JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. - –
With increased reports of the Zika virus being contracted in the U.S., the 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron Pest Management flight isn't taking any chances. They are fighting early to rid the installation of as many mosquitos as possible this summer.
"We started trapping in wooded areas for woodland and salt marsh mosquitos in early May," said James Watson, pest management supervisor assigned to the 633rd CES Entomology flight. "Now that it's starting to get warmer we're starting to spray and trap [mosquitos] in the housing areas."
Traps will be placed around schools, child development centers, parks and dormitories according to Department of Defense guidelines, said Watson. Traps are checked daily and specimen samples are sent to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, to examine mosquitos that may carry the West Nile, Eastern equine encephalitis or Zika viruses.
Housing residents are asked to keep children away from traps and make sure not to move traps from their designated areas. The traps do not contain harmful chemicals but they are designed to draw mosquitos near them so they should not be close to home entryways.
"We have them labeled on a map so we can track where the largest breeding areas are for mosquitos," said Watson. "If we do end up with mosquitoes that carry any of the viruses, we need to know exactly where the source came from so the traps they can't be moved."
Pest control Airmen began spraying a pesticide used to kill mosquitos in housing areas on June 6.
"It's still a little early for us to see the Aedes Albopictus mosquitos, which are the ones that could possibly carry the Zika virus, and we're not projecting any large counts until the temperatures are higher and the humidity hits," said Watson. "It looks like we have a few more weeks before we start getting large counts but it's better that we start killing mosquitos early so we can eliminate as many of them as possible."
Airmen from the entomology flight are scheduled to fog three nights each week from 7 p.m. to approximately 11 p.m., provided the weather permits, through Bethel housing, housing on Langley Air Force Base, followed by the industrial and office buildings across the installation.
"The pesticide we use is relatively safe but we just ask that those in the area keep children, pets and anyone with allergies or weak respiratory systems indoors for one to three minutes after we spray so the chemical can dissipate into the designated area," said Watson. "It's a loud piece of equipment so people will hear us coming and it's perfectly safe to resume regular outdoor activities just a few minutes after we drive past."
Currently Entomology is concentrating on mosquitos that mate and breed in housing areas, specifically those that breed in manmade containers.
"We're moving in to the housing areas specifically looking for tire swings, birdbaths, flowers pots with the water tray at the bottom and small kids' pools that haven't been drained," said Watson. "We need help from residents to identify these breeding sources so we can eliminate them. If they can eliminate them such as emptying a birdbath great, if they can't, they can call us."
For those not residing in base housing, mitigating breeding sources near homes can be as simple as checking for standing water or using mosquito dunks found at any hardware store to kill mosquito larvae.
"There are mosquitos that breed in standing water as well so if you live near a ditch line or an area susceptible to puddles or standing water, call your local mosquito district and let them know you think you have a possible source of mosquito breeding," said Watson. "We're more than happy to help any way we can to eliminate as many mosquitos as possible and avoid those with the Zika virus and any other virus."
Spraying and trapping will continue throughout the summer, until the typical season for mosquitos ends in October. For any questions contact the 633rd CES Customer Service desk at 764-5342 or the Entomology flight at 764-3324.
For more information regarding the Zika virus visit
http://health.mil/zika.