MONTEREY Illnesses reported after spraying

Hundreds of people reported feeling sick last year after the state began spraying communities along the central coast to halt the spread of a crop-eating moth, agriculture authorities said Friday.

State and federal officials repeatedly sprayed residential areas in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties last fall to combat the light brown apple moth, which has infested 12 counties stretching from north of San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Dozens of people complained of feeling short of breath and experiencing sharp stomach pains after the first application of a pheromone spray called CheckMate.

The state Department of Food and Agriculture has received a total of 330 illness reports since the pest eradication program began in September, spokesman Steve Lyle said Friday.

A coalition of citizen groups reported getting 290 additional illness complaints and called Friday for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state legislature to get involved.