Fairfax County to Combat Inchworms — From the Air

Fairfax County officials is gearing up to fight an inchworm epidemic from above.

The county is planning to bring in a helicopter to drop pesticides on the worms, which experts worry are killing trees, reports the Washington Examiner .

This is the first time in a decade that the county has used a helicopter for the extermination work. Two pesticide drops are planned for April. The first will take place on 2,000 acres near Franconia and Mount Vernon. The second will be a smaller 200-acre spray.

The coordinator of the county's Forest Pest Management Program says the pesticides being used aren't generally harmful to humans. Residents in the affected areas will receive two letters with more information about the time of the spray as it nears.