SAN FRANCISCO — Food and agriculture officials in California have abandoned a plan to spray pesticides over several densely populated areas in an effort to eradicate the light brown apple moth, a voracious invasive species.
A plan for summertime spraying had been delayed in April by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in the face of health concerns about the proposed pesticides, synthetic pheromones that confuse the moth’s reproductive cycle.
On Thursday, the California Department of Food and Agriculture said that advances in another type of reproductive chicanery — the breeding and release of sterile moths — would allow the state to avoid spraying over urban areas.
“We thought it would take years,” said Steve Lyle, a spokesman for the department. “And it’s taken significantly less time than we anticipated.”
The cancellation of spraying was met with cheers from several quarters, including nearly 30 cities and three counties that had passed resolutions against the department’s proposal. The spraying program also faced legal hurdles; in April, a county judge in Santa Cruz, one of the hot spots in moth infestation, ruled that the state needed to complete a fuller environmental review before spraying. Similar spraying there last November led to numerous complaints of respiratory problems.
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