Last year, several aerial sprays took place in which chemicals that were not harmful for humans were released from planes in order to eradicate spongy moth populations.
Spongy moths are a non-native species which is invasive and wreaking havoc in local ecosystems, offsetting the balance which is needed for native species of plants and animals to survive.
Their populations have been discovered to be growing in certain areas, so the Province has announced that 13 regions of BC will need to be sprayed again this year—8 of which are on Vancouver Island.
- Cranbrook: 299 hectares
- Kamloops: 80 hectares
- West Kelowna: 52 hectares
- Langley: 30 hectares
- Tsawwassen: 203 hectares
- North Saanich: 170 hectares
- Gorge-Tillicum (Victoria): 120 hectares
- Esquimalt: 31 hectares
- Belmont (Colwood/Langford): 430 hectares
- Cowichan Bay: 126 hectares
- Salt Spring Island: 48 hectares
- Nanaimo: 130 hectares
- Qualicum Beach: 96 hectares
The regions with links will lead you to a “treatment area map” t show the specific region which is being sprayed.
In total the spraying will take place over 1,815 hectares in BC, with 1,151 hectares being on the island.
The Province says that these moths were successfully eradicated in all regions except the Belmont (Langford/Colwood) area in last year’s sprayings. This is due to the fact that on three occasions weather delays caused the cancellations of necessary sprayings.
These targeted areas will be getting sprayed in the spring of 2024 and the Province will be hosting virtual open houses to discuss residents’ concerns in February.
