Here’s an email I’ve just sent to Hong Kong’s Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, regarding excessive spraying of anti-mosquito pesticides, and apparent devastation of local wildlife as a result:
Further to various emails.
I saw this patch of soil and leaves sprayed vs mosquitoes a few days ago.
Also saw another guy squirting death liquid at almost bare ground and a tiny shrub the same day.
So, quite typical of “anti mosquito” operations, even with almost no mosquitoes around.
And with zero dengue fever, for years now.
Just killing and keeping on killing Cheung Chau wildlife – insects, and the whole food chain depending on them.
Yes, there was the switch to bti toxin; but I’d believed that was for larvae, so should target water where mosquitoes may breed.
Can smell the stuff; very nasty! – so not just bti toxin being sprayed I believe; the results – DEATH TO CHEUNG CHAU WILDLIFE – surely bear this out.
Well, I’ve complained over the years, but it seems FEHD is addicted to this; and the addiction is unstoppable.
Also just sent this to various people I emailed before:
I’m just putting a webpage together, with my email correspondence etc about FEHD effectively waging war on Cheung Chau wildlife.
Despite staff supposedly targeting places where mosquitoes may be breeding/resting, random spraying continues unabated.
– see photo for instance; liberally squirted with pesticide a few days ago. Why?!!
Switch to bti toxin hasn’t helped; insect populations remain pitiful, hence very few birds to be found.
– and whatever is sprayed smells dire; so I don’t believe it’s just the toxin [which should be sprayed into water where larvae may be?]
Seems government is addicted to this; never mind years have passed since dengue last here.
It’s not about dengue really; just about keeping jobs safe – safest being to spray and spray and spray, not have even tiny risk of problems; and if ecosystem devastated, that’s a small price to pay in minds of those involved.
I began emailing the FEHD regarding the spraying vs mosquitoes on 10 September 2013:
I live in southeast Cheung Chau, at GF 4E Peak Road – which is actually not on Peak Road, but at the end of Kwun Yam Wan Road.
Today and yesterday, there’s a strong oily smell, rather like paraffin.
Leaves of plants along path at bottom of the garden have a shiny, oily coating.
I believe this is from pest spraying, probably for mosquitoes.
Would like to know:
What has been sprayed?
How do I know it is safe for me and my family?
Why so much spraying?
Is there evidence spraying vegetation like this really controls mosquitoes? – after all, they don’t breed in them.
I earlier wrote about mosquitoes coming out from drain cover just outside my home.
Since then, workers put tape on the holes of the covers; and – not sure if coincidence – there have been far fewer mosquitoes around my home since. [even tho workers did not find water below the covers]
But I also notice there are holes for rainwater to run into storm drain just below where spraying has happened. Is it possible these are origin of any mosquito nuisance – perhaps there is standing water somewhere within the pipes, out of sight?
Emailed again re the issue on 2 February 2019:
Cheung Chau was quiet for birds on walk around this morning, as typical this winter.
A pest control team was out and about; as happening lately. Been some fogging for mosquitoes; a member of this team was using a bottle spray in trolley – squirting vegetation by paths. [I did not notice any mosquitoes.]
Maybe after dengue cases last year??
Checked the chemical; even on bottle says it is toxic to fish, bees and wildlife.
A quick bit of research, and I find re birds: “Cypermethrin can impact bird populations by killing insect larvae normally used for food. A study of nesting success of blue tits following an aerial application of cypermethrinin an oak forest found a nearly 100 percent mortality of the caterpillars used as food by the blue tits. When cypermethrin spraying co-incided with tit egg hatch and the early nest-ling stage, the result was an increase in nestling deaths, a decrease in the proportion of successful nests, and a decrease in weight of the surviving nestlings.”
– so this won’t be too clever for winter birds too, including those that like to forage along paths through woods, rather than deeper in the trees.
It also kills beneficial insects like bees.
Also, the other ingredients include toxic solvents like ethylbenzene.
Insecticide factsheet: Cypermethrin.
Have emailed tellme1823 already to ask about this; may follow up.
[I’ve earlier emailed, saying I don’t believe lots of pesticide spraying is good; best to search for potential aedes mosquito – which can transmit dengue – breeding places like thrown away bottles with water in, and remove these so less can breed.]
If you have further info on this, would appreciate it.
Followed up on 26 February 2019:
Continuing: Wildlife killing on Cheung Chau by nature hating government?
Somewhat random pesticide spraying on Cheung Chau, supposed dengue fever measure [after dengue has gone…]
No matter if mosquitoes seen, they are told to spray spray and spray, plus there’s fogging.
No wonder so few birds around this winter? [that plus the warmth]Some info I’ve posted elsewhere:
Cypermethrin. Bottle warnings are in English.
Noted in an earlier message:
Checked the chemical; even on bottle says it is toxic to fish, bees and wildlife.
A quick bit of research, and I find re birds: “Cypermethrin can impact bird populations by killing insect larvae normally used for food. A study of nesting success of blue tits following an aerial application of cypermethrinin an oak forest found a nearly 100 percent mortality of the caterpillars used as food by the blue tits. When cypermethrin spraying co-incided with tit egg hatch and the early nest-ling stage, the result was an increase in nestling deaths, a decrease in the proportion of successful nests, and a decrease in weight of the surviving nestlings.”Teams not really trained; sent out by people without science backgrounds [I asked the env guy who phoned me after email to tellme1823; he’s not a scientist], with no research into efficacy it seems
This morning:
Saw pest control team; walked a bit and saw spraying on concrete blocks that may have drainage water inside. Asked why, told there is water, maybe mosquitoes; stomping about the leaves I said can’t see any.
In my feeble Cantonese, tried saying that spraying at random won’t really kill mosquitoes [their leader said it’s a response to dengue; I said this has gone now], but will kill other wildlife, plus the stuff is dangerous to them too. A woman nodded; leader explained it’s their job, so I did tell them I know, and their bosses are idiots and I’ll try and reach them.
Well, who knows what’s been happening, with spraying plus fogging gone a bit mad here; occurring to me some birds, frogs might find dead insects, or sluggish ones; then lead to more issues.
Google search not finding much great data; certainly also lethal to bees, and I find “Using a hazard quotient approach indicates that both permethrin and naled applications in the field may present potential acute hazards to butterflies” along with some info on threats to amphibians.
I attached photos:
On 13 March 2019, I received the following from FEHD:
Dear Dr. Williams Martin,
Thank you for your e-mail dated on 1.2.2019, 26.2.2019, 27.2.2019 and 1.3.2019.Pesticide Alpha-cypermethrin is normally being used in routine pest control services in Cheung Chau. This pesticide has been registered in Hong Kong and it is effective against a wide range of public health pests, including cockroaches, fleas, bedbugs and flies etc. To strike a balance between public health and wildlife protection, staffs of our pest control contractor have been advised to use the pesticide judiciously at problematic area such as refuse collection points and avoid being used for treating water bodies or discharging into water source. They are also reminded to strictly follow the safety instruction for application of pesticide in order to protect both themselves and the public. Apart from this, health education to the residents in Cheung Chau has been conducted regularly to encourage the community to participate in anti-mosquito efforts by removal of stagnant water within their own place.
Regarding the health education and promotion matter, we have already referred to relevant section for information and necessary action.
Extra attention will be paid to the potential mosquito breeding places after rain to prevent mosquito infestation. We will continue to monitor on the performance of the contractor and take appropriate action whenever necessary.
For enquiry, please feel free to contact Overseer (Pest Control) Islands, Mr. CHAU Ching-ting at tel no. 2984 2304.
Yours faithfully,
(SZE Ching Yee)
for Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene
Well, staff did not use pesticide judiciously; the issue continued – and continues as I write this post. On 10 May 2019 I wrote:
I have lived on Cheung Chau for some 30 years; love it here for partly for the nature, including insects like butterflies, bees, the frogs and more.
Live in a place by woods; a garden pond and nearby are usually very noisy with frogs calling on spring nights.
This year, very quiet: very few frogs.
Fewer butterflies, insect eating birds that mainly feed on ground and in low cover. Bees and wasps hard to find. Dragonflies few too.
– changes evident since the crazy pesticide spraying and fogging began, after dengue fever cases in area.
And, yes, mostly less mosquitoes – though there were many at a place I went yesterday.
The change is due to the insane, reckless spraying of pesticide for mosquito control.
I’ve complained; no use. It continues, and still just random – spraying vegetation all over, in hopes that might kill some mosquitoes.
Do you in FEHD hate nature?
Are you happy to contribute to insect apocalypse, and the ongoing Sixth Extinction?
How about awareness Hong Kong is a signatory to the Convention on Biodiversity; has a “Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan” you might find somewhere?
Seems FEHD has no scientists, never mind anyone who cares about the natural world [what do you and your family plan to eat, drink and breathe in future, if not from nature?]
Why? Why such ignorance, and lack of care?
Appalling management team?
Do you pay contractors tiny amounts for pest control? Seems they only pay minimum wage.
And I feel sorry for staff; mostly with no protection, little awareness of pesticide toxicity/solubility [not in water] I believe. Might any get cancer, doing this so often?
If pay a bit more, maybe with money saved from spraying so much pesticide, could employ a few fit people who can remove the many empty bottles, barrels, paint tins etc from slopes, so reducing mosquito breeding places: kill them before they even exist, leave the rest of nature alone.
A leaflet on village mosquito control arrived. OK, but boring, too much information. Because you are all too boring and uncaring in FEHD, just doing jobs, waiting for retirement?
No on knocking on doors, talking with people, checking if they have mosquito breeding places in gardens.
Just easiest option taken: Spray, Spray, and Spray.
And keep your jobs safe.
Never mind slaughtering innocent wildlife.
Note, too, you have killed countless mosquito predators; so greatly reduced natural mosquito control
To me, foolish in the extreme.
Regards,
Dr Martin Williams
Vice Chairman, Living Cheung Chau
I also emailed the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, asking if they should be concerned; received reply on 14 May 2019:
AFCD has been offering technical advice to FEHD from a nature conservation point of view on their general measures to discourage the breeding of mosquitoes in watercourses while taking biodiversity conservation into consideration. The recommendations include avoidance of drastic relocation of substrates and modification of stream profiles, minimising the clearance of riparian vegetation and side pools, removal of refuse, confining the application of larvicides to places with persistent occurrence of mosquito larvae, and adhering to the recommended dosage and application procedures of individual larvicide.
Thank you for your concern on the natural environment.
Regards,
Judy KONG
Conservation Officer/Scientific Interest
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
Spraying/fogging vs mosquitoes killing wildlife on Cheung Chau – email chain
In 2019, I started an email chain [with FEHD] headed “Something Sprayed on Cheung Chau & Mosquito efforts slaughtering Hong Kong wildlife (File Ref.: FEHD/Is 2020054070)“. Added to this on 11 November 2020:
As follow up to my complaints regarding spraying/fogging vs mosquitoes killing wildlife on Cheung Chau:
I’ve learned of FEHD now using bti – mosquito larvae specific toxin – here; thought will use broad spectrum insecticides [permethrin, maybe] when it’s peak time for Aedes mosquitoes.
[I’ve seen bti fogging; still fogging leaves etc along path, when surely better to try and target small drains, other places rainwater can collect and Aedes can breed with no predators like fish to eat the larvae.]
POSSIBLY some benefit apparent just now:
Just met a local butterfly expert, who often visits Cheung Chau.
In recent years he has told me of seeing far less butterflies here; agreed this could be due to spraying/fogging with permethrin.
But this morning, he was very happy: a lot of butterflies [even to me as birdwatcher, could see many tens of butterflies], some of them quite rare for Hong Kong. [better than a recent day he spent at Wu Kau Tang]
– this was in a small valley with organic farming.
Don’t get fogging actually in here, but along paths some tens of metres away; the farmers have told me they could sometimes smell the pesticide [maybe the solvents, which can also be very nasty I believe].
Not so many butterflies along paths that are fogged; but also less sunny places, fewer flowers so would expect less there anyway. Also, I expect areas by paths will take longer to recover from the intensive spraying.
Anyway, perhaps a hopeful sign. Would be nice if more insectivorous birds follow!
I hope you will continue using bti as a key weapon vs mosquitoes [with staff trying to target Aedes breeding places]; while minimising use of pesticides, and maximising efforts to reduce the amount of places Aedes can find to breed, including around houses.
[Or even try traps for females to lay eggs in? – I’ve found information on use of these; can be very cheap, but require some work, maybe community participation.]
Note that I tended to get replies along the lines “this enquiry is being handled”; but also a few phone calls, indicating perhaps some progress – such as at least sometimes using the above-mentioned bti toxin, which is specific to mosquito larvae, so should be sprayed in places these might be.
But, no real improvements; on 15 January 2021 I emailed:
There’s an FEHD death squad operating near my home just now.
– same place a few days ago; then the smell clearly drifted maybe 40m to reach me, showing how the death fogging can travel through woods etc.
Fogging the woods with yet more poison; you people in FEHD just not satissfied to have killed off so much wildllife already, you just have to kill more.
Can’t stop killing, you people, can.you?
Have you even tried visiting, looking for Aedes mosquitoes lately? None in evidence; never mind what your traps may reveal. [traps seem not really reflecting the reality; so sensitive? And what’s the supposed baseline for mosquitoes? No science here. Just bureaucrats trying to keep their jobs save, make sure there is no criticism, never mind if this means wildlife slaughter.]
Along with no butterflies along the trails FEHD poisons. No bugs, no grasshoppers; won’t be frogs when weather warms.
Kill, kill kill! – that’s the FEHD way.
No science, no sense.
Followed up with this the same day:
//Our Bayesian models unequivocally demonstrate that fogging has detrimental effects on one pollinator order and non-target invertebrate orders, especially taxa that have comparatively lower levels of chitinisation. While fogging is effective in killing the target order (Diptera), no mosquitos were found dead in our experiment. In order to maintain urban biodiversity, we recommend that health authorities and the private sector move away from persistent insecticide fogging and to explore alternative measures to control adult mosquito populations.//
Persistent mosquito fogging can be detrimental to non-target invertebrates in an urban tropical forest
Later:
Still no reply to recent emails; I don’t expect anything useful.
FEHD doing its part in massive insect declines worldwide; paper just out: Insect decline in the Anthropocene: Death by a thousand cuts
Who needs biodiversity when you live in an apartment and work in an office, eh?
Information on cypermethrin and permethrin harming ecosystems; simple affordable traps are available
And that’s not all for January 2021; on 18 January I sent:
I’ve found quite a bit more information online.
Some papers attached.
Various links to info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cypermethrin
Saw permethrin fogging before; this was all that was used for some time after dengue I believe.
After I complained in emails, and when phoned [3 or 4 times so far] by FEHD, was told of shift to also use bti toxin, which targets larvae: so should be applied in water where mosquitoes breed, but I’ve seen it applied by fogging.
– this should be better; but surely better if targeted. I’ve mentioned to FEHD re training seeming lacking; maybe contractors don’t care, just taking money, and they send out ill paid, ill trained teams; and initially ill equipped with only 1 or 2 of maybe six-member teams wearing protective gear.
I’ve seen indications the government advises re keeping permethrin away from water, as it is dangerous to fish etc; but it is not at all safe elsewhere.
– it’s a broad spectrum insecticide, much info shows it is toxic to bees, butterflies etc etc.
Hence get declines in insectivores too.
Here, reduced success for breeding blue tits: https://setac.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/etc.5620110907
I’ve noticed marked declines in painted frog, lychee bug and more. Insects generally scarcer/rare along heavily fogged areas; and with this, fewer insectivorous birds, esp those of woodland floor, edges. [maybe tree canopies not quite so affected] Fogging travels through trees, too, so like poisoning large areas.
People have told me of barn swallows having v poor breeding season last year, inc nestlings dying before fledged. [first attempt at breeding]. Tempting to link to the massive poisoning; I don’t recall the weather was so odd it should have been big factor.
Thomas Legg reports similar, starting later, on Peng Chau. [not swallows, but insects, insectivores … ]
Urban parks would surely be a lot better for birds etc without this fogging and spraying. I’ve seen grass being sprayed at Tamar “park” – surely no. mosquitoes in the grass there, but will be killing off lots, so not surprising I don’t see parties of mynahs, starlings etc. [maybe others see them; I doubt it; mostly just greenery but dead I think]
FEHD guys who’ve phoned me say they don’t want to kill wildlife; one says he’s from Cheung Chau, remembers the painted frogs [used to be so common, calling on rainy summer nights], and lychee bugs.
Surely under orders to make sure dengue does not occur again. And maybe too ready to respond to even minor complaint about mosquitoes.
Plus, I learned they changed method of trapping to count mosquitoes, maybe more sensitive. So maybe fogging starts at tiny levels of mosquitoes.
The Wikipedia article notes extensive permethrin use can lead to resistance; might wonder if possible to get resistant Aedes and other mosquitoes, in environment with many of their predators scarce or lacking…
bti toxin seems a good alternative.
Less fogging, of course; and target areas with mosquitoes. [not just near traps with mosquitoes, as I see in recent days; one trap is by ruined old school, where I expect problem is with septic tank, other drainage system. But leaves were sprayed, surely useless vs mosquitoes.]
Trapping is even a possible way for mosquito reduction.
– can make simple traps, can attract females to breed, and empty out the water.
Maybe use more of the traps as used for monitoring mosquitoes?
[Telford Gardens had sign about something perhaps trapping mosquitoes; clearly not lots of pesticide, given numbers of warblers etc in recent years inc last autumn, some of which stayed a long time and stayed healthy looking.]
There is manpower for using traps this way; I see teams of maybe six people walking about, often.
In Australia, say:
“The high public acceptability of SLOs and BLOs [traps], coupled with significant impacts on female Ae. aegypti populations in two of the three interventions reported here, suggest that mass trapping with SLOs and BLOs can be an effective component of a dengue control strategy.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19941596counter intuitively, mass trapping not reducing Aedes populations in this study: https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0074-02762015000400517
But a more recent paper notes:
“While mass-trapping interventions have long been discredited as inefficient compared to insecticide applications, increasing levels of insecticide resistance, and the development of simple affordable traps that target and kill gravid female mosquitoes, show great promise.”
Well, I hope this is some use; I’ll also send this email to FEHD.
I know a full study would take much time and effort; but hope it will be possible to express concern to FEHD, others in government; and suggest different ways, along with a “lighter touch”, even some acceptance of mosquitoes as part of our ecosystem.
None of us want dengue, of course; I live very close to the “epicentre” on Cheung Chau in 2018, maybe 50m from place where I believe two people caught dengue [looking in their garden, I saw several pots that had water in… – afterwards, not seeing such obvious breeding places in there; I do check around our place, and throw out water in pots etc. Believe more can be done re educating people to do likewise; told FEHD I think the publicity here is mostly too boring, not simple like in some places.]
But of course, on and on went the spraying and the fogging; on 19 November 2021 I emailed:
There are currently very few mosquitoes in woods of se Cheung Chau; and no dengue fever in Hong Kong.
Yet, an awful lot of fogging – including I can hear right now outside my place.
Not sure if all/mostly with bti toxin now: can you confirm?
But it is not justified by science or commonsense.
Just like a habit now. And even in response to tiny nos of mosquitoes trapped, I expect.
Leaves hideous stink along trails; can you tell me what the solvents are, too?
And will impact wildlife, even if bti; including decreasing insect predators that can play some role in reducing mosquito numbers, and other insect pests.
Mosquitoes part of ecosystem; could focus on potential breeding spots
On 9 December 2022 I emailed:
I keep wondering if FEHD has plans for greatly reducing/stopping the “war” on Cheung Chau nature – ie spraying and spraying vs mosquitoes, long after dengue fever has gone.
Preferably with some recognition that mosquitoes are part of the ecosystem here, even tho annoying.
– and Aedes readily breeding in water provided by humans.
Maybe the teams can indeed focus more on potential breeding areas.
Education important too.
“No stagnant water, no mosquito breeding” seemed a simple message, years ago.
– but I don’t see any good messaging nowadays; mentioned this before.
I took this photo three days ago; up on Fa Peng Knoll.
Slope just below 14A [Fa Peng Road]; also just below a small garden with Chinese style bridge and small pavilion, almost in ruins but with some work done recently
surely the water containers were thrown down by workers, maybe from this site w Chinese style buildings, maybe from a construction site v close by. [I bet those workers don’t want mosquitoes, which might breed in water in these bottles!]
Ideally, up to company employing these workers to clear these, and make sure the area around the site is free of lap sap from workers?
I received a follow up phone call, with some positive steps – workers had been told to clear the bottles [this happened]; but on 5 January emailed:
Thanks again for the phone call three days ago.
Just out in woods, se Cheung Chau; and in places could smell pesticide had been sprayed [and I have a VERY bad sense of smell].
Woods about lifeless along the paths.
I don’t know why there is such intensive spraying here.
Dengue long gone; unless someone in FEHD imagines it is waiting to magically reappear here if a few mosquitoes? [Of course, requires an infected human, to be bitten by mosquito that then transmits … could be lots of places in HK, then.]
Person calling me said pesticide spraying would be reduced in later winter months.
But why is there any spraying at all? Especially as Aedes is a warmer weather mosquito.
There are also few people walking the woodland trails; no good reasons I can see for spraying along them, other than some sort of bureaucratic inertia – you started with dengue cases, and somehow just can’t stop. Just a habit; and the “death squads” go out, doing their thing, even with dengue gone.
Mosquitoes are part of the ecosystem here; and happily we don’t have main dengue vector mosquito.
Also, dengue more urban – surely could better use resources doing some community outreach, so people minimise breeding areas.
I’ve emailed about this often; happens overseas. But very bad messaging from FEHD these days.
By contrast: thanks for arranging for clear up of the bottles dumped by Fa Peng Road: I just had a look, appeared clear.