KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A Knoxville woman was shocked to learn that a landscaping company she hired to spray for mosquitoes accidentally sprayed an herbicide throughout her yard, killing dozens of plants, including shrubs and trees.
As Ruthie Carter examined the wreckage of her front yard, she couldn’t believe what happened. What should have been a vibrant late-summer sanctuary looks like a battleground. The leaves of her prized plants are curled into brittle claws. Once beautiful plants that lined the side of her yard have turned a deep, rust-colored brown from the roots upward.
DOJ: Knoxville man accused of making threats against ICE agents on Bluesky
For nearly two years, a landscaping company sprayed Carter’s back and front yard for mosquitoes. But on July 17, a mistake was made by a technician from Emerald Island Lawn Service. The company wrote to Carter a month later and said a “wrong tank had been loaded” onto one of their trucks.
“He sprayed an herbicide. It was supposed to be an insect repellent, a mosquito spray. A mosquito spray will not kill plants; it does not harm them at all,” said Carter…