Poison spray programme due to start tomorrow night – beware!
On 29th April 2013 the EU voted to suspend the use of three neonicotinoid pesticides, clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam. The ban will be in place for two years from December 1st 2013.
The UK was one of the EU member states which voted against restricting neonicotinoid use. It claimed it had scientific evidence that a ban was not justified. Scientists have complained that the UK government’s research was seriously flawed, whereas arguments in favour of a ban were based on peer-reviewed research published in scientific journals.
On Hvar, there is regular spraying of streets against mosquitoes, although it is not clear if this has really reduced their numbers or virulence. The normal pattern when poisons are used is for the intended victims to build up resistance. So where one poison was sufficient control at first, the poisons have to be made stronger, often by mixing two or more together.
Warnings are given before the spraying: people with breathing problems should stay indoors and close all windows; beekeepers should shut their bees in their hives. The days and times for spraying are given, with the provviso that bad weather will cause postponement. However, last year the spray van came around Jelsa, Pitve and the surrounding villages a day earlier than advertised. The warnings are not well publicized. In the tourist season they are not posted prominently in public places, and they are only in Croatian anyway.
The substances used are not advertised with the warnings. However, the Croatian Beekeepers’ Association last year identified that on Hvar two poisons are used in combination,cypermethrinand permethrin. Both are pyrethroid insecticides. Contrary to reassurances that the chemicals used on Hvar are not toxic to warm-blooded animals, both inevitably have certain levels of toxicity, and permethrin can be fatal to cats.
The ban on the three neonicotinoids by the EU is a welcome move forward, but it is a very limited first step. Poisons, by definition, are harmful, and should be used with caution (preferably not at all). Natural alternatives could be much better used. How about cultivating mosquito-eating plants, such as sundews, bladderworts and march pitchers? If you suffer particularly from mosquito bites, there are natural mosquito repellants to be found in the plant world, not forgetting that taking vitamin B1 (some recommend B complex for the more general health benefits) can help minimize the effects.
This year the first street spraying on this side of Hvar starts tomorrow night, Monday June 10th, between 22:00 and 06:00 around Stari Grad and associated villages, with spraying around Jelsa and outlying areas on Tuesday June 11th, also between 22:00 and 06:00. As people do move around the island, these warnings should surely be given for the island as a whole, and advertised much more prominently through the available media. Just one of the many areas where the various local Councils should be working together for the general good.
