If You are Sprayed with Pesticides

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IF YOU ARE SPRAYED

Imagine this scenario: It's two o'clock in the afternoon, and you're at home-just settling down to enjoy a late lunch-when the quiet atmosphere is broken by the drone of an approaching crop-dusting plane. But wait a minute . . . what is that guy doing? Why, he's spraying practically right over your house! Worse yet, the wind is blowing toward you, and your children are playing in the yard!

What can you do?

A few years ago, I had no idea how to handle such a situation. And when an incident like that did, indeed, occur, it took me a long time to figure out what I should have done. I'm grateful, though, that others can profit from my experience, by learning how to deal with this sort of attack before being confronted with it.

As soon as a potentially toxic spray starts drifting your way, you'll face two immediate concerns: [1] what to do now to protect yourself, your family, and your property . . and [2] what to do now to prevent a recurrence.

SELF-PROTECTION

If you don't know exactly which chemical is being sprayed and how you can expect to react to it, rush yourself and everyone else inside the house. Close the windows and doors . . . and shut off any air conditioners or fans that would otherwise pull outside air into your home. If you can, take steps to move your pets and livestock into shelter.

If-despite your efforts-you suspect that some poison has landed on you, wash immediately (preferably with a detergent) and

IF YOU HAVE BEES

Protecting bees from pesticides involves more than simply keeping the sprays away from your own property, because the winged honeymakers can forage at a distance from their homes. The best way to safeguard these beneficial insects is to indicate your apiary locations on a map, and draw a circle with a 3-mile radius around each. This will serve as an estimate of your bees' flying range. (If the available bee forage is quite dense locally and limited beyond, you might want to use a 1-1/2- or 2-mile radius for your measurements.)

Next, send a copy of the map to anyone who might spray insecticide within those areas. Ask these people to let you know before they apply the toxic chemicals (and explain how much notice you'll need). Be sure, too, to give them a phone numberor several-where you or a reliable neighbor can be reached. (Of course, if other people in your area keep bees, you can likely work more efficiently and effective ly together.)

If you are notified of an impending spraying of a highly toxic but short-lived insecticide, close up your hives on the morning of the event, before the bees start to fly. (In hot weather, cool the insects' homes by draping wet burlap over the front of each hive.) When the applicator intends to use a longer-lasting toxin, such as Penncap-M or Furadan, on a crop that attracts honeybees, you may have to move your hives out of the area temporarily.

To help reduce such incidents, however, you can try to work with neighbors to encourage them to learn how to control pests without harming your bees. Discuss with them the use of less-toxic chemicals or alternative insect controls. Suggest ways to monitor pest levels. And point out that not spraying a crop that bees work while the plants are in bloom will benefit the growers-by increasing their yields-as well as you.

Last, find out your local or state Cooperative Extension Service may well be able to help-which chemicals are recommended for any nearby crops that honeybees might visit. The booklet "Reducing Pesticide Hazards to Honeybees" (it's available for $2.50 postpaid from Agricultural Sciences Publications, University of California, Dept. TMEN, 1422 Harbour Way South, Richmond, California 94804) is a valuable guide for anyone trying to determine the relative hazards of various pesticides to honeybees.

change your clothes. (These precautions are especially important in the case of small children who might have been sprayed.) Furthermore, don't use any possibly contaminated food, clothing, or water until you have learned about the pesticide's effects.

And if you feel at all ill, call your doctor at once.

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