and there were unintended consequences? How about a current situation in which this method is used effectively?
2006-12-11 13:41:53 · 9 answers · asked by Dave 4 in Environment
Cane toads were deliberately introduced into Australia to control a beetle that was attacking sugar cane farms in Quensland. Unfortunately, the toads are too heavy to climb into the cane to eat the beetles, so they weren't effective at controlling the pests. Instead, they eat almost anything that they can find, and have become a major pest. Even worse, the toads are poisonous enough to kill most of the local predators that might actually control them, and they have spread across a very large part of the country.
2006-12-11 15:36:47 · answer #1 · answered by Tim N 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cane toads intentionally introduced in to Austraila to control cane beetles is a classic example of biological control gone wrong. Cane toads are toxic and now invasive in Australia and they didn't do their intended job of controlling the beetles (see the interesting video Cane Toads: An Unatural History). An example of a successful attempt at biological control is the introduction of the vadalia beetle to California in 1888 to control cottony cushion scale in the citrus fields.
2006-12-11 15:51:16 · answer #2 · answered by dana 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure. Fish and game does it all the time. They'll introduce certain types of fish that feed on mesquite larva to lower the population
2006-12-11 13:45:00 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes,, I have seen this show I believed it was on National geographic.. about fireants they use flies to control the fireants populations by the flies hatching their eggs inside the fireants. It was very interesting..
2006-12-11 13:52:48 · answer #4 · answered by Evangeless 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Birdhouses are commonly built around places with mosquitos to control them.
2006-12-11 13:47:23 · answer #5 · answered by claywlong 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the state bird of nevada is the seagull, because as the story goes, nevada had horrible locusts one season, and they were eating everything in sight, when out of nowhere here comes flocks and flocks of seagulls eating them all up.
2006-12-11 13:52:09 · answer #6 · answered by jaymegibow 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ladybugs are used to control aphids.
2006-12-11 15:02:20 · answer #7 · answered by MarkG 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
David M I saw you on the news today...!!
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2006-12-11 13:52:59 · answer #8 · answered by adh e 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Weevils, to get rid of some weed.
2006-12-11 13:48:54 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋