A Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) aerial black fly suppression operation is underway on the Lehigh River on Tuesday and will continue Wednesday.
Tuesday’s operation will include the confluence of the Lehigh and Delaware rivers in Easton. In addition to any areas of the Lehigh River that are not treated on Tuesday, the Delaware River will be treated from the Portland area in Northampton County to Yardley, Bucks County, on Wednesday.
Black flies are considered a pest in Pennsylvania, where they can swarm in warm weather and make it difficult to enjoy outdoor recreational activities, especially near and on streams and rivers.
Northampton County officials said the helicopter involved in the operation–which they described as a green and white Bell 206L3 with tail number N641HA operated by Helicopter Applicators of Gettysburg–is spraying a naturally-occurring bacteria that acts as a pesticide.
Manufactured by Valent Biosciences, the bacteria kills black fly larvae when they feed on it in waterways. The bacteria is non-toxic to fish or other aquatic life found in local waterways, officials said in a news release.
For more information on the aerial suppression program, visit the Black Fly Program website at Pa.gov.
This local news story was reported with generative AI assistance.
