Another invasive species in the Shannon.

This is just brutal. We live on an island but we still have just no bio security.

Leaf miner was confirmed in horse chestnut this year for the first time as well (so your grand kids won't be playing conkers)

(Added to chestnut canker, sudden oak death, elm disease, ash dieback, zebra mussel, New Zealand flatworm, )

All preventable and would have been in New Zealand or Australia

JohnH wrote:

"All preventable and would have been in New Zealand or Australia"

Ah Jim, be fair - they have stopped fishing at Lanesboro (as if that's going to stem the spread of the clams!!!).

John

Horse - gate - bolted.

If it was in Latin, it could be our national motto

Australia has the right idea with this kind of stuff (eventually). But the flip side of stopping invasive species is that, at some point I'll bet the hobby will suffer. When it comes to stuff like this, governments seem to have an all or nothing approach

@JohnH - check this out:
invasivespeciesireland.com/most-unwanted...al/japanese-knotweed

Millions are spent every year on eradicating this in the UK - Wales even has specialist teams that do nothing else. Of course, here in Ireland, the usual jokers trimming verges plough right into it, spreading everywhere - every tiny fragment of this stuff can grow into a new plant and its nearly indestructible.

@LJ - Ireland should be a fairly safe place in terms of limiting the hobby - cold enough winters to kill off many tropical invaders, Summers cold enough to not allow breeding. (of course there are exceptions!) but you're right - governments seem to always lack common sense and get it wrong.

But what we do allow is import of plants & soil from temperate climates and from areas known to harbour disease. I could buy a mature 20ft tree with a ton of soil tomorrow and have it shipped here. That ton of soil could contain anything. The Ash dieback was brought in on Ash seedlings imported from Holland - as if we couldnt grow them here in the first place. Holland, at the time, was known to have Ash dieback.

Emerald borer (which is now wiping out species in north america) was brought in to the U.S. - not on imported timber or trees, but in a couple of wooden wedges used to hold a pallet into a container!

The terrible thing is, Teagasc (forestry research) have decided to cross native ash with asian ash to produce a resistant strain - instead of identifying resistant native trees and reproducing them. So in future, our hurleys will be made with hybrid trees - native Ash which has been on this island for 10,000 years will probably become effectively extinct. All because someone was saving a penny per tree on imports. I almost wish I didnt know half of this cos it drives me so mad

rant over - back to water changes . . . . .

I remember the first time seeing New Zealand Flatworm, an evil little bastard that consumes our native Earthworm, an aerator so important to our soil, it was in the rootball of a Treefern. The only real way to kill it is underfoot, squashing it to pulp because it can regenerate from pieces. I am hard pressed to find Earthworms in my garden now.

Regarding Ash and Chestnut miner, it is difficult to understand why a pathogen kills its host as Cancer kills the patient, why would Evolution do such things? Surely evolution is all about preservation and continuation of a species, not its demise,

Kev.

Homer wrote:

I remember the first time seeing New Zealand Flatworm, an evil little bastard that consumes our native Earthworm, an aerator so important to our soil, it was in the rootball of a Treefern. The only real way to kill it is underfoot, squashing it to pulp because it can regenerate from pieces. I am hard pressed to find Earthworms in my garden now.

Regarding Ash and Chestnut miner, it is difficult to understand why a pathogen kills its host as Cancer kills the patient, why would Evolution do such things? Surely evolution is all about preservation and continuation of a species, not its demise,

Kev.

The ultimate goal of a virus, if something little more than a molecule can have intent of any kind, is that its host species will be reduced to the individuals that are resistant. Viruses don't have a 100% kill rate; for a virus that'd simply be a failure of evolution. Ebola, HIV, influenza etc, were they allowed to run their evolutionary course, would kill millions but the survivors would be resistant. There is considerable evidence now that one of the main drivers of evolution is viruses.

Sorry for the Segway but I Find it fascinating.

www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comme...acterias_kill_their/

Kev.

interesting thread, in most all of these examples humans behaviour and actions have been the cause of introduction, humans are the HIV of life on the planet, the only way it can change is for humans to think differently about what is important and push selfishness and greed down their list of importance, I don't see that happening

Commerce and Human success are the reason why such heavy demand and resulting pressure is put upon the planet. We are told that our perfectly good two year old car is outdated answer need a new one, the huge want want want machine ploughs on, everything has to be updated, we are hypnotised by TV that we have to upgrade. In the past, we had enough to feed ourselves and to live but nowadays, all life seems to be about is possessions.

Kev.

agree on all Kev, except ''human success'' ! as I don't consider mans development or evolving to the betterment of the species
down the shi$%er is where the planet is heading , under the guise of success and at the expense of the poorer nations and all other life forms

Apart from an appeal for some irony, I'm keeping my fool mouth shut

Don't get me started on Monsanto Roundup ready GMO crops and suicide seeds, real evidence of corporations bent on ruling the World and everything on it. Our government leaders turn a blind eye and believe that the gaps left between fields of experimental crops is sufficient to halt the spread of genetic material, it's a pity birds and insects can't read and that wind won't blow, otherwise it would be true, Roundup ready Corn is now responsible for calves to be born with the inability to absorb micro nutrients from it leading to foreshortened fore limbs.....

'Tis a crazy world I tell ya.

Kev.

A number of people, when asked, about the possibility of the Sun burning out one day, replied, sure by that time there will be people living on Mars!

This is the degree of ignorance upon which Corporations and Goverments depend.

Incredible!

Kev.