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From: jimiii@mips.COM (Jim Warford)
Newsgroups: rec.birds,sci.environment
Subject: Re: pesticides & birds
Keywords: does mosquito spraying harm birds?
Message-ID: <13537@electron.mips.COM>
Date: 18 Feb 89 22:04:41 GMT
References: <11752@ihlpa.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: jimiii@mips.COM (Jim Warford)
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 29

In article <11752@ihlpa.ATT.COM> harolds1@ihlpa.ATT.COM (Schessler) writes:
>Dear Net:
>
>I'm looking for information about the effects of
>community mosquito spraying on birds. Our township
>will begin an "abatement program" this year.
>They will be using Illinois state-approved chemicals
>(Malathion, ????) and want to spray from the air.
>
 I know that about 8 years ago when they had the great Med Fly wars here in 
the Bay Area I did not see as many birds for quite some time.  I could think
of two possible reasons for this.
 1. The malathion was toxic to the birds when ingested on seeds, bugs etc.
 2. The malathion not only killed the Med Flies but most of the other bugs
    in the area and and all of the bug eating birds left the area.

 I don't think that the bird population has ever reattained the levels which
were present before the great med fly war.  This is only a personal opinion
however.
 I don't know whether malathion is toxic to birds or not, but anything that
will leave discolored spots on a car if not washed off within 24 hours can't
be all that good for any living thing!
 I would think that spraying for mosquitos would drive away the natural 
predators (swallows etc.) and the problem would come back even worse in a
very short time.

-- Good luck with stopping the spraying
-- jimiii@mips.com