Moth spraying in California county must wait, judge rules

[flashl]

FRESNO, Calif. -- The state must halt an aerial spraying campaign to eradicate an invasive moth in a county near San Francisco Bay, at least until a full environmental review is done, a judge decided Thursday.

Judge Paul Burdick ruled that the state had not proved that an infestation of the light brown apple moth in Santa Cruz County constituted an emergency, which would have allowed authorities to avoid the long state review process.

The ruling could keep planes from spraying a pesticide for up to a year while the state studies its effect on people and the environment, said county spokeswoman Dinah Phillips.

A.G. Kawamura, secretary of food and agriculture, vowed the state would appeal. In a statement, he said the decision was delaying "the safest, most progressive eradication program available."

Washington Post

[madeline_con]

1. Good move.

It might help to know what caused the proliferation of moths before the spraying begins, and screws up even more!

[Muttocracy]

2. it's an invasive that showed up in CA last year; attacks native trees and crops:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/lba_moth/index.shtml

"...USDA confirmed the detection of LBAM in Alameda County, California on March 22, 2007. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) aggressively surveyed the area to discover the extent to the infestation and identified the pest in 11 additional counties. Intense control activities have contained LBAM within the initial detection area, and effectively eradicated the pest from Napa and Los Angeles counties.

LBAM is of particular concern because it can damage a wide range of crops and other plants including California’s prized cypress as well as redwoods, oaks and many other varieties commonly found in California’s urban and suburban landscaping, public parks and natural environment. The list of agricultural crops that could be damaged by this pest includes grapes, citrus, stone fruit (peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries, apricots) and many others. The complete “host list” contains well over 1,000 plant species and more than 250 fruits and vegetables..."

[OKthatsIT]

7. That moth has been in Hawaii for 100 yrs

and hasn't hurt any crops.

[mike_c]

8. that's the way it usually is with invasive species....

The asian clam and green crab all have natural habitats in which they are not damaging. Species can be introduced without being invasive, too. And then sometimes they are invasive.

[mike_c]

3. this is a real defeat for environmental responsibility....

The LBAM is an invasive species that REALLY needs to be eradicated before it gains a permanent foothold and does serious ecological damage. The control program would have been a model of environmentally responsible pest management, relying on biological control approved for organic farming applications. (the aerial spray is female LBAM mating pheromone, not an insecticidal toxin). If the LBAM manages to establish itself in the environmentally sensitive Bay Area there might never be another opportunity to use such a benign control method.

The people who fought this program were largely hysterical about aerial spraying over their neighborhoods-- many were apparently unable to distinguish between the greenest available IPM technology and the toxic campaigns used elsewhere (which might very well become the only resort left in this case if the LBAM isn't stopped).

[madeline_con]

4. I had no idea.

A kudzoo or Brazilizn pepper tree type situation's going on then.

Maybe handing out flyers explaining the spary would help. Or writing to the judge explaining same?

[mike_c]

5. the Cal Dept of Food and Ag has really bent over backward...

...to explain this program. The hysterics from some quarters have been pretty remarkable. Unfortunately, the pheromone mating disruption only works when the pheromone release is timed to coincide with the relatively brief window during spring when the adult moths are flying and seeking mates-- it works by confusing the males and making them unable to locate females. It doesn't even harm the moths-- just makes them horny and frustrated. But as I said, timing is everything and this particular timing also coincides with the peak spring allergy season, so some folks are attributing every sniffle, sneeze, and upper respiratory infection from the pilot program area to a government conspiracy to poison them with "chemicals."

Of course, the female moths themselves are already producing that same pheromone, so folks are breathing it anyway-- not that it would matter, since moth pheromone has no effect whatsoever on humans.

[Muttocracy]

6. a toast for IPM and thanks for explaining what was in the spray

it's an important distinction :toast: