Re: Bug Free AG Plant!

To Pumpkins List.
cc: to my bacteria lists. 
Elkskin gives some thoughtful words as usual. I will add the facts that
I remember.
  I have had a special interest in "gene splicing" long before the term
was coined. I have a collection of about 43 bacteria of the "Bt-type".
Now that I am "retired" work with these bacteria is high on my list of
possible projects which won't make any money for me, but which I stand a
chance of contributing to knowledge with the equipment I have. I have
not done any actual gene splicing as it costs so much and every thing is
covered by patents. 
  Two genera of bacteria produce a single spore inside the cell. They do
this when facing starvation. When favorable conditions return, the spore
germinates and generations of binary fission follow. Bacillus is the
genus which contains bacteria which are able to produce spores in the
presence air. Closdrium Genus also make spores, but can do so only in
the absence of air. The other bacteria which produce spores generally do
it as spores at the end of a mycelium very similar to fungi. 
  Some Bacillus strains produce a parasporal crystal beside the spore.
These crystals are protein and in the alkaline hindgut of certain
insects the protein can kill the insect. These strains of Bacillus are
similar to Bacillus cereus which is harmless, but can produce toxins
which cause "bacterial food poisoning".
  All the bacteria which produce these insect killing crystals have the
traits of Bacillus cereus, but are usually called Bacillus thuringiensis
(Bacillus living in Thuringen (Germany)). I suppose hundreds of strains
have been identified. Most strains will kill only butterflies and moths,
however some kill black flies and the San Diego strain will will
Colorado Potato Beetle (if I recall correctly). One kills mosquitoes but
it is difficult to get them to eat it before the crystal falls into the
mud. 
----
Now to answer Elkskin:   
pumpkins@mallorn.com wrote:
> 
>     The only insects I've seen on my AG plants are squash vine borers,
HE:  Bt should kill squash vine borer as it is an moth
> squash bugs,
HE: these are Hemiptera and suck juices. Thus 2 reasons Bt will not kill
squash bugs.
> cucumber beetles
HE: These are Coleoptera and only SD strain of Bt kills potato bettle,
but I have spent some effort trying to find a Bt type which will kill
corn rootworm which is cucumber beetle larva
> however, if the pollen from
> the flowers were found to be toxic to the bees 
  Should not affect bees as they have the wrong kind of gut to activate
the killer protein.
> might be worth looking into.-----(Elkskin)
  Yes, every time I see a squash borer, I wish my plant were Bt type. 
----
  The recent press about Bt pollen killing Monarch Butterfiles was kind
of silly. --or late. They are butterflies and I have known about Bt
killing butterflies for decades. If they are eating corn then, they need
to die. While milk weed does grow in corn fields, and as a corn breeder,
I did once see a Monark pupa on a milk week in a corn field. Monarchs
are rare in corn fields. and I think the one I saw was in polebeans next
to the corn plot not in the corn. 
  However, if we put Bt into milkweed then we would be endangering
additional species of insects which might be good or bad.
  Lots of people plant butterfly gardens which I usually find puzzling
as so many butterfies are pests. 
-- 
Harold Eddleman Ph.D. Microbiologist.       i*@disknet.com 
Location: Palmyra IN USA; 36 kilometers west of Louisville, Kentucky
http://www.disknet.com/indiana_biolab = Agriculture, science projects



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