BOC Hears Gypsy Moth Spray Presentation

HARRISON – Al Schiffer of Al’s Aerial Spraying addressed the July 21 meeting of the Clare County Board of Commissioners, and over the course of his 43-minute presentation, he explained in great detail the expertise required to battle gypsy moths, and the constraints which make the job difficult.

Since the 1980s, Al’s has been contracted by the county to spray for gypsy moths, and with the millage renewal funding a larger spraying this year, the expectations among residents was high. Unfortunately, the expectation that all areas would be sprayed was presumptive and ill-informed.

“The first big problem I see in Clare County is that everybody pays the millage, and everybody thought they were going to be sprayed,” he said. “I heard it from various lake associations that ‘Oh good now we’re going to get sprayed.’ I had to sadly inform them that no, they are not on the list. There’s a pecking order of who’s going to get sprayed.”

Schiffer said it would be possible to spray something that would kill every gypsy moth in the county, but no one would like what it is.

There are several restrictions which actually prohibit spraying in certain situations, not the least of which is the “opt-out.” The opt-out allows a parcel owner to choose not to permit spraying on their property; that includes an additional 600-foot perimeter/buffer, which in a subdivision can mean prevention of spraying for an entire proposed spraying block. The responsibility for that shortfall lies neither with the aerial sprayer nor the county.

Schiffer also spoke of the fact that no gypsy moth spraying is done on state land, thus any property bordering state land will be subject to reinfestation almost immediately. That is facilitated by the gypsy moth caterpillars spinning out silk threads which allows them to be blown on the wind to other trees, sometimes as much as a half-mile away. So, if a landowner’s property lies on the windward side of state land, it will always be reinfested, regardless of any spraying efforts.

Schiffer enumerated his years of experience and qualifications, saying he has been a spray pilot since 1973, and that 43 years ago he started Al’s Aerial Spraying

He said his company has an enviable flying record and has a seat on the United States Forest Service Aviation Safety Council. Schiffer described his company’s presence in the aerial spraying industry, noting it is licensed to treat with departments of agriculture in 14 states for forestry control. He said thousands of acres have been done in Michigan.

He explained his planes could cover so much area because of the stair-stepping northward moving application timeframes that correspond with the temperature related hatches.

The spraying of pesticides is under the jurisdiction of the FAA, and Schiffer said that back in the 1980s the FAA required certification for dispensing pesticides out of planes, certification for 11 categories on its license. He also noted that sprayers have to be commercial pilots and have instrument ratings.

This year has been particularly difficult, with post spraying defoliation ranging from nonexistent to devastating. Commissioner Dale Majewski said that areas around Lake George have been decimated.

Schiffer explained that years ago, it was allowed to use a pesticide with broader lethality, but now the BT (bacillus thuringiensis) is used, targeting only caterpillars. This more targeted approach is environmentally responsible, but the drawback to this strategy is that the kill rate is around 80%.

Regular calibration of equipment is required to ensure a specific amount of pesticide is delivered per acre. There also is real time tracking in the planes which provides a nearly live feed to watch the area being sprayed, available to anyone who wants to view it via the internet. Al said this is what enabled CCD Gypsy Moth Coordinator Melissa Townsend, as well as some of the commissioners present at the meeting, to view remotely the spraying as it unfolded.

Schiffer explained that his company flies fixed-wing aircraft at 140 mph, laying down a 150-foot swath, hauling 300 and 700 gallons per load, putting down ½ gallon per acre, which requires multiple planes. This year Al’s used five aircraft in the county, providing about $3.5 million worth of equipment to get Clare County done on a timely basis.

It is difficult to time the spraying, largely because not all eggs hatch at the same time, thus at spraying time they are not all at the optimal instar stage and equally susceptible to the bacillus.

“Our goal is to make a successful program for township, county, whoever,” Schiffer said. “We sprayed 20,000 acres in four days.”

Schiffer spoke of all the work Townsend does in coordination with Roscommon, Bay and Montmorency counties, defoliation surveys, keeping track of egg mass surveys in the fall, and keeping a handle on what’s going to happen and when treatment should be done.

“She does a very good job of trying to get the correct timing in there,” Schiffer said. “Yes, there are some caterpillars that are too small and you’re not going to kill them, and some that are too big and you’re not going to kill them.

“I would like you to understand that Melissa has been doing a very good job for your county; we’ve worked with her for a few years now. She has a good program, she pays attention to what’s going on outside the county also. I think she’s a big asset. She deserves a big pat on the back and more so, I think she really deserves a raise.”

He said spraying started with two blocks on the south side of the county, then it waited for a day for a bit larger worm development, then the spraying was finished up. When Majewski said “It’s been a hot dumpster fire around gypsy moth in Clare County,” he asked Schiffer to speak about the pesticide’s certification.

“The product is made to pharmaceutical standards,” Schiffer said. He went on to explain that BT is at least 80-ish% effective, and that the goal is to preserve as many leaves on trees as possible. However, the number of egg masses foretells much of the success or failure of the program. Schiffer said that overall, there are 2,000 egg masses per acre at spraying, and an 80% kill of leaves 400 egg masses. In areas of Clare County this year, the egg mass count was 20,000 per acre – 80% of that leaves 4,000 per acre which is more than there would be on any given year.

“Who knew that many egg masses were going to be here this year?” he said. “It’s not just your county, it’s a lot of counties. I can show you pictures from Kalamazoo clear to Alpena and over to Macomb County.

“As I say, things are not perfect; using BT you’re trying your best to make as small of a nuisance as you can – you’re not going to eradicate them. People thought they were never going to see a gypsy moth ever again. And it’s not going to happen.”

Schiffer spoke of photographs where one side of a highway is green and health and the other side devastated. He made note of the City of Harrison as beautiful, in large part due to its spraying as a large block of acreage. Schiffer said there were some “no spray” areas that suffered.

“No sprays really hurt a program,” he said. “That’s right up front; they devastate a program.”

He said that other than going back to the previous pesticide which killed a lot more than gypsy moths, the only thing that could be done to have better control would be to have too applications – which, of course, is cost prohibitive.

When Commissioner Rick Fancon asked if there was anything the commissioners could do to eliminate some of the variables, Schiffer said the only thing would be to spray bigger areas. Even then, the fringes would still have a problem.

“I don’t know what else you could possibly do,” he said. “Melissa’s basically doing everything you can do to what the standards for the United States are. It boils down to how much money you have.”

He also noted that back about 30 years ago, there seemed to be a 7-year cycle for gypsy moth populations to peak and fall, but that cycle doesn’t seem to be there anymore.

When Commissioner Bronwyn Asplund asked about the severity for next year, Schiffer said it would likely be bad because there wasn’t much of the natural virus/fungus control this year, due to the dry, warm spring. That diminished kill was attested to by the U.S. Forest Service representative who had visited the area prior to July 4.

“With the defoliation you had and I’m sure when the egg mass surveys get done in the fall, it’s going to be pretty bad,” Schiffer said. “Last year, there was almost a million acres defoliated, basically from Alpena to Big Rapids, and you’re right in the middle of that.”

It was again stated that many county residents were disappointed and angry because they had paid the gypsy moth millage, but didn’t get what they had paid for. That was answered with the simple fact that citizens pay for many things they do not personally receive: senior services, schools, roads they do not drive on, etc.

Commissioner Stephanie Brown thanked Schiffer for clearing up a lot of questions about the gypsy moth suppression program, as well as providing information for all the folks I’ve talked to who said “We need to just go buy a plane.”

“Here’s my answer to that: I would like you to go buy an airplane,” Schiffer said. “Because you will be the only entity in the United States – whether it be township, county, state or federal government – you’d be the only entity in the United States that owns an airplane to spray gypsy moths. So, there must be some reason why other people don’t do that.”

Schiffer said he was aware that there are unlicensed “mosquito people” going out and spraying right now.

In closing, Schiffer said his company would like a contract renewal. Majewski then asked if there was any chance spraying would get cheaper. Schiffer just chuckled.