Tag Archives: invertebrate

A neonic that’s bad news for birds

Posted on July 25, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Europe, three insect-killing neonicotinoids are under a temporary ban. One of the banned neonics is called imidacloprid. Six months into the neonic ban, here’s new science about imidacloprid and insect-eating birds in the Netherlands. The chemical and biotech … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, ecology, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged apple, arthropod, Bayer, bird, crop, DDT, ecosystem, Europe, European Food Safety Authority, history, imidacloprid, insect, insecticide, insectivore, invertebrate, knowledge, law, pest control, pesticide, plant_dicot, poison, pollution, research, seed, seedling, soil, sugar beet, tomato, vertebrate, water, wildlife | 2 Comments

Genetic control mechanism developed to deal with major livestock pest

Posted on June 21, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on AgScience:
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a technique to control populations of the Australian sheep blowfly – a major livestock pest in Australia and New Zealand – by making female flies dependent on a…

Posted in agriculture, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged America, antibiotic, antibiotic dependence, arboriculture, arthropod, Asia, Australian sheep blowfly, biotechnology, blowfly, dipteran, Drosophila melanogaster, fruit, fruitfly, genetic modification, insect, invertebrate, lab animal, livestock, mammal, New World screwworm, pest, pest control, plant_dicot, research, sheep, tetracycline, tree, vertebrate | Leave a comment

Gardens for wildlife

Posted on June 1, 2014 by argylesock

Here in Britain the gardening season looks good so far. Here’s an article about gardening for bees and other wildlife. Untidy gardeners like me are good gardeners for wildlife. It’s now a year since hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) bred in my … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, horticulture, miniculture | Tagged apiculture, arthropod, breeding, bumblebee, clover, conservation, ecosystem, Europe, flower, foraging, fruit, garden, gardener, green manure, hedgehog, herb, hibernation, honeybee, hymenopteran, insect, invertebrate, leaf, mammal, nest, plant_dicot, rat, salad, vegetable, vertebrate, weed, wild bee, wild food, wild pollinator, wildlife | Leave a comment

Is the GM crops war over? What’s next?

Posted on May 31, 2014 by argylesock

GM (genetically modified, genetically engineered) crops are a fact of life by now. In our interconnected world (remember the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, TTIP, which might be finalised soon) I think that people who oppose GM crops may have … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, fish, food, horticulture, miniculture, money and trade | Tagged Africa, America, aquaculture, Asia, biodiversity, biotechnology, Bt crop, commodity crop, crop diversity, development, Dow, entomoculture, Europe, evolution, farmer, feed, finfish, fisher, foraging, genetic modification, hunting, insect, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, invertebrate, Monsanto, neglected crop, pesticide resistance, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, population, Roundup Ready crop, shellfish, soya, staple food, superbug, superweed, Swaminathan_Monkombu, trade, tradition, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, vertebrate, wild food | 10 Comments

Out of Sight, Out of Mind? A Visualization of Ocean Trash

Posted on May 18, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on Ocean News:
Project AWARE’s new interactive map is the first to visualize nearly three years of ongoing reporting by an international network of scuba divers who remove marine debris they find underwater through the Dive Against Debris…

Posted in ecology, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, America, Asia, conservation, data, Europe, finfish, fishing, glass, habitat loss, invertebrate, mammal, map, marine mammal, metal, paper, plastic, pollution, rubber, sea, shellfish, textile, vertebrate, waste, wildlife, wood | Leave a comment

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

The EU GM Battle Goes in the Next Round…

Posted on February 13, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on Food (Policy) For Thought:
… or, alternative title: “Can anybody explain how the EU works?” Have you heard the news? The European Commission is set to approve a new variety of genetically modified corn (a variety called…

Posted in agriculture | Tagged arthropod, biotechnology, corn, crop, Dow, DuPont, Europe, genetic modification, glufosinate, grain, herbicide, insect, insecticide, invertebrate, law, maize, maize 1507, pesticide, plant_monocot, weed | Leave a comment

GM oilseeds for Britain?

Posted on January 26, 2014 by argylesock

This year in Britain, we heard there’d be no GM (genetically modified, genetically engineered, biotech) crops. It didn’t last. A new GM crop might soon be field-tested here. Eventually this crop might reduce pressure on overfished seas. A land plant … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, fish, human health, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged Agrobacterium tumefaciens, algaculture, algae, aquaculture, Atlantic salmon, bioaccumulation, biotechnology, blue mussel, brassica, brown crab, brown trout, butternut squash, conservation, crop, false flax, fat, fatty acid, feed, finfish, fishery, fishing, flax, genetic modification, grocery, hemp, hunting, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, invertebrate, linseed, nut, nutrition, oilseed, oilseed Omega Camelina, oyster, pecan, plant_dicot, rainbow trout, research, sea, seed, skipjack tuna, sustainable, trade, value-added, vertebrate, wild food | 7 Comments

Why not feed insects to other livestock?

Posted on November 26, 2013 by argylesock

Here in Britain, our Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) coordinates PROteINSECT. This is about farming insects (entomoculture) as a source of protein for animal feed. FERA is part of our Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, miniculture | Tagged aquaculture, arthropod, bird, black soldier fly, chicken, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, development, dipteran, disease, disease transmission, egg, entomoculture, entomophagy, feed, food, Food and Agriculture Organization, Food and Environment Research Agency, food safety, food waste, housefly, insect, International Livestock Research Institute, invertebrate, larva, law, livestock, manure, meat, microlivestock, milk, poultry, research, technology, vertebrate, waste, welfare | 2 Comments

New Marine Conservation Zones around England

Posted on November 22, 2013 by argylesock

New Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs) will soon be created in English seas to protect coral reefs and other marine life. Yesterday Auntie Beeb told us that there are to be 27 new MCZs. ‘Announcing the 27 new zones, marine environment … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, fish | Tagged conservation, coral, Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, ecosystem, finfish, invertebrate, lobster, marine conservation zone, mollusc, oyster, politics, sea, seabed, seahorse, shellfish, sustainable, vertebrate | Leave a comment