DEP To Conduct Aerial Black Fly Suppression Along The Delaware

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will be conducting an aerial black fly suppression operation on Wednesday, July 10 along the Delaware River from Northampton County south to near Yardley in Bucks County.

A light grey Bell 206L3 helicopter with red and blue stripes and tail number N660HA will be conducting the operations. It is scheduled to take off at 8 a.m. from the Braden Air Park in Northampton County. DEP personnel will be on site at all landing zones managing the operation.

During the operation, Helicopter Applicators Inc. will be dispersing Vectobac 12AS, a valent biosciences. B.t.i. is short for Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, which is a bacterial larvicide, not a chemical, that kills the immature (larval) form of the black fly when they feed on it in the waterways. Vectobac 12AS is a thick brown liquid resembling chocolate milk and is not toxic to fish, or other aquatic macroinvertebrates found in the treated waterways. The material is only applied to the surface of the water and not sprayed.

The work does not involve a helicopter spraying over the entire county. The operation is targeted to portions of the Delaware River.

The helicopter will apply B.t.i. to the water at designated areas every few miles along the river. Application is done by first circling the area to look for people on the ground or obstructions in the air. Then, the helicopter will fly perpendicular to the water flow (whenever possible) and apply the B.t.i. material, which is a brown, viscous liquid with a fish oil odor directly to the water.