Maplewood Pesticide Use Map

Hi all,

It's pesticide spraying season again and I wanted to see if anyone was interested in joining a sort of citizen science project I'm working on in my free time. I was curious how much pesticide was being used in Maplewood so I started putting together a map of where I see pesticide use flags. (See image attached) You can tell that I've only been able to do a section of town so if anybody wants to help contribute by crowd sourcing this, please let me know and I can show you how you can help. All you need is a smart phone.

The purpose of the map is to answer a few questions:

• How much pesticide is being used? The town does not have this data.
• What are the differences between areas with a lot of use vs. little use? (eg. standing water/drainage problems that could be addressed in a cheaper and more effective way than pesticide use)
• Are there noticeable differences in ecology that could be impacted by pesticide use? (eg. Fewer fireflies, butterflies etc.) Despite some of the marketing, pesticides do not differentiate between species - they will kill all small creatures and potentially cause health issues to the many larger creatures that eat them or live near them.

The purpose of the map is not to shame or dox individuals (the information is public anyway) but I do want to see if we can do better as a community. Ecological issues aside, pesticides are FAR less effective yet more expensive than simply removing standing water. They also have known effects on humans and pets.

Lot's of great and reliable information here: https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/resources

Will

Are you referring to the "Mosquito Squad" signs that people put in their yards?  

weekends said:

Are you referring to the "Mosquito Squad" signs that people put in their yards?  

That is one of the companies that does spraying. Also Mosquito Shield. A lot of lawn companies will spray as well by default unless you specifically ask them not to. They are required to put a sign when they spray so you'll often just a small white flag with a picture of an adult, a child, and a dog crossed out like this: