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Local Beekeepers Concerned About Pesticide Used To Spray For Mosquitos

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - With the city planning to spray for mosquitos in Fairmount Park around Robin Hood Dell East on Tuesday evening, local beekeepers are voicing concern about the effects of the pesticide on bees and humans.

Crews will be applying the pesticide Anvil 10+10, which the city says evaporates quickly with no ill effects on human health (see related story).

However, it is deadly to fish and insects, including honeybees, which are already threatened by colony collapse syndrome. That has food writer and urban beekeeper Anna Herman concerned.

"Honeybee die-off happens with very micro amounts of toxins, and I think this chemical is listed as one of the most toxic to honeybees," Herman said.

Herman says there are other, less toxic ways to fight West Nile.

"It worries me that this is a quick fix rather than a strategic approach to managing problems," she told KYW Newsradio.

Next time, she says, the public should have a say in the decision-making.

"We're smart enough to be part of making these decisions but we have to know the decisions on the table so we can weigh in."

Reported by Molly Daly, KYW Newsradio 1060

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