LANGLEY AFB, VA. –
The Air Force is targeting a familiar flying menace again this year.
Weather permitting, a C-130 from the 910th Airlift Wing at Youngstown, Ohio, will fly out of Langley Tuesday through Thursday to hit mosquito "hot spots" in Langley, Bethel Manor Housing, Hampton and Fort Eustis.
Hampton Roads areas will be sprayed between 7 - 10 a.m. all three days. Residents will be able to see and hear the low-flying plane as it passes overhead.
When spraying begins, the plane will fly as low as 150 feet above the ground and release liquid in an aerosol form. The 910th uses Dibrom (chemical name, Naled), an EPA-approved pesticide, for mosquito control.
Aerial spraying targets the type of mosquitoes that fly late in the day. After spraying, Dibrom should kill about 90 percent of adult mosquitoes.
The reduction in mosquito populations may last up to two weeks depending on the size of the area sprayed and how many new mosquitoes hatch.
"Residents and their pets are advised not to be outdoors directly under the airplane's spraying path," said Maj. Robert Nyquist, Public Health Flight Commander. "This same pesticide and technique have been used at Langley Air Force Base in previous seasons with no reported ill effects on humans or animals. And, because of the very small amount of active ingredient released per acre of ground, exposure estimates are hundreds to thousands of times below an amount that might pose a health concern."
Although the chemical poses little risk to humans or animals, Langley's Public Health Office advises residents who may prefer to avoid or further minimize exposure (such as those who suffer from chemical sensitivities or feel spraying may aggravate a pre-existing condition) to take the following additional precautions when spraying is taking place in the immediate area: stay indoors with windows and doors closed for 30 minutes and turn off window-unit air conditioning until after the airplane passes.
Residents can help prevent other types of mosquitoes from hatching by emptying containers of water in their yards and eliminating sources of standing water, such as flowerpots and birdbaths. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as one inch of standing water.
Beekeepers are advised to protect their bees by sheltering the hives during the aerial spraying operations. Particles of the sprayed chemical could land on foraging bees with a deadly effect.
For details about spraying, visit
the Environmental Protection Agency or call the mosquito hotline at 764-1104.