Pesticide Spraying Rescheduled for Tonight

Because it rained last night, the Department of Health rescheduled the pesticide spraying to tonight. The city is saying it will start at 8:15pm and spray through 6am tomorrow, but adds that it won't spray Prospect Park until 12:30am, because there is a Celebrate Brooklyn concert happening at the bandshell. No one I spoke to could clarify the areas to be sprayed while the concert is taking place--will they be driving around Windsor Terrace, or the Botanic Garden, which are both fairly close to the bandshell?--so keep in mind if you're headed to the show, they might be spraying nearby.

While the city believes the risks of spraying pesticides to guard against the West Nile Virus are outweighed by the the potential benefits, others feel they are putting the public in more danger with exposure to the pesticides used. According to the Anvil 10+10 label (PDF), it's harmful if absorbed through skin, and is toxic to fish and other aquatic invertebrates, and to bees--which is terrible news for all our city's new beekeepers.

A reader asked about the spraying procedure, and noted concern for gardens. According to the Anvil literature (PDF), spraying is generally done from tanks mounted in trucks--so several feet off the ground--and "assuming a 300-foot swath width."

As for gardens, I checked in with Brooklyn's largest garden to see what they are doing. The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Director of Horticulture, Mark Fisher, tells us that they "do not have plans to make any extraordinary efforts due to the spraying."

If you're concerned about the city spraying pesticides, or would like more information or longer notice before sprayings, call 311 or contact your representatives.