John Mitchell's mention of Malathion spraying for Eastern Equine
Encephalitis carrying mosquitos in Massachuestts in 1990 brings back
painful memories.  The Mass. Pesticide Control Board directed the DC-3
operation which was conducted during daylight hours starting from 6:30 to
7:00 AM and continued until dusk.  I moved 50 nucs to Cape Cod which was
out of the spray area and moved them back again a day after spraying was
completed.  There was no effect on them.  But colonies that were too heavy
to be moved, and too numerous around cranberry bogs to move, suffered heavy
losses.  Such losses were not considered necessary as the flights could
have been flown at night when the bees would have been relatively
unaffected.  The operation came from down south and we were told they used
Loran for navigation.  We saw no reason that they could not have flown a
night operation and strongly requested such to the Department in Boston.
The three DC-3s flew over my house at 7:00 AM at an estimated 300 feet in a
heavy fog such that they were barely visible for only a moment.  Within a
few minutes the trees around my home were filled with the screams of birds.
 The noise subsided after about five minutes and all was dead silence.
Sure the beekeepers were notified well in advance, and a letter was sent to
the Commissioner of Agriculture strongly requesting that flights be
restricted to hours between dusk and early dawn, and to avoid cranberry bog
areas.  We hope that the experience will never be repeated but know we
cannot count on it.
Peter Wilson