Greetings
My biggest objection to the so-called Organic Farming movement is that
they self-righteously claim to have a monopoly on the ideas of
pesticide free farming and biological controls. Actually, the major
Universities have been at the forefront of some of the best ideas in
these fields for years. An example is this new book from a Cornell
entomologist. Furthermore, they are open to other non-pesticide
solutions such as genetic modification, to enhance the defenses of
plants and animals to the wide variety of pests and diseases.

Natural Enemies
An Introduction to Biological Control
Ann E. Hajek
Cornell University, New York

Excerpt

Synthetic chemical pesticides aren't always the answer

> There are some situations in which chemical pesticides are not the most appropriate choice for controlling pests. One example would be introduced exotic organisms that become pests; it has been estimated that 30,000 exotic organisms have been introduced to the USA. In fact, invasive species are now considered a major problem worldwide due to the increasing human population frequently moving organisms around the globe and thereby altering ecosystems at an increasing rate. Many invaders become pestiferous largely due to the fact that they are no longer associated with the natural enemies with which they coevolved. Among pests in agriculture, approximately 20–40% have been introduced from elsewhere. Most are accidental introductions, although a small percentage of these were purposeful introductions such as crop plants and honeybees. Some were purposeful introductions with unexpected side effects. For example, the weed kudzu was introduced to the southeastern USA to control erosion and has since spread rampantly through most of the southeast, becoming a problematic weed. Introduced organisms are not always identified quickly, so they establish and become ubiquitous before it is possible to eradicate them. It is difficult to imagine how a synthetic chemical pesticide can easily solve such a problem as a fast-growing weed, without continual human intervention and its associated costs. Problems due to such pests are therefore often not readily addressed using synthetic chemical pesticides because more permanent control is what is needed. Classical biological control has frequently been successfully used against such pests (permanently introducing natural enemies from the land of origin of the pest). Unfortunately, by all predictions, accidental introductions of invasive species will only continue with the increased global movement of humans and materials.

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