Re: [CH] whadabout Pepsi & RC ??
Brent Thompson (brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com)
Thu, 04 Nov 2004 19:40:30 -0800
> caffeine seems to be fairly toxic, to a variety of creatures.
Yes, this may well be it.
I found this in a USDA webpage:
<http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/publications/Publications.htm?seq_no_115=134713>
> Of more than 800 insects reported on coffee, the coffee berry borer is the
> only one that has developed the ability to exploit the coffee bean as a
> food source. This is remarkable due to the many reports of caffeine
> toxicity to insects and the caffeine content in the coffee seed which
> averages 1.1 - 1.7% in Coffea arabica L. and 2 - 3% in C. canephora
> (robusta).
Of course, caffeine content of a few bottles of Coca-Cola sprayed onto a
whole field of crops wouldn't reach any 1% concentration, but apparently
could still maybe be enough.
--- Brent