Re:1989 California Medfly Attack
by TrainedMonkey on Friday May 29, 2020 @01:28AM
(#23346543)
Sounds like it worked:
> Subsequently, three months after "The Breeders" announced the medfly release, the state ended its decade-long Malathion program and sought alternate ways to handle destructive insects.
Re:1989 California Medfly Attack
by say-vagnes on Friday May 29, 2020 @01:32AM
(#23346562)
Fair point, I suppose on balance their outcome was indeed successful. Thanks for pointing that out :)
> The group promised to make the aerial spraying program politically and financially impossible through the coordinated release of thousands of medflies.
It's not just that "on balance" they stumbled into accidentally achieving their goal. They achieved exactly what they set out to achieve, in the exact way they planned to achieve it.
Well, the same strategies are used (sterile flies plus pesticide bait), but spinosad replaces malathion. I don't see this being any different without the protests. Pesticides are replaced all the time, like Dursban.
> It was instead ordered that, rather than 1-2 aerial sprayings of the infected communities, more than a dozen sprayings would be necessary over a period of months.[18] In addition, Malathion was no longer used alone, but mixed in a 4:1 ratio with Nu-Lure0 bait to attract insects to the area.[19]
I know, I know, hindsight bias. But it is hard to imagine that an increase in the infestation would not result in an increase of the treatment for said infestation.
Take note, future protestors. Outcomes are the only thing that matters.