Re: California Boaters Caution - Quagga Mussels
I wouldn't experiement with them either. That is exactly how some invasive species get introduced into a particular ecosystem. Here in the Gulf South, we are dealing with "killer bees," aka "africanized honey bees." If I remember the history of them correctly, they came about because someone in South America was fooling around with developing a hybrid bee. By breeding afican bees with domestic bees, they ended up with the 'killer bees." Initially, the infestation was in S. America only - now it has spread into parts of Texas, Louisiana and Florida. I am not sure about Mississippi and Alabama, but it stands to reason that if Louisiana and Florida have them, they probably do too.
These things are unbelievable. They are no larger than a regular bee but they are extremely aggressive and attack in swarms with very little provocation. They have killed people and pets over and over. I am watching the situation carefully because I have a three year old who, like all little boys, likes to play outside. I sure hope it doesn't get to the point where I live that I can't let him.
We also have a problem with a type of aquatic vegetation here. This one came about because someone imported it and thought it would look nice in a pond or something. They apparently thought they would be intriducing the stuff in a closed environment so it would be ok. Not so - it is all over south Louisiana now and grows so thick that you can't run a boat through it. The problems with spreading it are the same as the mussels. Trailer boaters tend to end up with seeds in the water passages of the engine(s) and as soon as they launch in another body of water, those seeds are ejected and the problem there begins.
