The late Ed Cordell tried my fungus concoction on Balsam woolly adelgid and it seemed to work. But, we never followed up on it. Another friend seemed to show positive results with the Emerald Ash Borer in Michigan, but, again, we didn't follow it up. A client tried it on bugs (Hemiptera) in Pecans in Mexico, but we never heard a word. (Maybe the fungus would work on bedbugs!) It can kill eggs and early instar caterpillars (Lepidoptera) but is ineffective against larger caterpillars. Dialogue with government scientists at the Annual Entomological Society Convention in Knoxville, November 2012 left me with a feeling of hopelessness. There doesn't seem to be a connection to the larger world of pesticide trials for major pests including Emerald Ash borer, Hemlock Woolly adelgid, bedbugs, Asian Longhorn borer or any other pest outside my immediate environment and experience. Scientific minds are totally closed, it seems. I wonder whether taxpayer who are paying these folks' wages are getting their money's worth. It seems counter-intuitive to CUT agriculture and research budgets and eliminate chances for progress, but there seems to be little chance for that, anyway.
