The dragonflies in the pond of one of my clients are dying. Not just dying but they are failing to molt into adults correctly. This looks to me like they are being poisoned by molt inhibitor pesticides. This client would never put anything like that into their pond. The most likely possibility is that they were sprayed by Los Angeles vector control.
We were looking at all the dead and crippled dragonflies (see the video and pictures)
and he seemed stunned that Los Angeles is actively aerial spraying molt inhibitors to protect us all from dragonflies (sarcasm intended) and so I told him that I would send him some links and then decided to do this blog post.
LA county very carefully does not say that they won’t aerial spray mosquiticides (likely molt inhibitors) when and wherever they feel like it. Link1
And LA spent $461,820 in 2021 and $492,300 on 2022 on Chemicals & Compounds.
— Nearly half a million dollars on biocides at the wholesale price. I wonder where it’s all going. Link2 click on the PDF for the current year and for 2022 it is down around page 28. Account number 5210 Chemicals & Compounds
Molt inhibitors are completely safe for humans right? Link3
Link4
Molt inhibitors target only mosquitoes right? Link5
I believe that the residents of Los Angeles and in fact all the counties of Southern California need to find an environmental reporter who has the willingness and the clout to obtain aerial spraying documents from Los Angeles Vector Control. Vector Control obviously has a database of the chemicals, prices, amounts, and locations where they have been used and it would not be hard for them to publish the list and amounts . Yet try googling that. It would be nice if the Sierra Club would assist or participate.