Has anyone in biology written a book on the concept of "pests" how they are defined, how they spread, and their place in our understand of ecosystems and the impact of humans on those ecosystems?
You will find the word "pest" in serious scientific papers. It's just in the abstracts to explain "why this research matters" -- but it's also not well defined, it can be deeply subjective.
1/
myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •The ultimate pest, the one everyone agrees on is the pestilence. A virus, fungus, bacteria, or other disease that harms human beings and can spread.
On the other end of the spectrum you have native animals some people just don't like, people will call wolves a "pest" even though the wolves were there before they even showed up, the wolves are a part of the ecosystem and the wolves are endangered in the region.
But, it feels like they might kill baby farm animals. So they are called pests. 2/
myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •Smallpox is a pest and a pestilence.
Wolves are not.
Those are easy cases. So, what about more ambiguous cases? Lasius emarginatus is not a native species of ant in NYC. But neither are most of the other ants you may see. Lasius emarginatus likes to live outside and doesn't habitually nest in human spaces. This ant is very numerous and conspicuous on our sidewalks. Like most ants it's a predator of other insects, but also a detritivore and clean up crew. Is it a "pest?"
3/
myrmepropagandist
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •When people fall in conflict with each other whole groups of people have been described as "pests" --this language is so alarming since the way that we respond to pest animals and living things is often extreme and alarming.
It's the worst kind of dehumanization to call a people "vermin" or "roaches."
Because it opens the door to genocide. The history is deeply disturbing.
Our attempts to eliminate actual pests have been less successful. Is it a broken way of thinking?
4/4
ClaraBlackInk
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •This year both the chipmunk(s) and squirrels have been very invasive in my garden. Often digging up plants they aren't eating anything from. It has been heartbreaking because they're just ruining plants and its been causing a lot of feels despite me enjoying seeing them around last year.
We're in a pretty severe drought and one of the most aggressive squirrels was pregnant.
But, the bad feels are hard to shake because the gardening was a refuge from everything.
myrmepropagandist
in reply to ClaraBlackInk • • •My garden is tiny. It's a roofgarden and I made all of the soil myself from compost... it's just so hard. A baby raccoon has been coming up to the 6th floor and digging up the garden at night. Killed all of my basil. Wasted some of my precious soil by spilling it on the roof.
I have been bringing #picaTheCat out to the garden and brushing her there (so the garden will smell like cat I hope) and I think the smell of her hair may be helping.
But the feelings are SERIOUS.
Virginicus
in reply to myrmepropagandist • • •I scattered a big bag of cat hair between the vegetable rows, and went about other business. Couple of hours later, I returned and found a bulldog named Mikey sitting in the middle of the garden with a “where is she?” look on his face.
Subsequent researches into organic methods of bulldog control were unfruitful. #gardening