Thank you for the suggestion. I hope to fit it into my reading. I would like to retract a comment from my earlier post on this subject. I posted that I recalled the use of mites in mosquito control. I checked with the vector ecologist and I had recalled incorrectly. They use Bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis as well as Bacillus sphaericus in more polluted waters. And while they are effective measures, they are not control measures in and of themselves, but part of their Integrated Pest Management program.
My apology to those of you in the field; I thought it was a minor point in my post, but should have known better and checked prior to posting. David -----Original Message----- From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Terence Evens Sent: Friday, July 21, 2006 6:48 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Malaria and DDT "The Malaria Capers : More Tales of Parasites and People, Research and Reality" by Robert S. Desowitz is a very engaging overview of the history behind the politics, researchers and environmental impacts surrounding the malaria problem. It is really well written and is quite objective for such a contentious issue. Regards, T.J. Evens Terence J. Evens, Ph.D. Research Ecologist USDA-ARS US Horticultural Research Laboratory 2001 S. Rock Rd. Ft. Pierce FL 34945 772-462-5921 (W) 772-462-5961 (F) >>> Kenwyn Suttle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 07/20/06 03:40PM >>> I recommend the book "Mosquito: The Story of Man's Deadliest Foe" by Andrew Spielman, Sc.D., and Michael D'Antonio for people interested in mosquito-borne diseases and the use of DDT in combating them. It's a few years old at this point (published in 2002), and to my memory does not include anything like David mentioned on the potential of mites as mosquito biological control agents, but it is a quick and thought-provoking read. The scope of the book is much broader than a judgement on DDT use, but the authors make a compelling case toward the end that with detailed understanding of mosquito natural history, DDT could be applied to great effect at low doses in a manner unlikely to cause much environmental harm (e.g. inside houses on walls where mosquitoes must land to digest). That said, more recent studies uncovering human health effects of DDT, such as developmental delays in children, may render the environmental harm argument secondary. A good read, nonetheless. KBS Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-4767
