Mar 7, 2008 9:38 pm US/Pacific
Study Questions Apple Moth Danger, Calif. Spraying
SANTA CRUZ (AP) ―
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Light Brown Apple Moth
University of Kentucky
An invasive moth that spurred state plans to spray San Francisco Bay area cities with a chemical may not be such a voracious pest, after all, a new study claims.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has said a light brown apple moth infestation is best contained by spraying a synthetic pheromone over San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland and other communities in August.
State officials believe the Australian species threatens more than 2,000 varieties of plants and crops.
The report released Thursday says the moth can likely be kept in check by natural predators, as it is in New Zealand, so it may not pose such a grave threat to California agriculture and native species.
Furthermore, the state should nix plans to spray the pheromone because the conditions aren't in place for a successful eradication campaign, said its author Daniel Harder, the executive director of the arboretum at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the state agency, said Friday officials were carefully evaluating the report but found it lacked hard data.
"Trying to speculate on damage in California based on impacts in New Zealand is like comparing apples and oranges," he said in a statement, adding that California lacks natural predators to the moth.
The state's efforts to fight the pest have stirred controversy since the aerial spraying began along the central coast last fall. Several hundred residents ultimately filed illness complaints, with many claiming they couldn't breathe and experienced shooting stomach pains.
Environmental groups are calling on officials to use sticky traps instead of sprays. The agriculture department says it plans to use pheromone-infused twist-ties in isolated areas, and has begun holding a series of public meetings in affected communities.
The state will accept public comments on a state environmental impact report on its plans until March 20, Lyle said.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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