ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — Wildlife officials in Florida are investigating after hundreds of toxic mothballs were scattered across a Pinellas County beach near a colony of protected birds.
Experts said that the pesticide-filled balls release fumes that could be harmful to black skimmers that nest near the dunes of St. Pete Beach, WTVT reported.
The birds are considered a threatened species by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Brian Ferguson, a senior officer with the FWC, told the Tampa Bay Times that the mothballs posed “serious toxicity issues” to the birds.
“Our thoughts are that the individual put them out here to deter the skimmers from nesting on the beach, because nesting season is coming up,” Ferguson told the newspaper.
Local residents were aiding officials in picking up the mothballs.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is asking people to help report mothballs along our beaches. https://t.co/NsAkGQnsNj
— Tampa Bay 28 (@tampabay28) April 22, 2026
“They’re all over the beach, it’s crazy,” Sandy Denton told WFLA. “Somebody threw them out yesterday, I picked up hundreds and I’ve picked up even more today.”
Denton told WTSP that she had helped pick up every mothball on the beach Monday, but a fresh batch had been scattered on the sand on Tuesday.
“I know they did because I was out here yesterday and I got a bunch -- and now they’re out here again,” Denton told the television station. “They did it again last night, I’m telling you.”
Lisa Reich, president and CEO of the Coastal Wildlife Advocacy Group, said the act was especially a concern just before the birds’ nesting season, WTVT reported.
She told the television station that protecting the bird was “a constant fight.”
Mothballs are made from high concentrations of chemical pesticides like naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, according to the National Pesticide Information Center. Not only are they toxic to humans and animals, they are also illegal to use outdoors.
“It is considered a poison, and it’s regulated by the state and the feds, and it can be considered both a federal and a state violation if used inappropriately,” Ferguson told WTSP. “Since they’re considered a form of poison, they’re highly regulated, and it’s toxic.
“If those skimmers or the seagulls thought that was an egg and wanted to eat the egg, or a grandkid picked it up and thought it was a certain candy, it could have very serious consequences.”
“Mothballs are intended for indoor use and should not be used to repel wildlife,” FWC spokesperson Shannon Knowles said in a statement to the Times. She said they are regulated at the state and federal levels.
Violators could face fines of up to $10,000, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
“We all complain a little bit if the birds are nesting in our favorite spot to sit … but so what?" Karen Davis, another cleanup volunteer, told WFTS. “It’s temporary, move your chair, go somewhere else and find a new spot. It’s not a big deal. We’ve been doing this for years.”
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