Mosquito Squad Is NOT Spraying Permethrin
Liv at Eating Up Greensboro has posted an inaccurate report that Mosquito Squad is spraying permethrin:
Permethrin is a blanket insecticide that kills our imperiled honey bees and every other beneficial insect in your yard, in addition to killing mosquitoes. It has also been shown to adversely affect birds and cats.
True enough, but a search of the Mosquito Squad website finds two references to permethrin for treatment against ticks, neither of which indicates spraying. Additionally, I investigated these chemicals last summer and found that pyrethrin, made from chrysanthemums, is safe for honeybees, cats and biodegrades in sunlight. I also spoke with the local franchisee who assured me they are only spraying pyrethrin.
This inaccurate reporting concerns me because these companies which are spraying pyrethrin are doing the community a great service as opposed to the spraying of DDT in the 50s. Such inaccuracies also threaten the livelihood of the franchisees. I have advised them to get out in front of this irresponsible falsehood before more unnecessary damage is done.
19:30: The proprietor of the blog is apparently not Liv of Greensboring. I think her blog is Nosh!. She’s not satisfied that pyrethrin is safe. I’m not prepared to get into that argument other than to say I’m not concerned about having it in my neighborhood.
Honest mistake ? Or agenda driven ?
Honest mistake.
Not I. I’m all for pesticides.
Sorry about the confusion.