Chafer battle may harm salmon in the city

By Dan Hlborn
Published June 15, 2005


One of the most active streamkeepers in Burnaby is trying to stop his neighbours from using a popular chemical insecticide to combat a new scourge on city lawns.

Paul Cipywnyk, a member of the Byrne Creek Streamkeepers, said the use of the insecticide Merit to battle the European chafer beetle could result in the loss of spawning salmon in Burnaby's many creeks and streams.

"This kills bugs, and that's bad because that's what the fish in the creek survive on," said Cipywnyk, who lives in a strata title condominium complex adjacent to Byrne Creek.

While Cipywnyk has already convinced his own building management company not to use the spray, he is hearing reports that other buildings are unaware of the potentially deadly impact of the chemical on spawning salmon and may unknowingly use the spray.

"Last year was probably the best spawning year that Burnaby has seen in decades, and salmon are back in creeks where people haven't seen them in ages," said Cipywnyk, who notes that a record 91 coho and chum salmon returned to his favourite creek last year.

And, after nearly 20 years of environmental work by a variety of community groups, record salmon spawning returns have also been noted in other areas of the city. For instance, last year the Stoney Creek Streamkeepers found spawning salmon on Burnaby Mountain for the first time since the 1950s, while this spring, coho salmon fry were spotted in Beecher Creek, at the northwest side of Burnaby Lake.

Cipywnyk said coho salmon fry are especially susceptible to chemicals because they have to live in the local creeks for up to a year before they head out to sea.

The chemical Merit, which is manufactured by Bayer CropScience Inc. of Calgary, is a particular concern because its active ingredient, Imidacloprid, is water- soluble and stays active in the ground for up to 90 days. The chemical's label includes a warning that the spray is not to be applied within 30 metres of "environmentally sensitive areas such as lakes, streams, rivers or other aquatic systems."

Cipywnyk said Burnaby has an extensive network of storm drains that feed directly into the many salmon-bearing creeks and, if the chemical was to enter the storm sewer system, it could flow into the streams and kill salmon runs throughout the city.

Cipywnyk said officials at the federal pest management regulatory agency were taken aback by his claim that Burnaby's storm drains should be considered an aquatic habitat. And officials at the B.C. Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection said chemical treatments to eradicate insects should only be used as a last resort.

"We don't have data to say if you spray, bugs will definitely die and fish will starve," he said. "But, judging from all these scary labels of what it can do to the water bugs, we're taking the position, why go this far when there are other measures that can be tried first to control the chafer?"

Cipywnyk also said that the City of Burnaby deserves credit for trying to promote the use of non-toxic methods to control the spread of the chafer beetle.

Yota Hatziantoniou, an environmental technician in the engineering department at Burnaby city hall, said she has been talking to local garden product distributors to inform them about the hazards of insecticides and to promote the use of naturally occurring biological agents to battle the pests.

While the chafer can be discouraged simply by maintaining a healthy lawn, Hatziantoniou said homeowners could plant more flower beds and vegetable gardens or take other steps to prevent the insect from establishing itself in a neighbourhood.

"If you want a lawn, it will require maintenance," she said. "But if you have the European chafer beetle, one thing you should do is look at alternatives."

Hatziantoniou said chafer beetles burrow into the shallow root systems of unhealthy lawns, where they lay their eggs which grown into larvae, which are in turn sought out by birds, particularly crows, which rip up the lawns in their zeal to eat the grubs.

Chafer beetles have been a recognized nuisance in New Westminster for at least three years and are now spreading their way across Burnaby. This year, they have been spotted in the northwest corner of the city for the first time.

Hatziantoniou said one of the easiest ways to foil the bugs is to allow the lawn to grow a little longer than usual, which makes it more difficult for the beetles to lay their eggs in the fibrous roots. "When you have a taller lawn, you also promote deeper root growth, which is more resistant to bugs," she said.

Another alternative that should be available at local garden centres over the next few weeks is nematodes - worms - which will eat the chafer larva, Hatziantoniou said.

"The city is trying to view this in a positive light," she said. "In a sense, the European chafer issue provides an opportunity to teach about healthy lawn techniques from an environmental perspective. ... It's kind of a good way to get the message across, and we're hoping people will follow some of those recommendations."

A pamphlet outlining alternatives to chemical use on local lawns was mailed out to every homeowner in Burnaby along with the city tax notices, and more information should be available at local lawn and garden centres before the end of the month.