Letter to the Editor: Misinformation or misleading information? Scare tactics at their finest

Dear Editor,

A couple of weeks ago, a letter to the editor was published from a concerned citizen regarding the Town of Lovell’s use of a certain chemical used to control mosquitos. 

The same week, you, the editor of the paper, wrote in your column, asking citizens to be diligent and wary of all of the misleading political advertisements that are currently flooding mailboxes, airwaves and all other forms of media, trying to convince us, the voters, how bad certain candidates are. This is being done with half-truths or half-lies (isn’t that the same thing), sharing misinformation, using out of context information, edited information and so many more forms of communication.

Today, I am not writing about politics. It is about mosquitoes or rather a chemical that the Town of Lovell is using in their battle to control the levels of mosquito activity in our community. 

I wished the concerned citizen would have shared the name of the chemical that he was so concerned about. It would have saved me some time of having to do my own research, but alas, I followed the advice of the editor and did my research and reading regarding the chemical in question. 

The label and ingredients are available online from the manufacturer. No secrets there. I guess I should share the name – PermaSease 4-4. It uses permethrin, which is a synthetic pyrethroid, which comes from the chrysanthemum flower. It is one of the safest and most effective chemicals for mosquito control. It also uses Piperonyl Butoxide, which is an additive to prevent mosquitoes and other bugs from breaking down or neutralizing the permethrin.

As for this chemical doing any damage to plants, it won’t, it can’t, it didn’t kill your trees, it is an insecticide. As the label reads, “This product is highly toxic to bees exposed to direct treatment on blooming crops or weeds. Do not apply this product or allow it to drift to blooming crops or weeds while bees are actively visiting the area.” 

The label directions continue with other guidelines for its use, especially in municipalities like the Town of Lovell. It is even recommended to be used on golf courses. Yes, there are precautions about water bodies, too. If anyone wants to read the label and become informed themselves here is a link, https://azelisaes-us.com/product/permasease-4-4/. It is always important to read, understand and follow the label of any chemical that you are using.

The Town of Lovell, as I have observed, is doing most of their mosquito spraying in the early mornings and late evenings, doing their best to limit the exposure to bee activity. This spray time is also the best time to control the three mosquito species that are capable of carrying the West Nile Virus. By the way, there are at least 50 known species of mosquitoes in Wyoming.

As a holder of a Commercial Applicators License, issued by the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, I am very familiar with chemical labels. I am very familiar with the do and don’ts. I would assume that the employees of the Town of Lovell follow the rules and guidelines for safety when using this chemical. I have the upmost confidence in their choice of chemicals and their ways of using it.

Now I just hope that there isn’t too much excitement or misinformation about the use of Dihydrogen oxide, which has been reported of causing about 4,000 deaths annually in the United States.

Mr. Editor, I would agree with you but would like to take it a step further: It is important to become well-informed about any subject, not just politics.

Gary Emmett

Lovell