brimstone butterfly, ecosystem, garden, hemipteran, insect, invasive species, landscape, lepidopteran, native species, pest, plant_dicot, shrub, soybean aphid, tiger moth | Leave a comment

The advance of the Asian hornet creates a buzz in the UK media

Posted on September 17, 2013 by argylesock

argylesock says… Here’s another threat to the honeybee (Apis mellifera). The Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) is now established in France and no doubt, it’ll soon reach the British Isles. The article I’m reblogging here includes info on how we can … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, miniculture | Tagged alien species, apiculture, arthropod, Asian hornet, entomoculture, honeybee, hornet, hymenopteran, insect, invasive species, predator | 2 Comments

Bracken

Posted on September 7, 2013 by argylesock

If you’re in the British uplands, you’ll be very familiar with bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). It’s part of our landscapes here, beautiful but not always good news. Robin J Pakeman at Animal Briefs tells us about bracken. It’s a native species … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged academia, Asulam, bracken, ecosystem, farmer, fern, gardener, glyphosate, herbicide, invasive species, landscape, law, livestock, native species, pH, poison, rhizome, Roundup, shade, soil, spore, weed | 3 Comments

Living With Imported Pollinators

Posted on August 22, 2013 by argylesock

Originally posted on Living With Insects Blog:
Bumblebee Pollinating a Flower Honey bees are under stress in many areas and growers are evaluating alternatives to honey bee pollination. Bumblebees are a potential alternative and the worldwide trade in bumblebees for…

Posted in ecology, miniculture | Tagged alien species, arthropod, bumblebee, ecosystem, entomoculture, hymenopteran, insect, invasive species, microlivestock, parasite, pathogen, pollination, research, trade, vector | 6 Comments