How to Opt Out from Mosquito Control Spraying

Adulticiding is a chemical control method used to control mosquitoes at high mosquito densities or to suppress mosquito-borne disease (arbovirus) threats. This approach may involve the use of highly specialized truck-mounted equipment to target treatments to selected areas.

The boundary of the excluded property must be marked with white plastic or aluminum pie plates, a minimum of 9 inches in diameter, with the words “No Spray” clearly written in permanent marker. Plates must be placed on trees, stakes, or poles that are easily visible from the street, at least every 50 feet along the property boundary adjacent to the road, and no more than 5 feet from the road.

Exclusions from Wide Area Pesticides Application (Mosquito Spraying)

Central Mass Mosquito Control Project (CMMCP)

Central Mass Mosquito Control Project (CMMCP) – Pesticides we Use

Anvil 10+10 Pesticide Label

Anvil 10+10 Pesticide Label (Maryland)

EPA’s statement on Sumithrin for mosquito control

EFFORTS

Mosquito Control Project Member:

• Shrewsbury YES
• Worcester YES
• Northborough YES
• Westborough YES
• Hopkinton YES
• Upton NO
• Grafton NO
• Millbury YES
• Auburn YES
• Leicester NO
• Holden NO
• Marblehead YES
• Wellesley YES

RESOURCES

ORGANIC-FIRST TOWNS:

Mass.gov – Mosquito Control Projects and Districts

• Marblehead – Northeast Mosquito Control – District Control Measures Specific to Marblehead
• Wellesley – East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project

BEYOND PESTICIDES

• Take Action: Tell Your Public Officials to Stop Spraying Pesticides and Adopt a Safe, Effective Mosquito Management Plan
• The Truth About Mosquitoes, Pesticides and West Nile virus A Beyond Pesticides Factsheet
• The Health Effects of Pesticides Used for Mosquito Control

Stop West Nile Spraying Now (Davis/Sacramento, CA)

TOXIC ACTION CENTER

Pesticide Watch: Overkill – Why Pesticide Spraying for West Nile Virus in California May Cause More Harm Than Good (60 pages, 2003)

MDAR

• Massachusetts Aerial Mosquito Spray Map – August 2019

Massachusetts Aerial Mosquito Spray Map – September 2019

Frequently Asked Questions about Anvil Spraying to reduce risk of EEE (June 2007)

LOCAL VIDEOS

Hopkinton Video on Risks of Aerial Spraying of Anvil Pesticide:

LOCAL NEWS

07/08/20 – Environmentalists File Complaint Over Massachusetts’ Aerial Pesticide Spraying

08/28/19 – As Mass. Sprays For EEE, Beekeepers Worry About Fragile Bees

08/28/19 – Is mosquito spraying dangerous?

08/27/19 – Mosquito spraying in certain counties prompting residents to ask what’s in it

08/07/19 – Mass. health officials: Aerial spraying poses no health risks

08/27/14 – [Bristol County] For some, pesticides more problematic than mosquitoes

NEWS

10/05/15 – Fighting West Nile Virus Shouldn’t Mean Poisoning People