The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will conduct a spraying operation for black flies in Northampton County on Friday, May 3.
According to a news release from county officials, the operation will begin at approximately 8 a.m. after it departs from Braden Air Park near Easton. A white Bell 205 Longranger helicopter with blue stripes and the tail numbers N660HA will treat areas along the Delaware River from Easton to Trenton, with on-site DEP personnel managing the operation.
The product being used to treat the Delaware River corridor is manufactured by Valent Biosciences and contains a naturally occurring bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) that kills the immature (larval) form of the black fly when it feeds on it in waterways, officials said. It is a bacterial larvicide–not a chemical–and is the only product used in Pennsylvania’s waterways for black fly suppression. The substance is not toxic to fish or other aquatic macroinvertebrates found in the treated waterways, degrading quickly in the environment.
Also known as gnats, black flies are considered a pest and can surround people seeking outdoor recreational opportunities in the warmer months, particularly near waterways. Pennsylvania has a well-established black fly suppression program that monitors and treats approximately 1,800 miles of streams and rivers statewide, according to the DEP website. The program was begun in central Pennsylvania in the early 1980s and expanded to include the Delaware River corridor in 1996.
For more information on the program, visit the DEP website.
This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.
