The state Department of Environmental Protection yesterday announced that black fly spraying will begin on roughly 1,700 stream miles in 25 counties.
The spray will be distributed both by air and by backpack, and includes Indiana County and two of its neighbors among the 48 rivers and streams that will be treated. DEP uses Bti, which is a naturally occurring bacterium to treat four specific types of black flies in the larval stage. Each county will be notified when it is going to be sprayed. Helicopters will be used as well as ground crews spraying from bridges, embankments, and even wading into streams.
In Indiana County, the Conemaugh and Kiskiminetas rivers will be sprayed. Those two rivers will also be sprayed in Westmoreland County, along with the Loyalhanna Creek and Youghiogheny River. In Armstrong County, black fly spraying will take place on the Kiskiminetas and Allegheny rivers, and on the Mahoning and Redbank Creeks.
