just read this on Beesource thought I might post it here also
Rcvd following from our beekeeper association. Texas beekeepers affected by Ike should watch out. You may be next.
Anyone with colonies in coastal Louisiana should read the following email RE aerial mosquito sparying starting at least 2 hours prior to sunset Friday, September 19th.
Nice the Department of Health and Hospitals gave just 24 hours notice!
If they would just spray after dark, I really wouldn't have a problem with the aerial spraying.
The following notification is from the Dept. of Health and Hospitals
regarding aerial applications of insecticides that may be harmful to bees.
----- Original Message -----
From: "BureauOfMedia&Communications BureauOfMedia&Communications"
<BureauOfMedia&[email protected]>
To: <BureauOfMedia&[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2008 4:37 PM
Subject: DHH News Release -
Mosquito Spraying to Start in Hurricane Storm Surge-Affected Louisiana
Parishes
Baton Rouge, LA – To reduce the threat of mosquito-borne disease in
flooded, coastal parishes, aerial spraying will begin on Friday, Sept.
19. The spraying will be similar to that which occurred following
hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Local parishes contacted the state to request aerial spraying. The
state's Department of Health and Hospitals, in accordance with its
pre-existing plan, then determined which parishes were eligible for
spraying. Once a determination had been made, the state contacted FEMA
and a mission assignment was given to the Department of Defense.
The first parishes to be sprayed will be Lafourche and Terrebonne on
Friday. Also on Friday, some parts of Grand Isle will be sprayed. On
Saturday, Plaquemines Parish and the Lafitte area of Jefferson, plus any
parts of Lafourche or Grand Isle not sprayed on Friday. On Sunday, St.
Mary and Iberia are scheduled to be sprayed.
Officials of parishes to be sprayed will be notified in advance as
information becomes available. The exact schedule for spraying will be
established based upon mosquito surveillance, human exposure and daily
weather.
Spraying will pose no threat to humans, animals or plants, but will be
significant enough to kill mosquitoes and filth flies, which pose a
potential health threat.
The spray, which could be compared to dropping liquid from a shot glass
over a football field, will in no way "rain" down on residents.
However, to remain completely free from interaction with the
insecticide, the general public may opt to stay indoors during the
operation or wear long sleeves and pants.
State and federal agencies are involved to ensure that public health
interests are fully considered. State agencies include the Louisiana
Department of Health and Hospitals in coordination with the Department
of Agriculture and Forestry. Federal agencies include the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Defense Northern
Command, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service.
This is considered a routine operation that has been conducted
successfully without incident before both in Louisiana and other areas
that have experienced excessive amounts of standing water.
The general public can expect to see large, gray, low-flying aircraft
(C-130s) flying at or above 150 feet above ground level during the
actual spraying application, and their sound will be fairly loud.
Weather permitting, flights will begin two hours prior to sunset (when
insects are most active) and end approximately two hours later. Each
C-130 aircraft is capable of spraying about 80,000 acres per day.
The insecticide to be sprayed, Naled (dibrom), is widely used in adult
mosquito control operations in Louisiana and has historical precedent
for use following mosquito emergency outbreaks. Insecticide formulations
are approved and registered by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
for mosquito control.
The timing of the application should minimize danger to bees. However,
beekeepers in the area should take appropriate measures to protect their
hives.
Spraying is necessary to prevent the possible spread of mosquito-borne
diseases such as West Nile virus and other encephalitis that pose a
threat to health and safety.
For more information, contact Jolie Adams at 225-342-4742.
-end-
Department of Health and Hospitals
Bureau of Media and Communications
Phone: 225-342-1532
Fax: 225-342-3738
E-mail: [email protected]
If you guys ever have to go through this, close your hives up and place tarps over them and wind breaks if you can.
Right after Katrina I heard they would be spraying in my area, then literally less than 5 minutes later I heard the plane over my house!!
These were bees at my house and when I went to check 'em 2 hives were doing 360's a classic sign of pesticide poisoning, yep, they spin.
I did not lose these hives nor any others but these two particular hives I lost numbers.
I soon after closed them and tarped overhead as the next day the planes zoomed in again, but this time I was ready.
...JP
Personally I think it is scary that they can just up and start spraying and THEN claim it does no harm...how will they know until years later....and then it's too late.....i know it is needed to keep down the insects that harm...but uhm if they would only stop to think of the FOOD on their tables perhaps they would think again on the spraying....but then again i doubt it....geez...thanks for the heads up i have a sister living in the hurricane area but in Houston...wonder if they will dothat area too???? gee and on the second poster...THANK YOU FOR THE WAY to avoid all this and how sad to see your precious buddies the bees suffering from MAN"S hands......i'm so sorry to hear that happened to you and to your baby girls....geez.....i know i'd have been in tears and anger combined......hope you pulled through it with the hives. and I SOOOO appreciate your advice on what to do!! This forum is amazing.....seems everyone has such vast knowledge and experience for i certainly wouldn't know what to do at all....i know there was a massive flood of the Ohio River back about 10 years and they came through thelocal NEIGHBORHOODS and sprayed, but i nor my daddy had bees at that time, but we were still leary of the effects on the children playing outside and the fruit on the trees and so forth, regardless if they said it wouldn't hurt any of that...but thanks for the heads up on how to combat that kind of INVASIVE behavior.....our poor precious bees, subject to so much, and yet offer so much to so many without any acknowledgement of their benefit to human kind and their HUNGER>>.sorry to rant but oh my this bothers me....donn't like the govt spraying anything over top of ME personally....but that is me....
THANKS AGAIN SO MUCH FOR THIS POST!!!!
sincerely,
atthelake22
Atthelake, the spraying is done to help people avoid getting things like malaria and west nile virus, in a situation like this, it is called for.
As long as we take precautions, have ample warning ahead of time, and the people doing the spraying are fanatical as to when (calm winds, clear out) and use a product that has the absolute least residual affect, we should make out ok.
If I had a choice in the matter I would 86 the spraying, but lives are at stake so the spraying will commence.
As for people in the Houston area I would guess they will be doing the same thing there.
...JP