Subject: QUESTION- Mosquito Control
From: [email-masked] (Robert Stevahn)
Date: 9 May 1994 13:00:32 -0400
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture

Date:94/05/09
Time:08:42
Subject:   QUESTION: Mosquito Control

Here in SW Idaho, we have several Mosquito Control Districts which spray
malathion to control mosquitos. The fact that one resides in such a district
can render Organic Certification impossible, because if any drift is detected
on your property, the Dept. of Ag. will withdraw your certification. 

This makes it difficult for farmers to spend more money on organic systems when
there's a chance they'll have to sell their crops as "conventional" come
harvest time.

There is currently a push in the Boise area to extend the local Mosquito
Control District to include most of the metropolitan area.

Questions: 

1) What (well-documented, preferably!) organic alternatives are there to
malathion for the control of mosquito larvae?

2) What are the potential ill effects of spraying malathion (the rate I've read
about is 3 oz. per acre)?

3) Do you have any tips for working with either the Mosquito Control Districts
or Organic Certification programs to solve this problem?

Regards,

Robert Stevahn
Boise Food Connection CSA