Moth spraying to resume, expand

 

---

State and federal authorities plan to resume aerial spraying to eradicate the light brown apple moth on June 1, and the area has been expanded to encompass San Lorenzo Valley, Zayante and northern Scotts Valley.

 

Last fall’s treatment area excluded SLV and Zayante. In Scotts Valley, the area reached only as far north as Greenwood Street, Janis Way and Sherman Drive.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture’s updated map extends to the northern city limit, includes the unincorporated Mission Springs neighborhood and covers SLV to a point just north of downtown Boulder Creek.

CDFA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture said they will spray the synthetic pheromone Checkmate LBAM-F at 30-day intervals to disrupt the moth’s mating cycle.
The announcement turned aside objections from citizen groups, Santa Cruz officials and others who claim hundreds of illnesses were caused by last year’s Checkmate spraying.

CDFA reported that it had consulted with the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and Department of Pesticide Regulation, and the result was “a consensus statement concluding that illnesses reported last year in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties were not likely to have been caused by pheromone treatments.”
Santa Cruz City Councilman Tony Madrigal has spearheaded a protest movement, and both the city and Santa Cruz County have filed lawsuits.

Stop The Spraying has collected more than 600 illness accounts from Santa Cruz and Monterey counties that it attributes to the spraying, according to the Web site www.lbamspray.com.

“It seems like the state learned nothing from the first rounds of spraying,” said Bonnie Keet of the California Alliance to Stop the Spray.

The moth, native to Australia, feeds on cypress, redwood and oak trees, as well as many crops. The CDFA has estimated that failure to eradicate it would cause $160 million to $640 million annually in crop losses.

At a glance
Maps of the new and old treatment areas can be viewed at the California Department of Food and Agriculture website .

To comment on this story, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , call 438-2500 or post a comment at www.pressbanner.com.