Andy,
 
    I suggest you check the facts and broaden your horizon by not just argiung
    from a beekeeping perspective.
 
    Indeed, Loosestrife has become an important plant to some beekeepers in some
    areas but I would argue that beekeeping in north America (ps this issue is
    not limited to the US but includes Canada) did just fine a few decades ago
    before Loosestrife was introduced and became a serious weed.
 
    The weed has been so remarkably successful as an invader of wetlands, bogs,
    ditches, etc. because no natural enemies were there to limit it.  For many
    areas this weed has been an ecological disaster where it caused many native
    plants to dwindle if not disappear.   This also had serious effects on the
    fauna in many of these areas.
 
    The release of the three biological agents is in my view an excellent
    proposal and environemntally sound.  It does not mean that Loosestrife will
    disappear (we don't talk here about eradication) but that some control is
    achieved and that Loosestrife will take its "appropriate" place within plant
    communities without being over-dominant.
 
    Biological control agents are environmentally attractive because without
    them people generally resort to the chronic use of pesticides which are much
    more damaging, especially when used in wetlands and bogs.
 
    Although I am not familiar with the approval procedures used by US agencies,
    but as I stated in a previous e-mail, the significance of this proposal may
    not be great because the exact same control agents were released in Canada
    some years ago.
 
 
    Paul van Westendorp                         [log in to unmask]
    Provincial Apiarist
    British Columbia