2010 News

July 21, 2010

Pennsylvania DEP Officials to Conduct Black Fly Spraying Along Delaware River Basin on Thursday, July 22

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), as an ongoing public safety measure of its environmental treatment program, will conduct another black fly suppression operation on Thursday, July 22, 2010, beginning at 10 a.m. in Tatamy, PA. It will continue south throughout the day. Aerial spraying will be conducted in Northampton and Bucks Counties in Pennsylvania and Warren, Hunterdon, and Mercer Counties in New Jersey weather permitting.

Helicopter Applicators of Gettysburg, PA is the scheduled contractor. A blue and white Bell UH-1H helicopter with tail number N658HA will be used to treat the area. The chemical VECTOBAC 12AS, which will be applied to the waterways, is intended to reduce the numbers of adult black flies that hatch from the rivers and streams. This product is a brown, slightly sticky liquid with an odor resembling fish oil. The active ingredient in VECTOBAC is Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI) which is a naturally occurring soil bacterium and not a synthetic pesticide. A product label and MSDS are available upon request. VECTOBAC is applied perpendicular to the stream flow in multiple locations along the rivers and/or streams. The discharge comes from a boom arm attached to a large tank mounted underneath the helicopter.

Residents should be advised that several landing sites may be used during this operation. These sites may include: Braden Airpark, Forks Township, Northampton Co.; Riegelsville Borough Park, Riegelsville Borough, Bucks Co.; Delaware Valley Fire Co. Tinicum Twp., Bucks Co.; and Thorpe Farm, Upper Makefield Twp., Bucks Co. The Delaware River will be treated between Slateford, PA (Columbia, NJ) and Yardley, PA (Trenton, NJ).

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