CAMARILLO : Malathion Spraying Scheduled Tonight
Weather permitting, a third spraying of the pesticide malathion in the battle against the Medfly will be applied tonight over an 18-square-mile stretch of eastern Camarillo, agriculture officials said.
A quick-moving storm prevented a trio of helicopters from taking off from Camarillo Airport on Wednesday, said Larry Hawkins, an official of the Cooperative Medfly Project. The spraying to kill the crop-munching pest was rescheduled for tonight.
National Weather Service spokesman Robert Cari said the forecast for Ventura County called for dry and fair skies today, with increasing cloudiness starting Wednesday. Winds up to 15 m.p.h. will be from the northeast, with no rain expected through the end of the week.
Cari said daytime highs will be in the low 70s, while overnight lows will hover in the mid-40s.
Hawkins said strict conditions govern the spraying of malathion. He said if rain is expected up to 24 hours after an application, the operation is canceled. In addition, he said winds must be 10 m.p.h. or less to prevent the pesticide from drifting once it is released.
Agriculture officials said a planned pre-Thanksgiving spraying of malathion has been rescheduled to Nov. 29.
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