dimondites

The State announced plans to eradicate a potential moth problem by spraying pesticide over San Francisco, Marin and the East Bay, starting as early as June, 2008.  This process will take five years to complete.

Only once has this pesticide been used in a populated environment.  600 people from Monterey and Santa Cruz have filed complaints of allergic reactions during and immediately after exposure in September-December. [SFgate.com]

The spraying is a preventative measure to avoid a potential agricultural disaster, not an actual extermination of an existing problem. I actually agree with this strategy.  

Invasion of the Brown Apple Moth can be so devastating, it has been described to be like cancer - it can silently invade, spread, metastasize, then kill. By the time you realize you have a problem, it’s either too late or close to it. If left ignored, the problem can result in damages in the range of $133 million.

California, especially the Bay Area, is at high risk because these darn things like to dwell in oak, willow, walnut, poplar, cottonwood alder and pine trees. Guess what? The first moth was discovered in Alameda County. Nice.

The trees are not the main concern, by the way.  The larvae will eat anything. Name it, they’ll devour it. Do these larvae favorites sound familiar to you? Alder, alfalfa, apple, apricot, avocado, beans, caneberries (blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, raspberry), cabbage, camellia, chrysanthemum, citrus, clover, cole crops, eucalyptus, grape, jasmine, kiwifruit, peach, pear, persimmon, plantain, pumpkin, strawberry, tomato, rose and zea mays (corn). [UC Davis Department of Entomology]

Because I agree with the strategy does not mean I agree with the action. Preventing this moth infestation is the right thing to do. However, the lack of research to validate the pesticide’s effect on human is a real concern. Seriously, we’ve managed to walk on the moon (years and years ago), but we can’t manage to study a pesticide’s health risk before we spray it on people? Lots and lots of people? It’s a bit ridiculous.

A bit off topic, but I can’t help mentioning. Guess why they’re having real trouble identifying these moths? Apparently many of our entomologists have retired or died, and there is a lack of trained experts to replace them. Now, that is just sad. 

Does the thought of a forced pesticide shower bother you? Well, you can voice your opinion by signing a petition to ‘stop fumigation of citizens without their consent’ at the Care2 Petition Site.