January 18, 2010 - We just were informed that Richmond, BC will be aerially sprayed with Foray 48B several times from April 15 to June 15 to eradicate a small infestation. 10 Euro-american gypsy moths were trapped, and seven egg masses recovered along one road. It's interesting how the same misleading language and alarming images are copied from one agency presentation to another for years. It appears this might be an overreaction - there could be a significantly smaller area subjected to ground spraying and a large number of traps set up to monitor and attenuate the remaining (if any) moths, but it's sure a heck of a lot easier just to dump spray all over the place (and expose thousands of people in the process).

July 28, 2009 -  No data yet on how many gypsy moths have been trapped yet in Washington state, but some serious "milk-carton" traps (that can hold up to 1500 moths) have been seen placed in downtown Seattle (near the Seattle Center) and at the south entrance to Discovery Park in Magnolia. The traps are in conjunction with one or more smaller traps at the same location. Why are these traps there, when the WSDA typically uses the smaller "delta" traps (that hold up to 20 moths)? We'll have to wait and see. No moths were trapped at these locations last year.

July 20, 2008 -  An interesting editorial about Btk and its effect on butterfly and moth populations can be read at http://www.earthfirstjournal.org/article.php?id=45. Note that Abbott Labs is listed in the article as a producer of Btk (as Foray 48 products) but they were superseded some time ago by Valent Bioscience.

March 28, 2008 -  63,000 acres in Charlotte, NC, will be aerially sprayed with Foray 48B several times in the next two weeks for an infestation of canker worm. The official pronouncements to calm peoples' fears follow the same tired script as in past sprayings:

(Information from http://www.safety28202.com/blog/2008/03/canker-worm-spray-safe-soon.html and your friendly city employees):

• [The spray] contains Bacillus thuringiensis which is commonly referred to as Bt. This material is a naturally occurring organism that is already present in our environment. At levels millions of times times less than during a spray, and none is ever inhaled. And they forgot to mention that the spray also contains a number of other substances, some of them harmful.
  
• In order to be effective, Bt must be ingested by the caterpillars. The specific enzymes necessary to activate Bt are only found in the digestive system of caterpillars. Other insects, birds and animals do not have the enzymes necessary to activate Bt in their digestive systems. Not really true - the toxic protein in the spray is demonstrably harmful to humans, as well as the Btk organism itself, which can grow in your intestines and nasal passages.
  
• Documented studies of Bt have found no adverse affect on humans, plants, water supplies or other organisms. We have links to several of these studies on our website. Yes, and we have many links here at No Spray Zone to studies that show there is serious cause for concern.
  
• Certified organic farmers use Bt to control leaf feeding caterpillars in their gardens and bee keepers use it to control wax moths in the bee hives.The pesticide Foray 48B was certified for organic crops by the EPA with no testing to ascertain it was safe for humans or other animals other than a few short-term studies done many years ago. And in farm sprayings, only a few workers are exposed, not tens of thousands as in urban areas. If you read the label, which you can find on our site, you'll see that farmworkers are told to stay out of the area during sprayings and wear protective gear.
  

 You can check our Pesticide, Bt, and Btk link on the nav bar (to the left) to get started in finding out the real truth, and read the article in the Journal of Pesticide Reform. And please view the New Zealand video which you can reach by a link on our home page.

June 21, 2007 -  Over 4600 apple moths, specifically Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM), have been trapped to date in California, with the majority in San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties. Other affected counties are Contra Costa (Oakley), Napa, Alameda, Mariposa and San Mateo. LBAM is similar in some ways to gypsy moth - the females do not fly and the mechanism of spread is often by human activity. Infestations of a variant of this moth in New Zealand (it is native to Australia) triggered massive aerial spraying with Foray 48B. You can get information about the New Zealand sprayings and the aftermath in this blog - please view the video which you can reach by a link on our home page.
Outside of infested nurseries (being sprayed with the deadly chlorpyrofos) the response so far in California has been ground spraying with Dipel 2XDF, another Btk-based spray similar to Foray 48B. No spreader/sticker adjuvant was used. Let's hope it worked.
You can get more information on the LBAM infestation by going to the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture information page, although their information on "Bt" is misleading and sadly out of date. To be more informed, you can see our Pesticide, Bt, and Btk Info link (to the left at the top of the page) and read the article in the Journal of Pesticide Reform.

May 1, 2007 -  Euro/American gypsy moth infestations in Britich Columbia, Canada, are being treated with various methods. Mass trapping is being tried in Sidney and Saltair (Ladysmith), while Foray 48B or Dipel 2XDF (both Btk-based pesticides) are being used on Saltspring Island and the Saanich area of Victoria (where protests by some residents caused the Ministry of Forests and Range to substitute Dipel for Foray 48B to protect their organic gardens, even though Dipel, while an older product and "approved for use on organic farms," has never gone through any testing to actually determine its safety) as well as Courtenay and Belmont Park(Colwood). This is Saltspring's second year of treatment, because last year's treatment with Dipel failed. Since the failure rate of both Dipel and Foray 48B is small but significant, no one can say from this one test whether Dipel is any less effective. The Ministry may not have used any spreader/sticker adjuvant such as Bond, which is normally used with Foray 48XG and Foray 48B ground sprays, and this may have contributed to the failure.
If you are interested in the safety of Btk-based sprays such as Foray 48B or Dipel, see the Pesticide, Bt, and Btk Info link to the left. For a discussion of safer, more effective methods of eliminating small gypsy moth infestations, see Natural Solutions.

April 8, 2007 -  Meanwhile, in Oregon, the detection of a single Asian gypsy moth has triggered a process that enivitably results in a square mile area being aerially sprayed three times in late April or early May with Foray 48B. As in Hamilton, New Zealand, where a similar spraying sent teachers to a hospital emergency room, little information has been provided to the  citizens in the spray zone about the potential dangers of the insecticide. The sprayed area includes a high school and a senior assisted living community. You can look at research on the dangers of Foray 48B by following the Pesticide Info link and read about past sprayings in this blog. There is also particularly relevant information about sprayings in New Zealand, especially in Hamilton (look on our home page and follow links to New Zealand).
As usual in cases such as St. Helens, there is no scientifically proven infestation of gypsy moths present - there isn't enough information to determine that. And, there is no basis to say that Asian gypsy moths are more likely to spread any faster than the Euro/American variety. No research has ever shown this, and some entomologists are privately skeptical about unproven claims that Asian moths will spread rapidly.
There is, however, a large body of research that indicates it is not prudent to expose people to airborne sprays of Btk organisms. Again, look at our pesticide info link, watch the NZ video news special on our home page, and read the article in the Journal of Pesticide Reform.
In addition, an area in Bend, Oregon will also be ground sprayed with Foray 48XG, a similar pesticide, for a small infestation of Euro/American gypsy moths.

December 20, 2006 -  A 25 acre zone in Kent, Washington will be ground sprayed with the pesticide Foray 48XG 3 times for gypsy moths in late April or early May 2007. The approximate boundaries of the proposed site are Willis St. on the south; Highway 167 (West Valley Freeway) on the east; an east-west line about 200 feet south of Meeker St. on the north; and the west side of the K-Mart parking lot on the west. Fortunately, no residences are located in this area. For more information on the peticide, and safer alternatives that could be used instead, see the links on the navigation bar to the left.

September 30, 2006 -  The gypsy moth trapping season has ended for 2006 in Washington, with notable catches in Kitsap County and in Kent. After trapping 8 Euro/American gypsy moths in the Crown Hill neighborhood of Seattle in 2005 (which was sprayed in 2002 aginst the wishes of many residents, see 2002 in this diary), the WSDA this year placed a very high density of moth traps (roughly 16/acre) in a 40 acre section of Crown Hill. The idea was to pinpoint the locus of the infestation, if there was any, as the Dept. of Agriculture was unable to locate any other life stages in 2005 despite a search. Some interesting trap placements were seen by residents:

Despite the extremely high density of traps, no moths were found in 2006. This can only mean that (1) the original population found in 2005 spontaneously died out before they could reproduce, or (2) the trapping in 2005, although a much lower density, was able to completely eradicate the population of male moths, killing off a potential infestation. This is the first time that Washington has applied a "mass trapping" technique (9 traps/acre is considered, by the USDA, dense enough to trap most male moths before they can find a female), and the results were inconclusive, since no moths were found. However, it is a good first step toward a reduction in spraying, if it is applied in other locations.

May 15, 2006 -  The next aerial spraying for the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle will be tomorrow morning, May 16, probably around 5:30 am. To protect yourself and your family from the spray, see this page .
This year, maybe because they missed last week's spraying window, or Northwest Helicopters needs more revenue, or the Department of Agriculture needs more money for matching grants from the USDA, the WSDA will be spraying more than the usual 3 times - there will be four sprayings of Capitol Hill.

March 16, 2006 - In 2005, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) aerially sprayed pesticide on two hundred acres in Kitsap County, Washington. Washington State law specifically prohibits aerial spraying over populated areas, unless an exemption (called an emergency declaration) is made by the Governor. No emergency declaration was made to exempt the WSDA from the law in 2004. Unless someone is watching closely, our government apparently feels it can break its own laws with impunity. You can read a legal opinion detailing the infraction here.

March 11, 2006 - No Spray Zone will be on the agenda at the next Greater Madison Valley Community Council meeting. The meeting will be March 15, 2006 at 7:30pm at Martin Luther King Elementary School, 3201 E. Republican St. in the portable classroom  on the grounds.  We will be summarizing information that was not presented by the WSDA  - information that they would rather not have you see. Get active and come to the meeting!

February 10, 2006 - The Washington State Dept. of Agriculture (WSDA) yesterday held an "open house" meeting at the Meany Middle School on Capitol Hill to explain to residents why they will be sprayed three times by helicopter with the pesticide Foray 48B. The WSDA could not explain why, after sending out letters and an email to households and businesses in the spray zone, only eight citizens showed up to ask questions. They certainly were prepared: approximately eighteen government employees, all on salary, were present, hailing from the WSDA (including the chief Public Information Officer), the State Dept. of Health, and the King County Dept. of Health.

Perhaps it is because they don't really want anyone to show up and ask questions. Ideally, their job would be easier if no one knew the helicopter was coming (which is the way it was before No Spray Zone). The letter that was sent out, and presumably the email, made no mention that

• the pesticide used would be Foray 48B, a mixture of a bacterial insecticide, insecticidal proteins, and unknown ingredients that will not be revealed, instead only identifying it as "Btk, a selective bacterial insecticide found naturally in the soil ... [and] toxic only to moths and butterflies...Btk has a proven safety record...and is commonly used by organic farmers."
• the spraying will be by helicopter and done three times.
• the spray has been shown to infiltrate buildings even if they are sealed and remains at high levels in the building air volume for at least twelve hours.
• the spray, despite assurances of the WSDA, has been shown in studies to drift up to a mile outside the spray zone and can be detected there at relatively high concentrations.
  
• the Btk bacteria will be present in the air at millions of times the natural concentration in soil.
• once inhaled or ingested, Btk can actually infect humans and in some cases can cause illness or immune system responses.
• the unknown ingredients in Foray 48B have also sickened people.
  
• some scientists are beginning to have doubts that Btk-based pesticides have been tested sufficiently to show they will not harm humans.
• the King County Health Department has recommended that "residents of spray areas, especially persons with compromised immune systems and persons with respiratory illness, take precautions to minimize their exposure to the spray."
• in New Zealand, sensitive individuals are relocated outside the spray areas.

February 9, 2006 - The Washington State Dept. of Agriculture (WSDA) will host an "open house" show to explain to residents of Capitol Hill in Seattle why they will be aerially sprayed with Foray 48B. Although the WSDA delivered "invitations" to those immediately in the spray zone, hundreds of residents and businesses that will be exposed to pesticide drift just outside the zone were not notified. The "open house" will be at the Meany Middle School (301 21st Ave. E.) No Spray Zone will be present with information about the WSDA and gypsy moth sprayings that you won't hear from the WSDA. We will also be showing a short film clip (see "Watch NZ television News Video" above) about one scientist's concern about the safety of Foray 48B sprayings.

January 20, 2006 - The Seattle Post-Intelligencer has printed an article about the upcoming spraying in Capitol Hill this Spring. The piece gives prominence to some important questions about the safety of the pesticide Foray 48B.

January 11, 2006 - The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) has announced they will spray 100 acres in the southern part of the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. The spraying will be done by helicopter, typically 3 times over a three week period in late April or early May. The pesticide used will be Foray 48B, which has a troubling record (see New Zealand links, above, and go to Pesticide, Bt and Btk Info on our navigation bar to the left).  Check this link for a map of the spray zone.
In addition, a 5.5 acre site in Bellevue, centered on the intersection of 176th Ave. NE and NE 13th St., will be ground sprayed, likely on a similar schedule as Capitol Hill.

December 8, 2005 - No Spray Zone, in keeping with its mission, takes on another task: to promote organic and sustainable agriculture in Washington state. An initiative called Biologically Intensive and Organic Agriculture (BIOAg - sounds like a Monsanto acronym but it is not) has had insufficient funding for several years. NSZ is teaming with Washington Toxics Coalition to urge the legislature to approve the full $2.4 million (0.008% of the total budget) allocation next year. This would make Washington the first state to explicitly support organic agriculture with specially trained extension agents, research farms, and degree programs in organic farming. See the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources web site for more info.

September 9, 2005 - In what could be a failure to eradicate an infestation of gypsy moth in 2002 (or a brand new infestation), 8 gypsy moths have been found in Crown Hill, Seattle. Crown Hill has already suffered ground spraying in 2002 for the same problem (see our newswire items below). Since then, new published research has demonstrated that mating disruption, a much safer technique, is actually more effective and cheaper than Foray 48B (or Foray 48XG), there is more anecdotal evidence of deleterious health effects from the Foray 48 pesticides, and some scientists have expressed fears that there are too many unanswered questions about Foray 48B and Foray 48XG to guarantee their safety to humans.

August 11, 2005-  In a massive overreaction to 7 serious cases of West Nile virus (WNV) this year, Sacramento, California today begins an aerial spraying program for mosquitoes carrying WNV, blanketing large areas of the city for three days with a synthetic pyrethroid spray, most likely permethrin.
Aerial spraying, which kills only adult mosquitoes, generally has much less effect on the mosquito population than simpler measures such as using less toxic pesticides on breeding areas and removing standing water.
The few cases of WNV should be put into context - for instance, how many people in Sacramento this year have been killed or injured by drunk drivers, illicit or even legal drug use, HIV infection or lack of adequate health insurance, and what kind of response have these threats to public health elicited? A particularly pertinent comment was made by a reader of the Sacramento Bee:

"Even the most cursory review of statewide death and disease records reveals that more people die of diarrhea in one month in California than will ever die of West Nile virus. However, reducing diarrhea deaths would involve cleaning up substandard nursing homes and day care centers, which is difficult. Spraying is easy, uses up funds which would otherwise be returned to the federal government*, and seeks to reconcile the public to measures unjustifiable in scientific terms by creating the illusion of an emergency..."
* This is a problem in Washington, too. If no spraying happens for gypsy moths, federal funds are lost to the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture.

May 4, 2005- Click here to see some photos and a short account of the ground spraying in Eastlake.

March 21, 2005- Some residents of the Eastlake area are resisting spraying for gypsy moths by refusing to give their consent to the Washington State Dept. of Agriculture (WSDA) for spraying pesticides on their property. The WSDA has been calling these residents and intimating that they will be in legal trouble with the state for this action. In reality, there is no law that makes it a crime to resist trespass. The only consequence is that the WSDA will have to obtain the permission of a judge to spray on these properties if homeowners refuse to cooperate. In 2002, a large percentage of Seattle's Crown Hill neighborhood refused to give their consent for spraying as a protest against the WSDA's methods. They nearly convinced a judge that there was no need to spray all of the area. See our News Archives.

December 21, 2004- The WSDA will be spraying two locations in Washington in 2005 with the pesticide Foray 48B and Foray 48XG in order to eradicate European/American gypsy moths. Sites are:
 

Eastlake neighborhood, Seattle	12 acres ground spraying Bounded by Boylston Ave. on the east, Eastlake Ave. on the west, Roanoke St. on the south,and and Edgar St. on the north (includes Seward/TOPS school grounds).
Evergreen Ridge housing development near Silverdale, Kitsap Co.	200 acres aerial spraying

The WSDA will spray at least 3 times, generally spaced one week apart at the end of April into early May. For information on the poison used in these sprayings please see Pesticide, Bt and Btk Info. Both ground spraying and aerial spraying can be devastating events - see our News Archives. If you are in or near these areas (the spray can drift for at least one mile outside the spray zones) please contact us for more information.

December 8, 2004- The Washington State Dept. of Agriculture (WSDA) has determined that no Asian-type gypsy moths were detected in this year's trapping. This means that it is less likely that massive aerial spraying will take place in Spring 2005; however, there will likely be ground spraying at some or all of the above sites, and there also may be aerial spraying in areas where the moth catches are widely dispersed.

December 6, 2004- The WSDA has released the final gypsy moth trapping figures for 2004. The major sites are listed above. These sites are all in danger of being sprayed in April/May of 2005. The extent of the spraying will be determined by genetic tests on the moths to identify them as Asian (spray one square mile aerially 3 times if even one is found) or European/American (mostly ground based spraying). The WSDA has not released the test results yet. Check our News Archives to see what has happened in the past.

June 24, 2004- The WSDA has received a permit to circumvent the Clean Water Act restrictions on spraying pesticides over water, including water that is habitat for endangered salmon and other delicate species. The WSDA has switched surfactants (an additive to make the pesticide stick more readily) from the more toxic type previously used, but there are still many questions about safety remaining. See the Pesticide, Bt, and Btk info in the navigation bar to the left.

May 17, 2004- The Washington State Dept. of Agriculture (WSDA) has applied for a permit to circumvent the Clean Water Act restrictions on spraying pesticides over water, including water that is habitat for endangered salmon and other delicate species. The comment period has closed and the state Department of Ecology is almost sure to grant the permit. Read our objections here.

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A Famous Entomologist Says Don't Spray!
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