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Roatan and Bay Islands Discussion List Archive
| Posted On: | 29-Mar-2005 |
| From: | Sven Zoerner [s.a.z.....de] |
| Subject: | Re: [roatan] Re: SandFlies |
Hello Peter, I have absolutely no problem with insect control as long as they are limited to the places which are mainly used "by humans only". Actually since moskitos are part of the tropical ecosystem i donīt see any other chance than to stand them and live with them in coexistence to a certain part if you want to live in a healthy environmental which can control itself. Every human impact that provokes major changes in a habitat provoke also that one will have to care for that place again and again. We have only limited ressources of life-time, work and money so we shouldnīt overuse them for keeping certain places in a pseudo stabil way which needs our continuus care. Better is to adapt ourselfes to the conditions which are arround as far as posible. This is in fact the cheapest and most effective way of dealing with environmental problems. So Insect control can fast become more part of the problem than of the solution. The Posting i reposted was first posted in 2003 and the discussion also included a plan to deal with the sandflies via a major biocontrol (there are viruses, infections and predators for certain kinds of sandflies and moskitos) over the whole island of Roatan. Biocontrol within the places directly connected with humans like tanks, or the garden of the houses in town would be a useful solution. We have to be careful with the beaches as a resource. They are not only places were humans want to lay arround in there holidays, they are also home for certain creatures which canīt life without them. With the Utila Iguana, and the two kinds of seaturtles which use the beaches as breeding ground I just mention the flagship animals. There are of cause much more. And we certainly are far away in science from understanding all the connection between the different species inhabitating the beach. Also the "bugs" are important parts of the food web. If they are erraditicated because we donīt like to get bitten by them, which i can understand may, no, will cause major changes. If this changes will be harmful to us or the islands ? I donīt know. But i donīt want to be the one to blame later because that there are potential risks. Its very sad but until today ecologists certainly know one thing: In most of the cases we only can explain environmental catastrophies later on. Ecologists can also predict that there is always a risk in major changes in an environmental system. But in most cases ecologists canīt predict what will happen when systems are changed. They are to unstable and complicated. Ecologist can only say: If we have a chance to keep this system stable we should do it. So do pest control arround your house (the best with methods which you would also use inside your house if available :-) ) and probably pest control should be done in a( very limited) area of beaches which are already in use for tourists and holiday uses. Let some, better the major part of the beaches left for mother nature doing what she has done for nillion of years. Seems she has done quite well yet. kind regards Sven Zörner KP> Sven, KP> I would guess that you are not opposed to environmental controls such as raking of the beaches, elimination of stagnant ground water, etc. KP> In fact, what other controls do you recommend. KP> Peter KP> -----Original Message----- KP> From: Sven Zoerner [mailto:s.a.z.....de] KP> Sent: Wednesday, March 23, 2005 8:17 AM KP> To: roatan.....com KP> Subject: Re: [roatan] Re: Sand Fleas KP> Hi to all, KP> i canīt stand it anymore. have to repost it ;-) KP> I wrote 18 september 2003: >>>>>>>> KP> However, Sand fleas is a term which is often used for the little biting insects which bother so many people in tropical and northern coast and wetland regions. KP> This term is scientifically wrong. KP> Sand fleas are amphibean crustaceans living at oceans shoreline, of the family Amphipoda. They donīt bite, they donīt itch and you donīt have to have any fear of them. They are just called fleas KP> because they are so fast and seem to jump when you or a wave comes near to them. KP> check: http://www.amphipoda.com/index.html KP> The Sandflies are insects and belong to the family of Ceratopogonidae which spreade widly and most species suck on plants only.Nevertheless there are some which have especial females which are KP> specialised on either birds, mammals or reptiles and suck their blood to get enough protein for breeding. Some of these are even vektors of viruses or other deseases(Not known for the Bay KP> Islands!). The Term used by scientists is "biting midges". Commonly used is the term "sandflies" or wrongly and biasly "sandfleas" because of the flealike effect of there bite. KP> check: http://www.belmont.edu/Science/Biology/cienews/cie.html KP> This insects orientate by smell, temperature and CO2 and are mainly active in the hours arround sunset, especially when the weather is wet and not windy. The animals are to small to cope with KP> strong winds. To protect against them you should where longsleved light-colored clothes when in sandfly areas or in the evening. Dark colored clothes are warmer for the temperatures sensors of KP> the sandflies and signal for a warm blooded animal. KP> You need a very fine meshed moscito netting which they canīt access. They canīt not bite through an oilfilm which is at least protective for some time. Not to bet sweated is not easy in the KP> tropics but sweat helps the sandflys to find you. KP> If you have been bitten please donīt try to scratch. Better use antihistaminic salves to relieve your pain or use cooling oils or H2O2 (Dont use the last two whith open scratched sandflie bites, KP> it will hurt.) KP> DEET is helpful against moskitos, sandflies will probably not be deterred so much by this poisson. Please understand that any insect, how much it will bother you, may play an probably unknown KP> important role within the fragile ecosystem. They or there larvae might be a food source for birds, reptile or larger insects, fishes, etc. Other near relatives which would also be killed with KP> general insekticides may play an important role in plant biodiversity or plant reproduction. Probably other insect populations like moskitos, tik, wasp etc. might be controlled by parasitic or KP> desease vectors which are brought to them through sandflys. Controll-loops of Nature are to complicated to have them understood totally today any major impact through humans can have KP> catastrophically consequences which we canīt predict. KP> kind regards KP> Sven Zörner KP> KP> http://www.roatanet.com KP> KP> KP> KP> http://www.roatanet.com KP> http://www.roatanet.com To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/roatan/ roatan- : | |
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