BRUNSWICK

Heeding public concern about the scheduled spraying of an insecticide to kill a brown tail moth infestation at the Brunswick High School campus, the district has postponed the application.

Jean Powers, a retired farmer, pointed out at a school board meeting last week a blueberry barren abuts the school property, and the spraying of pesticides to kill moths will poison the bees pollinating the nearby land.

“They are the pollinators — no bees, no food,” she said in closing. The spraying was scheduled for Sunday, but it was decided late Thursday night it would be canceled, said Assistant Superintendent Pender Makin on Friday.

Makin said the decision was made by Superintendent Paul Perzanoski and Facilities Director Scott Smith to postpone the application so they can consult with local experts and find an alternative, and more organic, solution to using the pesticide permethrin. Smith was not in the office Friday to discuss the decision.

Before the change in plans, Bartlett Tree Experts had been hired to spray moth-infested trees at Brunswick High School. The active ingredient in the pesticide, permethrin, is toxic to insects, including bees. In the notice sent to parents and guardians by the district to alert of the application, the fact sheet about the chemical said it was highly toxic to bees, even if it is residual on weeds, and that it is toxic to aquatic life.

According to state law, schools must notify parents and staff about pesticide application, but are not required to notify the general public.

The field is leased by the Hill family, and the property was listed on the MOFGA website in 2016 as a certified organic blueberry field known as Larrabee Blueberry Farm LLC.