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Apple Moth Debate Centers on Threats to Agriculture and Individuals
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Apple Moth Debate Centers on Threats to Agriculture and Individuals
By Linda Fridy
Mid-county residents continue to watch the ping-pong game of legal challenges against planned aerial pheromone spraying. The spraying is currently slated to begin locally on Nov. 4 and will likely continue next spring.
The debate pits individual and agricultural interests against each other regarding the danger posed by the light brown apple moth. California agricultural officials believe that the moth could do millions of dollars in damage to area crops if left unchecked.
While Santa Cruz County is the epicenter of the moth invasion, state regulators decided to attack the perimeters first, having already executed one aerial spraying program in Monterey.
The second spraying was temporarily blocked by a Monterey County judge after one group claimed the first spraying caused people to become ill. That group, Helping Our Peninsula’s Environment (HOPE), has also challenged the state’s decision to go forward without a full environmental impact report (EIR). However, the judge recanted after reviewing information produced by the manufacturer of the pheromone.
A split Santa Cruz City Council voted to fight the spraying in court as well. City attorneys think the state has not met the required criteria for an emergency.
County supervisors opted to condemn the state’s action publically.
Many Residents Protest Spraying
At the center of the debate is the necessity and safety of spraying Checkmate LBAM-F over a 41.5-square-mile area including Aptos, Soquel, Capitola, Live Oak and Santa Cruz. The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) plans to spray for six nights starting Nov. 4.
Crowds of concerned citizens have filled information meetings and started campaigns asking Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to halt the spraying.
More than 80 percent of light brown apple moths captured statewide were found in Santa Cruz County. The CDFA insists that the pheromone is safe and will simply upset the mating cycle of the moth.
Officials worry that the pest, a native of Australia, could decimate leading county crops, including apples and strawberries.
The United States Department of Agriculture estimates damage to crop production could reach $160 million to $640 million annually in currently infested counties, including Santa Cruz.
More immediately, if the state does not take action the federal government can and likely will quarantine state plants and produce, said Dave Cavanaugh, head of the county Farm Bureau’s apple moth task force.
He noted that Canada has already banned certain vegetables including cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts from California because of apple moth fears. Mexico has similar blocks in place.
Cavanaugh said that federal quarantine laws have pushed farmers and the CDFA into a difficult position.
“It’s a nightmare,” he said. “The good news is that (the state) has chosen a pheromone instead of a more obnoxious chemical, if there is any good news.”
What’s the Worry?
The light brown apple moth and its eradication both raise concerns that their impact may not be apparent until the damage is done.
Since the moth is not native to North America, it has no predators here. It lays eggs on smooth, broad leaves, which can damage ornamental plants.
Nurseries must spray a harsher chemical, chlorpyrifos, if moths are found in their plants, said Cavanaugh. His business, Cavanaugh Color, has been moth-free so far.
Native plants, including cypress and redwood trees, are also on the “host list” and could be severely damaged by a moth infestation, according to the CDFA.
The larger agricultural concern is for fruit. The larvae can feed on everything from apples to berries and grapes and most stone fruit.
Pheromone traps have been widely used to control the pest in its native Australia, but the widespread aerial spraying is an untried solution. The state considered using pheromone-infused twist-tie to apply the substance, but could not get enough manufactured before the moth could spread.
Residents worry about unknown effects of spraying, as well as the length of the program, which could go on for several years depending on how many moths are caught in tracking traps after the spraying.
The pheromone itself is non-toxic, but many people express concern about the chemicals with which it is combined in the spray formula. Those ingredients have been made public, and some of them list negative side effects, especially for those with asthma and chemical sensitivity.
Schools Playing It Safe
Some of the most outspoken local critics of the spraying are parents, and area school districts are doing what they can to minimize both exposure and loss of attendance income.
“We have heard from a small number of parents that they are intending to leave town for the spraying,” said Kathleen Howard, superintendent of Soquel Union Elementary School District.
For those families planning to be away for the entire week, the district is encouraging them to register for an independent study contract. If they don’t, or miss fewer than five days, the school loses money for every day a child is not in school, said Howard.
David Paine, superintendent for Live Oak schools, has not heard yet from concerned parents, but he decided to take the initiative and outlined the district’s cleanup plans in a letter to parents.
“We thought it would be good to be proactive,” Paine said.
His schools plan to hose down all outdoor tables and play structures each morning during spraying, as well as being especially vigilant in reminding students to wash their hands before eating.
Howard liked the idea so much she adopted the plan as well. “It just seems prudent,” she said. “We haven’t been told by anyone that we should do that.”
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