MECKLENBURG COUNTY -- Charlotte residents witnessed planes flying low over parts of the city most of the day Monday, as pilots took to the air in the fight against the cankerworm.

The planes, which sprayed a chemical deadly to the cankerworms but safe for humans, hit thousands of acres on Monday, with more coming through the week. Some citizens are happy that something is finally being done.

“Walking my dog through town, I’m always having to fight the cankerworms off of me,” said resident Margaret Fontaine. She welcomed the planes and the Foray 48-b they sprayed down upon the city.

The spray is not a chemical insecticide, but it contains natural organisms already present in the environment. City arborist Don McSween says the spray will save thousands of trees.

"It's one of the things that Charlotte is known for,” said McSween in regards to the trees. “And if you consider the fact that these large trees, if they die in someone's yard can often cost thousands of dollars to remove."

Some 63,000 acres will have been sprayed when things come to an end. That’s 10 times larger than the cankerworm spray in 1998.

The city has been battling the cankerworms throughout the year. One attempt to stop them has been to band the trees to control the population.

Though the spray is not harmful to humans, it can stick to cars, so the city is allowing car washing for one week because the spray is much like tree sap. The spraying is scheduled to last up to four days this week. For more information, visit HERE.