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- Stamping Out the Light Brown Apple Moth
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- KQED
A tiny insect has communities across northern California up in arms -- is the apple moth a major threat to the ag industry, as the state attests, or has it been overhyped?
Most importantly, does it justify aerial spraying over residential areas of a largely-untested chemical?
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Piece Description
A tiny insect has communities across northern California up in arms -- is the apple moth a major threat to the ag industry, as the state attests, or has it been overhyped? Most importantly, does it justify aerial spraying over residential areas of a largely-untested chemical?
Broadcast History
Aired twice locally on KQED and KQEI during "B" segment of Morning edition, 3/7/08.
Transcript
The spraying is still several months away, but crews from the California Department of Food and Agriculture are already hard at work in the Bay Area. This week they descended on a quiet San Rafael street -- clamping small pink ribbons to bushes and trees.
These twist ties are dipped in a synthetic pheromone closely matching the natural pheromones that female apple moths release to attract males. Caroline Cox is an entomologist with the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland. She says pheromones which are basically scents are a lot safer for humans and the environment than traditional pesticides because they don't actually kill anything.
Act #1 " So The ide...
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Timing and Cues
SUGGESTED HOST INTRO: California agricultural officials have declared war against an Australian insect that has invaded the Bay Area and Central Coast. This summer state agricultural officials plan to begin aerial spraying over San Francisco, Marin, the Peninsula, and East Bay to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth. The plan has run into increasing opposition from several cities and residents who are concerned for their health. Rori Gallagher reports
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