Apparently in South Carolina, a million dead bees are not enough. Fresh on the heels of the annihilation of millions of bees in Dorchester County, as a result of the Zika hysteria, Charleston County Mosquito Control is planning to conduct aerial spraying from Sept 7 – Sept 12 “on standing water.”
According to the county’s Facebook page, the spraying will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Posting a notice of their intentions to spray, county officials point out that they have been aerially spraying for years and that they will be notifying the public via email 24 hours in advance. The county also states that it will work with local beekeepers to notify them of any spraying coming up.
Mosquito Control representatives have stated that they are working on public education and have given presentations to beekeeper groups in the area and have stressed the importance of the beekeepers providing their information so it can be added to records. Interestingly enough, Mosquito Control uses Trumpet for most of its aerial “adulticiding.” Trumpet contains the active ingredient of Naled but is considered different because the product is water-based and not an oil.
As Wendell Forester noted about Naled (emphasis added):
And the description of NALED provided by the Pesticide Management Education Programme out of Cornell University has this to say about NALED:
Naled is moderately to highly toxic by ingestion, inhalation and dermal adsorption. Vapors or fumes of naled are corrosive to the mucous membranes lining the mouth, throat and lungs, and inhalation may cause severe irritation. A sensation of tightness in the chest and coughing are commonly experienced after inhalation. As with all organophosphates, naled is readily absorbed through the skin. Skin which has come in contact with this material should be washed immediately with soap and water and all contaminated clothing should be removed. Persons with respiratory ailments, recent exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors, impaired cholinesterase production, or with liver malfunction may be at increased risk from exposure to naled. High environmental temperatures or exposure of naled to visible or UV light may enhance its toxicity.
(This same profile warned that Naled is “highly toxic to bees.”) Fyfanon will be used when spraying in the McClellanville/Awendaw area.
County officials are saying that the spray that will be used in this operation is not the same as
the spray used in Dorchester County. They claim that the spray is not harmful to bees. But considering the fact that it contains the same major active ingredient of Naled, these claims are questionable at best.
And many Charleston County residents aren’t too happy with the idea of beingsprayed like bugs or in South Carolina’s case – bees.
Despite all the hype surrounding the Zika virus, much of which is unfounded and panic-driven, many Charleston County residents are clearly dissatisfied with the decision to spray a dangerous chemical that could endanger more bees, agriculture and human health.
We can only imagine how the bees must feel watching South Carolina officials prepare for the bee equivalent of the Dresden bombing.
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http://www.naturalblaze.com/2016/09/south-carolina-prepares-round-2-bee-killing-zika-spraying.html