“Bug Experts”? Is the Hear-Old taking lessons from David Dilworth? They are Entomologists.
A top state bug expert threw cold water Friday on a report suggesting the light brown apple moth has been kept in check in New Zealand without an aggressive pesticide program.
The report’s shortcomings, in Hoffman’s view, include:
· Overlooking financial and environmental costs of New Zealand’s pest management program.
· Giving short shrift to possible pitfalls of introducing non-native species to prey on the light brown apple moth.It is unlikely the moth’s natural enemies would be allowed in the United States, Hoffman said.
· Ignoring the potential impact if the light brown apple moth becomes established in other parts of California, other states or Mexico and Canada.“The authors display a lack of understanding about the purpose of classifying (the moth) as a regulated pest and the necessity of implementing actions to restrict its movement,” Hoffman wrote.