State Will Repeat Spraying of Pesticide

Because rain washed off some of the bacterial pesticide sprayed by a helicopter last Saturday on a small part of Encino, officials overseeing the state’s effort to combat gypsy moths have scheduled another aerial spray Saturday.

About a fourth of the pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis was washed off leaves in the hillside residential area near Royal Oak and Skytop roads, said Gera Curry, spokeswoman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

The department’s plan to eradicate the leaf-eating pests is based on having the moth larvae ingest the residue on the leaves and dying as the bacteria paralyze their digestive systems.

After this Saturday’s dawn spraying, which will be postponed if rainy weather returns, the state plans to spray the 40-acre area from the air three more times in applications two weeks apart, Curry said.

Dimilin, a chemical pesticide, was applied from the ground on several properties in the spraying area last Thursday and is scheduled for another application April 2, barring rain.

Neither pesticide is harmful to humans or pets, and the state will give residents advance notice of the sprayings, Curry said.