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Article: Hormonal bind for bad insects.
- Article from:
- Ecos
- Article date:
- October 1, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 CSIRO Publishing. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In the 1960s, Harvard University insect biologist Carroll Williams informed the world that only 0.1% of insects were pests. The remaining species were innocuous, even beneficial to humans.
Williams made his point in response to the emerging problems of indiscriminate pesticide use. Chlorinated insecticides such as dieldren and heptachlor, and organophosphates such as parathion had promised to revolutionise crop protection, but in two decades had caused environmental contamination, residues in humans and animals and pesticide resistance.
As a means of reducing these harmful side-effects, and protecting the innocent insect species, Williams suggested ...