It appears South Carolina, in a rush to head off Zika, has exacerbated another problem. From Melissa Breyer on Treehugger.com:
Naled is a common insecticide that delivers death to mosquitoes on contact. It has been in use in the United States since 1959. Reportedly the chemical dissipates quickly enough that it is not a hazard to people. (So they say…)
For bees, it’s a different story. The neurotoxin does not discriminate between honey bees and mosquitoes; it is known to be highly toxic to the pollinators. Knowing this, with enough warning beekeepers often cover their hives before aerial spraying; conversely, many counties spray at night when honey bees are safer and not out foraging for pollen.
But without sufficient warning, the results of the recent spraying were disastrous. At Flowertown Bee Farm and Supply in Summerville, the inhabitants of 46 hives died on the spot, totaling some 2.5 million bees, writes Guarino. “Walking through the farm, one Summerville woman wrote on Facebook, was “like visiting a cemetery, pure sadness.”” There were many other losses as well.
The county claimed it gave good warning via newspaper and FB posting, and the beekeepers would have covered the hives if they’d known. It appears they need to work more closely with their agricultural community.
It’d be better if we have a vaccine for Zika, then we could skip the entire spraying activity. Until the next plague arrives.
