Residents edgy after painted moth spray delays

By ALAN PERROTT

Stress levels are rising among West Auckland residents after two false starts to the spray campaign against the painted apple moth.

High winds and forecasts of further rain prevented spray runs on Saturday and Sunday which were to open the latest attempt to eradicate the Australian pest.

The twin-engined BK-117 helicopter needs seven hours of calm, dry conditions to drop the Btk pesticide over the 560ha spray zone accurately and the spray requires a further five hours without rain to be effective.

A decision on whether spraying would go ahead today was to be made at 4 am.

Kubi Witten-Hannah, chairman of the Community Advisory Committee - a residents advocacy group - said public meetings had failed to reassure worried residents and the delays were only making the situation worse.

"It's terribly unfortunate. I know of a number of people who were so worried they were going away for the days of the spraying. What do they do now?"

He said reassurances from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry over safety of the Btk spray were not satisfactory.

"When somebody tells you not to worry, it makes you worry. There are risks in everything, so MAF would do better to say there isn't a lot to worry about, but you can do x, y or z to protect yourself and if something does happen we will look after you."

Dr Ruth Frampton, leader of the MAF campaign, said new technology meant the spray could be delivered with pinpoint accuracy and claims of possible health effects of Btk had caused unnecessary concern.

Btk spray contains naturally occurring soil bacteria and was used effectively in Operation Ever Green, the $12 million eradication campaign against the white-spotted tussock moth which ran from 1996 to 1998 in east Auckland.

The new spray zone includes about 3000 West Auckland residential and industrial properties around the Whau River, its tributaries, and the Avondale peninsula.

But Dr John Clearwater, a senior scientist involved in Operation Ever Green, said this campaign was doomed to failure.

He said Operation Painted Apple Moth was preoccupied with attacking areas of bulk infestation while ignoring the smaller pockets.

"We never let the [white-spotted tussock moth] spread beyond the original infestation area, but [the painted apple moth] is now spread over most of the city. There's not the slightest chance of total eradication now."

Dr Frampton said the operation was based on advice from an advisory group of 20 scientists and was aimed at removing any threat posed by the moths while reducing the impact on the community.

She said the present campaign had a medium to high probability of success and did not rule out the possibility of more widespread spraying.

The moth was discovered in Glendene in May 1999.

nzherald.co.nz/environment