Chopper To Spray Perkiomen Creek, Schuylkill River For Black Fly Suppression

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA — Crews will spray product from the air on a stretch of the Perkiomen Creek in Montgomery County Friday to help fight the spread of the black fly population.

Work will take place along the banks of the Perkiomen from the Schuylkill River to Spring Mountain.

It began at 8 a.m. and will continue during the day.

Crews will use a Bell Jet Ranger OH-58+ helicopter, which is green with gold stripes, bearing tail number N637HA.

The chopper will disburse Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti ), which the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection describes as "a naturally occurring soil bacteria used as a microbial insecticide to control the spread of vector-borne diseases."

The DEP says that Bti is not toxic to humans, mammals, birds, fish, plants, beneficial insects, and most aquatic organisms.