On July 30, 2011, CGCAI conducted a paper ballot poll of community residents on the issue of mosquito spraying in Cherry Grove.
The vote was:
In favor of spraying 144
Opposed to spraying: 67
According to Anna Tirado, M.D., Director of the CG Vector Control program of the Cherry Grove Community Association, a formal letter will be sent to SCVC requesting adulticide application in Cherry Grove. They will review the no-spray list and make a decision as to the feasibility of performing an adequate application in the Grove. We will request weekly applications on Wednesdays, if possible. SCVC is required to notify the community 24 hours prior to the date they will be performing the application.
CGCAI is Responding to Community Questions
CGCAI has received many emails and comments on the subsequent decision by Suffolk County Vector Control to not spray any Cherry Grove properties. This decision was made by them, not the CGCAI. Diane Romano and other CGCAI members have been in contact with Vector Control to see if there are ways to allow spraying when property owners request it.
Here are communications from Dominick V. Ninivaggi, Superintendent in the Division of Vector Control in the Suffolk County Department of Public Works:
"Unfortunately, we will not be able to spray for adult mosquitoes at Cherry Grove. We have received too many "do not spray" (DNS) requests to allow effective coverage of the community. This is clear in the attached map showing the DNS locations and 150-foot buffers. We appreciate the support indicated by the vote, but we must follow the County DNS law."
He also wrote: "...the no-spray areas represent somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the community already. I would expect a proposal to spray would result in even more new signups than the 10 we've added since the proposal came out. Under these circumstances, treating the remaining areas would have little effect since we would leave so many mosquitoes behind. The way the no-spray law is written, the no-spray request takes precedence over the desire for adjacent landowners to receive treatment. If WNV [West Nile Virus] is found in the community, we can override the no-spray list if directed by the Health Commissioner. In that case, however, we might also need approval from the National Seashore... Larval control is not impacted by the no-spray law, only adult control ('fogging')."
Regarding what CG property owners can do for themselves, he wrote:
"According to my field staff, Cherry Grove has a lot of mosquitoes that breed in container habitats, such as flowerpots, buckets, tarps, cups and the like. These container species include the Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus), or ATM. My staff collected 20 ATM larvae from a single container from Cherry Grove. The ATM flies in the daytime, is an aggressive biter, and can transmit WNV and other pathogens. Getting rid of these breeding sites through improved community cleanup would do a lot to reduce this problem."
CGCAI Will Continue to Press the Issue
CGCAI has also asked them to review the policy to allow spraying of some properties, especially those on the east side. Based on an examination of the no-spray map of Cherry Grove, it appears that only seven houses on the east side (contrasted with 17 west of town) have requested no spray. We have asked SCVC why they cannot spray certain properties on the east side while still observing the 150-foot buffer limitation for those who do not want their property sprayed.
Here is a copy of Diane Romano's email to Dominick Ninivaggi on this:
"Dominick, Thank you for your response, even though I don't love it! If we could get some of the people to reconsider, how many would it take? Would one house in Cherry Grove on the no spray list cause the county to not spray? Two houses? Currently there are 34 houses out of 276 and there is a definite concentration on the west side of Cherry Grove. Does the small size of our community force it to be looked at as a whole? My home is at 2 Bayview on the far east side, and appears to be the only house on the no spray that is that far east. Although I do not want my home sprayed, I do want my neighbors to be allowed to be sprayed. If I changed my vote, could the east side be sprayed? - Thanks, Diane"
Here is Ninivaggi's his response and Diane's reaction to it.
Ninivaggi: "We have to look at how the DNS [Do Not Spray] locations are laid out to decide whether they interfere too much with the operation to allow it to work. In a community like Cherry Grove, relatively few sites scattered around the community can create a "swiss cheese" effect that would create problems, while several clustered together might create a relatively compact area that we could easily avoid."
Romano: "Then I respectfully request that you look at the map and advise me of any alternative to not spraying the Community. The very clear majority of people want this to happen. If there is a way, I would like to pursue it. Thanks for your attention to this as it is a serious matter in our community. -Diane"
LATEST EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE 8/9:
Romano: "Dominick, I do understand that the guidelines do not allow you to spray with the current layout of no spray homes. My question is: "how would that layout need to change in order to allow spraying?" If you could answer that, I could get back to the people of our community with something definitive. As it stands now, we do not know what we would need to do to change this conclusion. I am not sure that we could change it, but without knowing what is necessary, it is impossible. Thanks, Diane"
Ninivaggi: "As you can see in the attached map, (see map-link HERE) The western third or so of the community is covered by DNS areas and there are a series of locations near the middle that break the community into two small sections that could still be treated. If all the DNS areas were at least at one end, it would be easier for us.
Please bear in mind that, if WNV is detected at significant levels, we override the DNS list."
We will continue to work on this issue. Please check back on this website for updates.
To see Dr. Tirado's 2011 Vector Control info sheet click HERE.
To link to the Suffolk County Vector Plan (SCVC) website click HERE.
To download the SCVC "no spray" form click HERE.
