> People tend to fall into camps in these discussions. There are those who
> are suspicious of genetic tinkering of any sort and there are those who
> think that genetic modification is harmless and a boon to mankind. No doubt
> the truth lies somewhere in between.
>

I think the problem is not in the initial treatment but what happens after
that.

Recently it was found that the culprit behind DNA changes was not form
outside sources, like cosmic rays, but in our own guts. Bacterial are
little gnome factories snipping and incorporating all the time. Some
changes take and others do not. Some affect the host and others get passed
on to offspring. The offspring are then the test models to see if any
advantage or disadvantage results. It can mean anything from barely
apparent to extended live or early death. The latter is what worries me,
less with our bees, who are short lived so we will see the results rather
quickly, but more with long lived organisms where the full implications may
not be known for generations.

There should be a large "Go Slow" sign with this path to insect control.

Genesis 11- 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the
people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same
language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be
impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so
they will not understand each other.”

A cautionary tale.

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine

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