BRUNSWICK — A recent insecticide aerial spray harmed wildlife and killed thousands of bees. The state agriculture department opened an investigation into the issue this week to determine if violations occurred.
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Commissioners unanimously approved a $920,000 budget amendment at the Oct. 7 meeting for contractor Vector Disease Control International to carry out an aerial mosquito control spray throughout approximately 692 square miles within the county. The spray began Friday and concluded ahead of schedule Monday.
“This service was recommended as an essential public health need because of the significant health risks mosquitoes pose to humans and animals,” Brunswick County spokesperson Meagan Kascak told Port City Daily Friday. “Since they can carry harmful diseases like West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis virus, Dirofilaria immitis, La Crosse virus, and dengue virus.”
Columbus County, which borders Brunswick, recently reported an increase in West Nile virus cases. Brunswick County staff determined urgent action was necessary after standing water from Tropical Storm Debby and Potential Tropical Cyclone 8 caused a significant number of disease-carrying mosquitoes in the area. The county anticipates FEMA will help cover the nearly $1 million expense.
Local beekeepers, Wilmington-based nonprofit Clean Cape Fear, UNCW geologist Roger Shew, and at least 1,127 signatories of a county petition argued the aerial spray was not the best method of addressing the issue. They cited concerns about the potential negative environmental and health effects of Naled — the insecticide used in the spray — and argued targeted use of other compounds, such as Anvil 10+10, would be safer, less expensive, and more effective.
The Environmental Protection Agency approved the use of Naled in 1959 and determined it safe for low-intensity sprays. Meanwhile, the European Union banned the compound in 2012 and found there is insufficient evidence of its effectiveness to justify the risks — including neurodevelopmental and reproductive harm to humans and wildlife — it poses to health and the environment.
North Carolina pesticide operations specialist Henry Hamilton told Port City Daily Tuesday the agency is conducting an investigation to ensure there were no violations of federal or state regulations in the aerial spray, after receiving reports of bee deaths and other concerns from the public. He said he could not disclose more details about the investigation at this time.
In 2016 the improper application of Naled killed millions of bees in South Carolina. Beekeeper Hubert Lowe said he reported losses of thousands of bees this week and sent the dead insects to the state for testing to determine the cause.
“The real kick in the teeth,” Green Swamp Aviary beekeeper Matt Ruff said,“yesterday evening at my house, there were mosquitoes. Tons of them. My wheel bugs are gone, my assassin bugs are gone, my gulf fritillaries are gone, my hibiscus bees are all dead. I lost two hives, I got four more crashing. And we still got mosquitoes!”
Ruff said he’d heard similar issues from local beekeepers.
“My farm was organic until they sprayed it with Naled,” Ruff said. “It’s not organic anymore.”
The beekeeper said he did not suffer bee losses during a previous Naled spray after Hurricane Florence. He emphasized he did not blame the county’s mosquito control staff for the incident.
“They were apologetic when this happened,” he said. “They’re having to follow orders from their higher-ups in Brunswick County.”
Kascak said the county heard from many residents with concerns about the spray, as well as many who had requested it. She said the sprays were scheduled for dusk and completed by dawn to avoid interaction with honeybees, dragonflies, and butterflies. She noted the county coordinated with the NC Cooperative Extension to provide protective recommendations by local beekeepers.
“Aerial spraying of insecticides is used to control and reduce the overall number of mosquitoes and most importantly to reduce the population of mosquitoes that can spread harmful diseases,” Kascak said. “It is much more effective and faster than truck-mounted or handheld sprayers in treating large areas of land.”
Brunswick County health director David Howard sent a demonstration of need letter to the Department of Health and Human Services on Oct. 3. He cited data prepared by Abram Young — Vector Disease Control International’s Brunswick supervisor — regarding the threat of mosquito infections to emergency workers and residents.
Howard emphasized that insects — including bees — could impede reconstruction efforts for the county’s post-flooding infrastructure in the letter:
“Insect abatement is a safety issue for crews and the concern of anaphylactic reaction from a bee sting during a response. This type of injury, as well as other nuisance insects will continue to hamper emergency response moving forward.”
Clean Cape Fear sent an email to county staff and commissioners urging against the spray Friday. The nonprofit referred to a September 2023 Journal of Medical Entomology study finding limited effectiveness of Naled, a February 2024 study finding mosquitoes become resistant to the insecticide, and a fact-sheet on the compound’s toxic properties from environmental nonprofit Beyond Pesticides.
Clean Cape Fear also noted Naled is manufactured by chemical company AMVAC, which could be using fluorinated containers from Inhance Technologies. The nonprofit petitioned the EPA to remove PFAS from fluorinated containers, which have been found to leach into pesticides. The EPA ordered Inhance to remove PFAS from its containers last year.
“It seemed an over-reaction to spraying most of the county with aerial sprays,” UNCW lecturer Roger Shew wrote in an email to Port City Daily. “I will admit that the mosquitoes have been some of the worst I have seen in parts of Brunswick. But we are moving into cooler weather and we have been drying out for almost 2 weeks and will be dry another week likely. Mosquito life cycle will reduce the population as will coming cooler weather.”
Shew argued an advisory panel should be required for mass-pesticide decisions due to the consequences for plants and wildlife such as Monarch butterflies.
“Some chemicals are needed in our world, but not widespread spraying and use in the very large numbers of materials we have — think PFAS,” Shew said. “I believe we should be very selective and minimally use chemicals in this or any regard.”
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