Local : O.C. Gets Second Malathion Spraying; More Being Planned

With the second malathion spraying in Orange County history successfully behind them, county agricultural officials today were awaiting word from the state on a schedule for future sprayings in its northern areas.

At about 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, three specially equipped helicopters finished spraying hundreds of gallons of pesticide mix over about a 9-square-mile area of Orange County that included parts of La Habra, Brea and Fullerton.

Agricultural officials now plan to spray there as many as a dozen times to try to halt the spread of the crop-destroying pest. The spraying was prompted by the discovery of a pregnant Mediterranean fruit fly Nov. 17 in a trap set in a Brea guava tree.

The northern area likely will be sprayed once every three weeks during the next few months, with spraying coming more frequently as the weather warms in the spring. A schedule for spraying around the Southland could come from the state this week, local officials say.

Some residents have questioned assertions by agricultural officials that the malathion mix poses no health risk. But most elected officials in the affected area have voiced support for the multi-spraying approach and, unlike Los Angeles County, no formal opposition has developed.