Jacksonville beekeepers says mosquito spraying times are problematic

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new round of mosquito spraying using the controversial chemical Naled is now set for Monday. But the late morning aerial sprays has one local beekeeper angry.

Local beekeepers, like Stephen Barker, are concerned with the aerial spraying conducted by the county to combat an outbreak of mosquitoes.

“I’m really concerned for the native population on top of the bee keeping population as a whole, it's such a vital resource to Florida,” said Barker.

Action News Jax reported Thursday how bees help maintain our food supply by pollinating crops like squash and tomato.

Marah Clark with Jacksonville’s Mosquito Control Division said they’ve been inundated with calls for service.

“We've had over a thousand service calls since Monday,” said Clark.

According to Barker, the concern is the times the spraying is being done. He showed us a portion of a voicemail the city left him earlier this week.

“We’re going to be adulticiding in the morning starting at sun up and then two hours after sun up to, it’s going to be about 9:15 a.m.,” said Ken Pearson with the Mosquito Control Division.

“For whatever reason we decided to do daytime operations here, it's absurd,” said Barker.

Because bees pollinate when the sun comes up, Barker said the insecticide can kill them off too.

Action News Jax reported back in July how the city has limited resources when it comes to mosquito spraying. It’ll cost the city nearly $1 million for a new helicopter, parts, and training.

A city spokesperson said it has no choice but to do daytime operations.

“We're so worried about a mosquito that is so seasonal versus a bee that lives for an entire year and they won't be here if they continue to do such practices,” said Barker.

The city has been posting on its social media accounts information of when people can check for spraying.

Barker said he had about a 23 hour notice to protect his bees but worries about wild bees that may have been killed off.

The next aerial spray is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 24.

Cox Media Group