Thanks for the clarification Pete : ) So back to my question--of the native insects that feed upon *Helianthus *(sunflowers), what proportion exhibit enough resistance to pesticides that they can still be found in wildlands near commercial sunflowers? This may give us an idea of the proportion of insect species highly-susceptible to pesticides. Are there any native insect folk reading this? If so, could you please tell us how many of the insects listed below can still be found in the Midwest? From https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/helianthus "In the United States, there is a wide variety of sunflower-specific, native insects that preferentially feed on stems, leaves, roots, or seeds. Stem-feeding insects on sunflower include at least three different cutworms (Euxoa species and Feltia jaculifera), the sunflower stem weevil (Cylindrocopturus adspersus), the black sunflower stem weevil (Apion occidentale), the sunflower maggot (Strauzia longipennis), and the long-horned sunflower stem girdler (Dectes texanus). Root-feeding insects include the carrot beetle (Ligyrus gibbosus), the sunflower root weevil (Baris strenua), and occasionally wireworms. Leaf-feeding insects include grasshoppers (four Melanoplus species and Camnula pellucida), aphids (primarily Aphis helianthi and Masonaphis masoni), the painted lady caterpillar (Vanessa cardui), the sunflower beetle (Zygogramma exclamationis), and the palestriped flea beetle (Systena blanda). Seed- and head-feeding insects include the sunflower moth (Homoeosoma electellum), the sunflower midge (Contarinia schulzi), the red sunflower seed weevil (Smicronyx fulvus), the gray seed weevil (Smicronyx sordidus), the banded sunflower moth (Cochylis hospes), the sunflower head moth (Gymnocarena diffusa), the sunflower seed maggot (Neotephritis finalis), the sunflower headclipping weevil (Haplorhynchites aeneus), and the tarnished plant bug (Lygus lineolaris)." -- Randy Oliver Grass Valley, CA www.ScientificBeekeeping.com *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html