What is involved in aerial operations?
A key part of the campaign to wipe out the painted apple moth is aerial spraying using the same spray that was used to successfully wipe out the white spotted tussock moth in east Auckland. The spray used is Foray 48B, which is based on a naturally-occurring bacteria called Btk. Btk kills painted apple moth caterpillars that eat leaves that have been sprayed. It is used around the world for 40 years to control moth and butterfly pests and has been used by organic growers in New Zealand since 1984. An environmental impact report was prepared in 1996 when Foray 48B was used to eradicate the white spotted tussock moth. The report concluded that it is unlikely to have any long-term adverse effects on New Zealand’s soils, waters, plants, food sources, mammals, birds, and fish. A publicly available –>independent health risk assessment –> carried out by the Auckland District Health Board in 2002 concluded that Foray 48B has never been implicated in any significant health effects on humans i
