Mosquito Control wants to spend $1.2 million for a new poison spray plane

[TooFarTampa]

OK I just read this entire thread and now see that the breast milk issue was discussed on pg 2. :roll:

This is a very interesting thread. I don't want Skunky to feel picked on because he has made many, many logical points. I do however believe that genetics affects the way our bodies process toxins and other outside influences. Science has come very very far (a big thank you to all of those with those $100K student loans) but not quite far enough. Genetics has to be the major reason some people get cancer and others don't.

My father in law was a lifelong heavy smoker and died of lung cancer and circulatory disease at age 63. My brother in law was a more moderate smoker and longtime bartender who died of lung cancer at age 39. 39! So he had the lung cancer gene (or whatever) and worked in smoky bars and didn't take great care of himself ... was this bound to happen because of his genetic makeup? I have to think so. I read a couple of years ago that in a decade or so we will be able to map everyone's genetic makeup and suggest a diet plan to maximize life span and health and minimize disease. That is the kind of thing I would pay big money for, especially for my kids.

That is if we have any food left. No one has mentioned the danger of the spraying to honeybees! Even the Walton County site acknowledges this. Honeybees are dying off across the country in alarming numbers. Fewer honeybees means major challenges to our food supply.

There has to be a better solution than all-out spray attacks.

 

[30A Skunkape]

Indigo Jill, you just hit a common sense grand slam :clap_1:

 

[30A Skunkape]

OK I just read this entire thread and now see that the breast milk issue was discussed on pg 2. :roll:

This is a very interesting thread. I don't want Skunky to feel picked on because he has made many, many logical points. I do however believe that genetics affects the way our bodies process toxins and other outside influences. Science has come very very far (a big thank you to all of those with those $100K student loans) but not quite far enough. Genetics has to be the major reason some people get cancer and others don't.

My father in law was a lifelong heavy smoker and died of lung cancer and circulatory disease at age 63. My brother in law was a more moderate smoker and longtime bartender who died of lung cancer at age 39. 39! So he had the lung cancer gene (or whatever) and worked in smoky bars and didn't take great care of himself ... was this bound to happen because of his genetic makeup? I have to think so. I read a couple of years ago that in a decade or so we will be able to map everyone's genetic makeup and suggest a diet plan to maximize life span and health and minimize disease. That is the kind of thing I would pay big money for, especially for my kids.

That is if we have any food left. No one has mentioned the danger of the spraying to honeybees! Even the Walton County site acknowledges this. Honeybees are dying off across the country in alarming numbers. Fewer honeybees means major challenges to our food supply.

There has to be a better solution than all-out spray attacks.

Yes, genetics are a well known if not totally understood risk factor. In some cancers it is obvious, such as breast cancer and familial polyposis. Many cancers appear to develop secondary to a defect in apoptosis, and this seems to have a genetic etiology. But considering genetics as a science is still in its infancy (Watson and Crick described the DNA double helix in the 1950s!) there is no doubt we have much more to learn.

I discussed the bee issue with a PhD'd entomologist and he flat out stated they have no idea what is going on with the bees. It is a potential catastrophe

 

[florida girl]

I discussed the bee issue with a PhD'd entomologist and he flat out stated they have no idea what is going on with the bees. It is a potential catastrophe

I heard a news report suggesting cell phones

 

[organicmama]

We now enjoy a relatively minuscule number of insect pests considering what they were, don?t knock what the Mosquito Control has already accomplished. We need to obtain a healthy balance. If the astute posters on this board have a better way, come together and bring it forward. We should be aiming for the same end result, to be able to live in South Walton safely. Extreme left wing groups also banned the pesticides used to control bedbugs, and now we have a problem. I don?t hear any of you not wanting to control them, or roaches, fleas, or any other pest. To single out one pest not to control is ridiculous.

Flat out ITA. I want a better way. If we just end the spraying without better answers overall, we are throwing things out of balance AGAIN. If we work to find answers together, as a whole, not as two extremes, then we are more likely to find the right answers AND be able to apply them better. Our community as a whole will benefit and we can set the example to others that through using the minds of those with varying opinions together is far more useful than mud-slinging and pointing fingers.

BTW, I use EarthQuest for my pest contol at home and I am very satisfied with it in regards to the other pests.

 

[organicmama]

You make a lot of sense organicmama. :clap_1:

Would I live in Florida without pesticides? Heck no. If you want to see SoWal real estate values drop even farther, then by all means ban the bug man. :funn: (or woman)

But I am also convinced that the storage of pesticides in our bodies is contributing to some long term medical problems. I'd be shocked if cancer weren't one of them and would not be surprised to see autism on that list. Think of the things we're seeing more of: autism, asthma, lymphoma. Why is that? And you can't tell me that it's all because the diagnostic process has greatly improved.

This is a tangent but I am currently on Weight Watchers. I'm a nursing mom and have read that I shouldn't lose more than about a pound a week because as fat breaks up, the pesticides that have been stored in it it go through the body and into the breastmilk. :shock: TMI, probably, but very interesting. How can we, in this day and age of food recalls, not want to know more about where our food comes from and what is going into our bodies?

Just as medicine has made some amazing progress using targeted therapies (often using synthetic versions of crunched up beetles or tree bark or whatever :roll: ) pesticide use should absolutely be targeted. We do just fine here in Tampa without an airplane spraying cr*p all over us. It was a BIG controversy awhile back when they were spraying malathion for fruit flies. That was 8-10 years ago and the spraying did not last very long. I can't imagine why airplanes spraying for mosquitos is necessary, even with such a large amount of undeveloped land. It seems to me that $1.2 million on the plane could be better spent on some more employees and trucks to hand- or hose-spray where it is needed. It's the way it works in our county. Can anyone tell me why they don't do that instead?

Nursing mom here too and ITA! Now, if I could wave my magic wand and suddenly loose those extra __ pounds, I'd be a happy woman! But I know that I can't detox in any form right now!

 

[Mango]

]Important: Please READ[/B]
Spent a half hour typing a post and then lost it, so here goes again. :roll:

I just spent about 45 minutes on the phone with
Dr. Jim Cilek of Florida ANM University in Panama City Beach, Professor of Entomology and he specifically has intensive experience with the Dog Fly Program in Research. The Dog Fly program consults to the State of Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services, but is NOT a part or division of such. The State is responsible for the spraying.
Dr. Cilek was quite informative and a real gentleman, and understood our concerns. He is also quoted as a reference in a previous link I posted, and I didn't realize it until after I spoke to him.

This is the information I garnered regarding the rationale for aerial spraying, where dog flies originate, what is being done, and what you can do in your surroundings.

For starters, according to Dr. Cilek, dog flies are extremely difficult to track as far as where they are originating from. It is known that they are originating from dairy and cattle farmers in Northern Florida, parts of Alabama, and possibly as far as Georgia. The dog flies are carried in by cold fronts on northerly winds. The more cold fronts, the more flies.
Where they wind up (hot pockets) depends on the winds.

It is also unclear whether when they come over the bay if they are flying over trees, how high they can get, etc. Therefore, trying to stop them before they reach the beaches with other methods is highly difficult.

Aerial spraying is not done on a calendar schedule. It is done based on reports from daily inspections of the beaches. This is done by inspectors with long pants on and time how many flies land on them within a given period, and if it exceeds 5, which is considered a nusiance, aerial spraying is suggested. There may be not be any spraying one season, and some the next season dependent on how many cold fronts and flies survive to the beach.

You may ask why not try to stop the flies at the source? I asked this question, and according to Dr. Cilek, dog flies bite cows on the lower limbs. It is difficult without applying toxic chemicals to the cow to do this.
Further, there is something available to farmers which is inserted in the cow, but the cost is expensive, lasts 3-4 months only (some do however) and farmers really have no motivation short of their cow hands or milkers complaining of bites or inspectors citing them.

Regarding the aerial spraying, Dr. Cilek says based on the research and dog fly population now compared to many years ago, that the amount of spray used is negligible, as well as studies conducted on what is a safe amount. Spraying if needed based on the amounts determined to be a nusiance is done between 10 am-12 pm according to wind currents.

(People I am just stating what was told to me, so don't shoot the messenger)

I do want to point out though that Dr. Cilek is also involved in research in using alternative methods. He has studied solar panel electrocution traps, there may be a research study in St. Andrews Park with adhesive panels, and he also discovered that the beach ball trap can be effective in your own yards and surrounding in controlling populations.
However, none of these traps and alternatives will control the population of dog flies to the extent needed due to the above stated (wind and where they are coming from can not not be pre-determined.)

I will post below how to use a beach ball as a trap for dog flies here and on a separate thread.

As far as the traps I see in New Jersey, Dr. Cilek explained those are for green flies, not dog flies (so apologies for my error)

Dr. Cilek may come on here and post information, I hope he does, makes corrections or adds to my post, but if anyone has any further questions, he welcomes them, and has given me permission to post his
e-mail address.

cilek_J@popmail.firn.edu

You can also view information about dog flies and research at
http://www.pherec.org
specifically ENT guides.

____________________________________________________________
Beach Ball Dog Fly Traps

Dog flies like other insects can not see colors, so a red, white and blue beach ball will attract more flies due to variations in shades which flies are attracted to. Coat the beach ball with tanglefoot adhesive (can be purchased at Ace Hardware)
It's best to hang on a tree limb or tethered somewhere higher up, and make sure that has the ability to swing somewhat. Dr. Cilek believes the flies ae also attracted to the shimmer.

 

[organicmama]

Awesome info! Thank you! :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1:

Does anyone know on average how many times a year they have sprayed for dog flies?

]Important: Please READ[/b]
Spent a half hour typing a post and then lost it, so here goes again. :roll:

I just spent about 45 minutes on the phone with
Dr. Jim Cilek of Florida ANM University in Panama City Beach, Professor of Entomology and he specifically has intensive experience with the Dog Fly Program in Research. The Dog Fly program consults to the State of Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services, but is NOT a part or division of such. The State is responsible for the spraying.
Dr. Cilek was quite informative and a real gentleman, and understood our concerns. He is also quoted as a reference in a previous link I posted, and I didn't realize it until after I spoke to him.

This is the information I garnered regarding the rationale for aerial spraying, where dog flies originate, what is being done, and what you can do in your surroundings.

For starters, according to Dr. Cilek, dog flies are extremely difficult to track as far as where they are originating from. It is known that they are originating from dairy and cattle farmers in Northern Florida, parts of Alabama, and possibly as far as Georgia. The dog flies are carried in by cold fronts on northerly winds. The more cold fronts, the more flies.
Where they wind up (hot pockets) depends on the winds.

It is also unclear whether when they come over the bay if they are flying over trees, how high they can get, etc. Therefore, trying to stop them before they reach the beaches with other methods is highly difficult.

Aerial spraying is not done on a calendar schedule. It is done based on reports from daily inspections of the beaches. This is done by inspectors with long pants on and time how many flies land on them within a given period, and if it exceeds 5, which is considered a nusiance, aerial spraying is suggested. There may be not be any spraying one season, and some the next season dependent on how many cold fronts and flies survive to the beach.

You may ask why not try to stop the flies at the source? I asked this question, and according to Dr. Cilek, dog flies bite cows on the lower limbs. It is difficult without applying toxic chemicals to the cow to do this.
Further, there is something available to farmers which is inserted in the cow, but the cost is expensive, lasts 3-4 months only (some do however) and farmers really have no motivation short of their cow hands or milkers complaining of bites or inspectors citing them.

Regarding the aerial spraying, Dr. Cilek says based on the research and dog fly population now compared to many years ago, that the amount of spray used is negligible, as well as studies conducted on what is a safe amount. Spraying if needed based on the amounts determined to be a nusiance is done between 10 am-12 pm according to wind currents.

(People I am just stating what was told to me, so don't shoot the messenger)

I do want to point out though that Dr. Cilek is also involved in research in using alternative methods. He has studied solar panel electrocution traps, there may be a research study in St. Andrews Park with adhesive panels, and he also discovered that the beach ball trap can be effective in your own yards and surrounding in controlling populations.
However, none of these traps and alternatives will control the population of dog flies to the extent needed due to the above stated (wind and where they are coming from can not not be pre-determined.)

I will post below how to use a beach ball as a trap for dog flies here and on a separate thread.

As far as the traps I see in New Jersey, Dr. Cilek explained those are for green flies, not dog flies (so apologies for my error)

Dr. Cilek may come on here and post information, I hope he does, makes corrections or adds to my post, but if anyone has any further questions, he welcomes them, and has given me permission to post his
e-mail address.

cilek_J@popmail.firn.edu

You can also view information about dog flies and research at
http://www.pherec.org
specifically ENT guides.

____________________________________________________________
Beach Ball Dog Fly Traps

Dog flies like other insects can not see colors, so a red, white and blue beach ball will attract more flies due to variations in shades which flies are attracted to. Coat the beach ball with tanglefoot adhesive (can be purchased at Ace Hardware)
It's best to hang on a tree limb or tethered somewhere higher up, and make sure that has the ability to swing somewhat. Dr. Cilek believes the flies ae also attracted to the shimmer.

 

[scooterbug44]

You can't go wrong w/ fewer chemicals and the least amount of messing w/ mother nature.

If fewer skeeters is the desired goal, is a new plane the best solution from both a monetary and environmental standpoint?

I'd worry more about all of the chemicals in your home and on/in your food before I'd blame mosquito spraying for a bunch of diseases.

Too much TV is probably doing as much mental and physical damage to people as skeeter spraying!

 

[Mango]

Awesome info! Thank you! :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1: :clap_1:

Does anyone know on average how many times a year they have sprayed for dog flies?

I have no idea the average spraying over the course of say 10 years.
I suppose that is a question maybe Mr. Cilek could address or the State probably more so.

After learning all I have, and reading Mr. Cilek's information, it seems to me that the best approach if someone were to address the situation with Christ's office would be to ask for more stringent dog fly control of farmers , as well as trying to control the population within your own surroundings in Sowal as owners.
So there is something residents and owners can do on their own as well and it's a beach ball. ;-)

Just be careful not to get stuck to it, and pleez.............................
save me the white meat. :funn: