What should I do? Being forced to be sprayed with chemicals.

[mothertochicks]

Please Help!!!
I live in San gabriel city, Los Angeles county. Since a few weeks agp, the department of agriculture have come to my house giving me paper that said they found an insect, asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing that affect citrus trees. I have refused the treatments and talked to them and called their hotlines for five different times. I left a message for the supervisor in charge of spraying in this area, but he didn't call me back.
My home was sprayed with chemicals, Tempo SC Ultra , Merit 2F and Core Tect this morning by the Los Angeles county agriculture. They just came to my door and handed me with a warrant and put poisons into the ground around my trees and spraying them as well. I have told them that I am allergic to many chemicals, and my father and I have chronic health problems, and the chemicals they were forcing onto me would make me and father ill. But they didn't care. I feel like being raped in my own home! Do we have any rights anymore? When I tried to go over to the my chicken coop and get two of my hens out to a safer area. I was not allowed to go in my own property!!! And the CHP officers that came with them were restraining and handcuffed me. I felt so violated. My pets and me were traumatized by this event. My poor chickens were traumatized because they have to be confined to the little day pen now. and they couldn't go to their nest to lay eggs. The coop is next to a grapefruit tree which was spayed and chemicals were put in the ground. I don't know if it would be safe to let the roam around because they plut so much of this poison into the property. I am so traumatized as well because I feel my rights were violated. I had to stay inside my house until they finished the treatment. I even called the paramedics because my heart were racing so fast. They wanted me to go to the hospital, but I had to stay here to watch my chickens.

The first time when they sprayed this area, I refused the treatment, but I came home to find two men were putting the chemicals into the soil. I had a fit, and they dig them up. I also have to clean up the area and throwing away the chemicals they left behind. The chemicals caused me to have headache and dizziness for a few days. That was a month ago. This time they had a warrant, and I didn't know what to do. My poor hens are making the noise that they are stressful because I know they want to go to their coop to lay eggs. But I can't let them out because I don't know if it is safe yet or is it ever going to be safe. I think I have go to dig up the chemical in tablets that they put into the soil, whatever I can, and spray with water so they won't be eaten by my chickens. So much for taking care of the land, the soil, and being organic for the last 25 years. Please I would appreciate any advice. Thank you.

 

[cruxmama]

I have no advice other than to contact a lawyer. Surely if they don't care about whether they poison your chickens, they should cease and desist for your health... Is you doctor aware of the chemical allergies? If he's done tests on that he should be able to write a letter and put a halt (or at least a delay) to further treatments? I have no idea if the chemicals you named would be harmful to chickens... maybe check with an avian vet? I am sorry you are going through this; hope you can get it all straightened out somehow. Good luck!!

 

[Bunnylady]

Merit and core tect have the same active ingredient, imidacloprid. It is a systemic insecticide that is also used as a perimeter treatment on houses to prevent termite damage, and directly on pets to control fleas. Tempo is used in agriculture, including as a spray for fly control in buildings used to house chickens and turkeys.

I also have chemical sensitivities, so I understand your concern, but these are products that are viewed as presenting little or no threat to people or their pets (and that includes chickens) when used according to label directions.

Unfortunately, huanglongbing doesn't just affect citrus trees, it kills them, though it may take years to do it. There is no treatment once a tree is infected; the fruit of infected trees is unusable, so this has potential to have a major impact on the growing of citrus in California.

If they leave your trees untreated, your yard becomes a little sanctuary for the psyllid and the disease it carries. Your trees could stand for years, a source of infection for your neighbors' trees, until they die of the disease or are removed.

I understand that there is a biological control for the Asian psyllid; I don't know how the development of that is going.

I understand your concern, but I can see the Department of Agriculture's viewpoint, too. To borrow a line from Star Trek, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one." I'm afraid that, if you don't want to have your yard treated, your best option may be to remove any citrus trees you may have on your property.