Perkiomen Creek, Portions Of Schuylkill River To Be Sprayed For Black Flies

LOWER PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP, PA — Portions of the Perkiomen Creek and Schuylkill River are being sprayed from a helicopter on Tuesday as officials work to suppress the black fly population in the region.

It's the latest such operation put together by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Subscribe

Work will run from the confluence of Perkiomen Creek with the Schuylkill in Oaks, and move upstream to Spring Mountain in Schwenksville.

A Bell 206 Longranger chopper, with tail number N53702, began the work at 8 a.m. It could continue throughout the day.

The chopper will be dispersing a product called Vectobac 12AS, which contains, Bti, or Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis. The bacterial larvicide is classified as non-toxic to humans, fish, and river quality by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.