West Nile Spraying

[triple7sss]

Ugh...  Last night the city rolled a truck through the neighborhood spraying mosquitoes to keep West Nile in check.  Hotter than hell and drier than Egypt all summer and hard to find a mosquito but there you have it.

I had just enough notice so that I could go out and put a tarp over my top bar hive where the ladies were bearded up outside the entrance enjoying a summer night.

My concern isn't so much about the direct effect of spraying since my hive is in the backyard some distance from the street but I don't know how much residual they will pick up and bring back.  Every flower, plant and shrub in a mile radius was probably sprayed and I wondered if anyone had any experience with the after effects of municipal spraying for mosquitoes.

[triple7sss]

Whoop....just read Intheswamp's post and the replies.  Think I'll check and see what chemical they were spreading and go from there.

[BlueBee]

Every flower, plant and shrub in a mile radius was probably sprayed and I wondered if anyone had any experience with the after effects of municipal spraying for mosquitoes.

Yet the mosquitoes will still survive! 

There have been a few caes of WNV in my area too.  The news nuts claim that the mosquitoes that carry west nile are more prevalent in these hot dry conditions than our normal nuisance mosquitoes which supposedly aren't carriers.  I've probably only been bit by a couple of mosquitoes this summer; about the only good thing I can say about this hot dry weather pattern.

[duck]

Usually malathion, breaks down within hours exposed to UV.  However, there are now malathion formulations with UV inhibitors available used on cotton for weevils.

[triple7sss]

Looks like they used something called Permethrin.... http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/PermGen.html

"Permethrin can affect insects if they eat it or touch it. Permethrin affects the nervous system in insects, causing muscle spasms, paralysis and death."

Hard to believe that in this hippy-dippy, new-age, organic-for-all town the city would go around pumping pesticide in the air.