2010 News

April 20, 2010

Pennsylvania DEP to Spray Bucks County Delaware River Basin for Black Flies on Wednesday, April 21: Helicopter to Take Flight between Slateford, Pa and Yardley, Pa

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, as a public-safety measure of its routine environmental treatment program, will conduct a black fly suppression operation on Wednesday, April 21, beginning at 10:00 a.m., in Portland, PA. The helicopter applicators will start in Northampton County and continue south and east throughout the day.

Residents of Bucks County’s Delaware River communities should be advised that helicopter pilots may use several landing sites during this operation, including the Riegelsville Borough Park, the Erwinna/Delaware Valley Fire Co. in Tinicum Township, and the Slack Road Farm in Upper Makefield Township.

The operation will include a gray (with green stripes) Bell 206-BIII helicopter with the tail number N302MG. Pilots will be applying VECTOBAC 12AS to waterways to reduce the numbers of adult black flies that hatch from the river and streams. The product is a brown, slightly sticky liquid with a fish-like odor. Its active ingredient is a naturally occurring soil bacterium and not a synthetic pesticide. It will be applied perpendicular to the stream flow in multiple locations along the rivers and streams by a low-flying helicopter. A product label is available upon request.

For additional information about black fly suppression, please visit the website www.depweb.state.pa.us/blackfly.