No opt-out scenario for property owners; cost recovery to be determined by council
BY JOHN CHICK Special to the VOICE
The impending gypsy moth invasion has Pelham locked and loaded for an aerial assault on the foliage-consuming critters. After more than a month of discussion, the Town announced last week it has given the go-ahead for an aerial spray program over 165 acres of public and private property in mid-May and early June.
Unlike previous plans by contractors Trees Unlimited and Zimmer Air, there will be no opting into or out of the program. If a private property has trees in a spray block zone, it is getting sprayed via helicopter flying at an altitude of 50-100 feet.
“With gypsy moths being designated a public nuisance at the most recent council meeting,” said Pelham’s Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald, “it gave authority to the Town to spray both public and private trees as required to control the infestation. Logistically it is not really possible for a property inside a spray block to not be sprayed during an aerial application.”
Mapping is underway now. Both properties inside and outside of the designated spray blocks will be notified by mail in the coming weeks.
Gypsy moths have proved a nuisance in Pelham for decades, especially in an area of Fonthill bordering Hillcrest Park north of Pancake Lane. This zone was also sprayed in 2018, but nearby resident Frank Feeley has been critical of the Town for what he sees is an inconsistent approach to the problem over the years. With the cost of this latest spray program to the Town reported to be $89,000, Feeley isn’t happy about the prospect of footing another bill after years of sporadically doing so.
“This has been going on for years. [They’ve] done bugger-all about it, and now you want us to pay the piper,” Feeley said over the weekend.
MacDonald told the Voice that the Town hasn’t yet decided about how the cost will be passed along to taxpayers.
“Staff is looking into the cost recovery options and will bring a report back to council with recommendations,” he said. “The report will likely be on the agenda for [the council meeting of] May 6.”
Trees Unlimited’s Paul Robertson has said that a perfect storm of factors is shaping up to make this spring’s gypsy moth scourge one of the worst in recent memory.
“All the indicators at the moment are showing that the infestation is going to be quite severe,” Robertson told the Voice in March, citing egg masses in a line from Pelham due west upwind to Six Nations.
The helicopters will spray a biological insecticide called Foray 48B, whose active ingredient is Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk). Widely accepted as non-toxic and environmentally safe, Btk is regularly found on unwashed vegetables. A 2012 study by the European Food Safety Authority stated that while there was data to support claims of low toxicity in Btk, it was insufficient to be deemed conclusive.
The Town is encouraging residents to learn more about the spray program at www.pelham.ca/gypsy-moth
