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2008 spraying proposal for Light Brown Apple Moth in Bay Area
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*Update on Light Brown Apple Moth Spraying in Bay Area:*
Our sponsor, PANNA, has the best summary page of all the issues and links to USDA documents. See www.panna.org. Please keep posted on PANNA or PfSE’s website to keep apprised of a important updates and a future petition for legislative action.
The CDFA has recently announced that they will not be aerially spraying populated, non-rural areas where there is road access. Instead, they have proposed to release sterile male moths. However, CDFA stated that they still plan to spray the pheromones and inactive from trucks.
CDFA also stated that rural areas may still be aerially sprayed due to lack of road access. We are not clear on what this means and clarification on the sterile moth release alternative plan and CDFA’s proposal to aerially spray rural areas will likely be announced by end of July, 2008.
If aerially spraying, CDFA expects the spraying will continue monthly for 3-5 years or indefinitely until the moth is eradicated. The pesticides being used consist of three components: a moth pheromone (sex hormone) designed to confuse mating, several inert ingredients, and microscopic plastic capsules in which the pesticide formula is encased. The capsules break down over about 30 days, releasing the pesticide. The active ingredient (the pheromone) has not been tested for long- term human exposure risk; the inerts include unclassifiable carcinogens, dermal irritants, and substances that would be inhaled; the inhalation risk of the plastic capsules can risk lung scarring due to small size, 10-100um in diameter.
There has been controversy about the safety and necessity of the program. More than 600 reported health complaints from residents of Monterey and Santa Cruz followed the spraying there. The CDFA has stated that the moth has done no crop damage in CA although independent entomologists say that the LBAM have likely been here at least a decade. There are entomologists who disagree on how to control or eradicate the moth.
The United States Dept. of Agriculture/CDFA is pursuing eradication of the moth rather than least-toxic control, perhaps in part due to millions of dollars of funding available to the state agency, CDFA, from the Federal agency, USDA, only if “eradication” is the goal of the project, not just control. UC Santa Cruz botanist Dr. Daniel Harder released a report: Integrated Pest Management Practices (IPM) for the Light Brown Apple Moth in New Zealand: Implications for California, which reports that the apple moth is largely controlled by natural predators in NZ and recommends IPM best practices for CA, which include suspending spraying. The full report is available here. With its evidence that the moth does not do any significant harm to crops or wild plants in NZ and that no aerial pheromone spraying has been done there to control it, this report effectively contradicts the state's rationale for spraying.
State politicians such as Carol Midgen has opposed spraying over San Francisco and Marin Counties. Oakland, Albany, Berkeley and Fairfax city councils formally opposed the aerial spraying over their communities. East Bay Regional Park union workers opposed spraying.
An additional website for LBAM issues is:
http://lists.pesticidewatch.org/mailman/listinfo/nosprayeastbay.
If you want to get on the LBAM list serve for immediate updates and sign-on letter campaign: Nosprayeastbay@pesticidewatch.org and simply say please add me onto list serve.

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2008 spraying proposal for Light Brown Apple Moth in Bay Area
Home Background Pesticides Current Projects & Committees Environmental Hazards in Schools Press and News Releases Recipes for Safer Cleaning Recommended Businesses Environmental Topics Related Websites Donations Jobs Available Advisory Board	Update on Light Brown Apple Moth Spraying in Bay Area: Our sponsor, PANNA, has the best summary page of all the issues and links to USDA documents. See www.panna.org. Please keep posted on PANNA or PfSE’s website to keep apprised of a important updates and a future petition for legislative action. The CDFA has recently announced that they will not be aerially spraying populated, non-rural areas where there is road access. Instead, they have proposed to release sterile male moths. However, CDFA stated that they still plan to spray the pheromones and inactive from trucks. CDFA also stated that rural areas may still be aerially sprayed due to lack of road access. We are not clear on what this means and clarification on the sterile moth release alternative plan and CDFA’s proposal to aerially spray rural areas will likely be announced by end of July, 2008. If aerially spraying, CDFA expects the spraying will continue monthly for 3-5 years or indefinitely until the moth is eradicated. The pesticides being used consist of three components: a moth pheromone (sex hormone) designed to confuse mating, several inert ingredients, and microscopic plastic capsules in which the pesticide formula is encased. The capsules break down over about 30 days, releasing the pesticide. The active ingredient (the pheromone) has not been tested for long- term human exposure risk; the inerts include unclassifiable carcinogens, dermal irritants, and substances that would be inhaled; the inhalation risk of the plastic capsules can risk lung scarring due to small size, 10-100um in diameter. There has been controversy about the safety and necessity of the program. More than 600 reported health complaints from residents of Monterey and Santa Cruz followed the spraying there. The CDFA has stated that the moth has done no crop damage in CA although independent entomologists say that the LBAM have likely been here at least a decade. There are entomologists who disagree on how to control or eradicate the moth. The United States Dept. of Agriculture/CDFA is pursuing eradication of the moth rather than least-toxic control, perhaps in part due to millions of dollars of funding available to the state agency, CDFA, from the Federal agency, USDA, only if “eradication” is the goal of the project, not just control. UC Santa Cruz botanist Dr. Daniel Harder released a report: Integrated Pest Management Practices (IPM) for the Light Brown Apple Moth in New Zealand: Implications for California, which reports that the apple moth is largely controlled by natural predators in NZ and recommends IPM best practices for CA, which include suspending spraying. The full report is available here. With its evidence that the moth does not do any significant harm to crops or wild plants in NZ and that no aerial pheromone spraying has been done there to control it, this report effectively contradicts the state's rationale for spraying. State politicians such as Carol Midgen has opposed spraying over San Francisco and Marin Counties. Oakland, Albany, Berkeley and Fairfax city councils formally opposed the aerial spraying over their communities. East Bay Regional Park union workers opposed spraying. An additional website for LBAM issues is: http://lists.pesticidewatch.org/mailman/listinfo/nosprayeastbay. If you want to get on the LBAM list serve for immediate updates and sign-on letter campaign: Nosprayeastbay@pesticidewatch.org and simply say please add me onto list serve.
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