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From: jbarnes@cci.bbn.com (James Barnes)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: pesticides & birds
Message-ID: <36385@bbn.COM>
Date: 24 Feb 89 13:44:21 GMT
References: <11752@ihlpa.ATT.COM> <10422@drutx.ATT.COM> <2368@bucsb.UUCP>
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In article <2368@bucsb.UUCP> boreas@bucsb.bu.edu (Michael A. Justice) writes:
>
>Does anyone know how effective BT is, in comparison to Malathion and the
>like??  What the relative costs are (in dollars, not environmentally)??
>Problems with its use??  (From what little I've heard, the stuff is just
>about ideal, environmentally speaking.)

I believe that BT is useful mostly against caterpiller types of pests.
I'm not sure that it would be effective against mosquitos.  In addition
I believe it is more expensive than the chemical pesticides.


>Also, how does one go about convincing blockheaded suburbanites that 
>dumping poison all over a town is not generally a good idea?

I could flame about this, but instead let me relate what happened a
few years ago in a suburban town northwest of Boston.

At the time, we were in the second year of the gypsy moth caterpiller
infestation.  These caterpillers are truly disgusting in appearance.
When the infestation is bad, they get all over everything, dropping
out of the trees into your hair, climbing up the sides of houses,
stripping leaves off trees (the forest in late June looked like
February), killing pines and evergreens.  Some people have allergic
reactions (hives, itching) when they come into contact with the
caterpillers.

Given all this, many people wanted to spray from the air to control
the infestation.  Many people objected for various reasons: environmental
and cost.  After many VERY heated arguments in special town meetings
a compromise was reached:  aerial spraying (I think it was Sevin, but
I don't remember) of pesticide was approved provided that anyone
who objected to having their property sprayed with the pesticide
could register with the town and their property would be omitted 
from the spraying campaign.

A little imagination will tell you what happened next.  The town
couldn't get any bids for the work.  Since each property owner could
choose whether to have their property sprayed, it was not feasible
to do aerial spraying.  (If 5 people on a block of 20 houses don't
want their lawns and trees sprayed, how do you do aerial spraying 
of the other 15?)  The spraying companies were afraid of the liability
problems.  In addition, a partial spraying campaign is not cost 
effective since the critters do have a habit of moving around.

In the end, nothing was done and the infestation ran its natural 
course.