BANGOR DAILY NEWS • November 14, 2024
The board regulating pesticide use in Maine is considering stiffer penalties for companies that repeatedly violate pesticide rules. Mosquito Squad of Southern Maine more than once has sprayed the wrong lawn. Previous violations included employees not spraying correctly, keeping incomplete records and pesticides drifting onto others’ property due to wind and misapplication. More than 6.2 million pounds of yard care pesticides were brought into Maine in 2007 — a sevenfold increase since 1995 that coincided with the explosion of yard care companies in Maine, according to the most recent figures from the pesticide board. The trend fell to 5.7 million pounds in 2011 when Mainers turned to more organic lawn care companies, according to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. Additional pressure to cut pesticide use is coming from a 2021 law in Maine forbidding pesticides containing intentionally added per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, from being sold in Maine starting in 2030.