The pesticide conspiracy / Robert Van Den Bosch.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Van den Bosch, Robert, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Agricultural chemicals--Environmental aspects--United States.

Agricultural chemicals.

Agricultural chemicals industry--United States.

Agricultural chemicals industry.

Pesticides--Environmental aspects--United States.

Pesticides.

Pesticides industry--United States.

Pesticides industry.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (248 p.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, California : University of California Press, [1978]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Professor van den Bosch of the University of California was one of the developers of Integrated Pest Management--the use of biological controls, improved pest knowledge and observation, and judicious application of chemicals only when absolutely necessary. His research often suggested that less or no pesticides should be applied, which made him the target of both open and clandestine attack from industry and government figures. In protest, he wrote this passionate account of what Ecology called "the ultimate social disaster of: evolving pesticide-resistant insects, the destruction of their natural predators and parasites, emergent populations of new insect pests, downstream water pollution, atmospheric pollution, the 'accidental' killing of wildlife and people, and the bankruptcies of indigenous and small farmers." As a new Introduction to this edition recounts, some lessening of dangerous overreliance on massive pesticide applications has been achieved since van den Bosch published this book in 1978--partly as a result of its influence. But the structural problems he described remain. The book has thus become a classic, along with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.

Contents:

Frontmatter

FOREWORD

PREFACE

PREFACE TO THE 1989 EDITION

PROLOGUE

Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION

Chapter 2. MOTHER NATURE AND THE GRAY COMPUTER

Chapter 3. THE PESTICIDE TREADMILL

Chapter 4. THE MELANCHOLY ADDICTION OF OL' KING COTTON

Chapter 5. THE MAKING OF AN ECO-RADICAL, OR PARDON MY PARANOIA

Chapter 6. THE POLITICS OF PEST CONTROL

Chapter 7. STICKING IT TO CESAR—THE SOCIOLOGY OF PEST CONTROL

Chapter 8. THE TERRIBLE TUSSOCK TUSSLE

Chapter 9. THE INSTANT PROFESSIONALS

Chapter 10. OF APHIDS ' KNEES AND BLOODY MARYS

Chapter 11. THE RAPE OF EPA

Chapter 12. SCIENCE FOR SALE

Chapter 13. FREEDOM OF THE PRESS, WELL, SORT OF

Chapter 14. THE SORRIEST LOSER

Chapter 15. INTEGRATED CONTROL — A BETTER WAY TO BATTLE THE BUGS

Chapter 16. TO TURN THE WORM

EPILOGUE

GLOSSARY

NOTES AND REFERENCES

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 07. Jul 2020)

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780520909748

0520909747

OCLC:

1163878202