Duck and Cover – Aerial Spraying Begins Soon

Pesticides will rain down on Richmond, El Cerrito, El Sobrante and West Contra Costa County towns all the way to Hercules starting this summer to combat the light brown apple moth, and residents aren’t thrilled.

Spraying of the pesticide, called Checkmate, will begin in August and could continue for five years. The eradication program uses pheromones to disrupt the mating cycle of the moths, with treatments planned at 30- to 90-day intervals while the moths are active, the Oakland Tribune reported Saturday.

Few long-term toxicity studies have been conducted on the pesticide, which will also be sprayed in San Francisco, Oakland, Piedmont, Albany, Berkeley and other cities. Last year, state officials in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties received hundreds of complaints from people who said they felt sick after pheromone spraying in their towns.

State Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, has called for a moratorium on the spraying until Checkmate can be proved safe. There’s a different way to do this: Twist ties are being placed on trees in some cities, for example.

What do you think about this? Is it a tempest in a teacup (or a mothball, or something)? Are you worried about getting sprayed against your will? Should they bag the aerial spraying and use twist ties or some other method instead? (Photo: otisarchives3).