For some time, an impressive collection of some of the city's top restaurateurs, organic farmers and others has been calling for the city and county to shift how it deals with the threat of mosquitoes.
This morning, Jennifer Land, on behalf of Concerned Citizens for Safer Mosquito Control, delivered a letter to the city council calling for the city to focus on killing mosquito larvae, not on the adult mosquito population.
"We are all impacted by the serious public health threat of West Nile (virus). We are also all impacted by the effects of mosquito abatement programs," Land said.
Dallas' mosquito control has involved truck and aerial spraying of pesticides that kill adult mosquitoes.
Truck and aerial application of Bti larvicide would have a lower impact on gardens, crops and beneficial insects such as bees than the pesticides currently being sprayed, Land said.
"Larvicide is not only the safe way to control mosquitoes but also the safer way," Land said.
A letter the group delivered spells out the conclusions they wanted to share with the council.
Unlike adulticides, Bti larvicide is not only more effective at breaking the mosquito life cycle, but it also has shown no signs of insect resistance, poses negligible human health risks, does not harm beneficial insects and is so low impact it can be placed in its dunk form in a dog water bowl. In contrast to the low risk of non-chemical larvicide, a growing body of evidence continues to demonstrate the neurotoxic effects of adulticide pesticides-particularly to children.
Read the whole letter.
Open Letter Business Community Leaders Safe Effective Mosquito Abatement 2013
This morning, Jennifer Land, on behalf of Concerned Citizens for Safer Mosquito Control, delivered a letter to the city council calling for the city to focus on killing mosquito larvae, not on the adult mosquito population.
"We are all impacted by the serious public health threat of West Nile (virus). We are also all impacted by the effects of mosquito abatement programs," Land said.
Dallas' mosquito control has involved truck and aerial spraying of pesticides that kill adult mosquitoes.
Truck and aerial application of Bti larvicide would have a lower impact on gardens, crops and beneficial insects such as bees than the pesticides currently being sprayed, Land said.
"Larvicide is not only the safe way to control mosquitoes but also the safer way," Land said.
A letter the group delivered spells out the conclusions they wanted to share with the council.
Unlike adulticides, Bti larvicide is not only more effective at breaking the mosquito life cycle, but it also has shown no signs of insect resistance, poses negligible human health risks, does not harm beneficial insects and is so low impact it can be placed in its dunk form in a dog water bowl. In contrast to the low risk of non-chemical larvicide, a growing body of evidence continues to demonstrate the neurotoxic effects of adulticide pesticides-particularly to children.
Read the whole letter.
Open Letter Business Community Leaders Safe Effective Mosquito Abatement 2013