LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
Slithering and sliding, creeping and crawling, flying, jumping or stalking; it doesn't matter, the folks at the Langley Air Force Base entomology shop have it covered.
Posters of the anatomy of strange bugs and other crawling creatures cover the walls of the small office tucked away behind Eaglewood Golf Course. An indoor beehive and living snakes and other critters inhabit the workplace.
This isn't an average Air Force office.
James Will, the 633rd Civil Engineer Squadron Entomology Foreman has shown the innovative beehive to the local community so beekeepers can protect their swarms from the Dibrom pesticide sprayed around Langley AFB.
Want to see it? No problem, said Will. The team keeps a host of animals in the shop as shop pets, including Sammy the bearded dragon, a species of lizard, as the shop's unofficial mascot.
However, a trip may not be for the faint of heart. A Ball Python, Rosey Tarantula, California king snake, broad-headed skink and five Madagascar Hissing Roaches are all contained in the shop.
Senior Airman Steven Peterson, a 633rd CES pest control specialist, said that along with biannual visits to the youth center, the shop's critters are available for viewing and even handling in some cases.
Pest control and any related public health concerns also fall under their area of responsibility. From outbreaks of bed bugs to pesky ants, a call to CES can get the base's pest problems solved.
Not surprisingly, the shop has received some strange calls.
"We catch some pretty crazy stuff," said Peterson. He said the team has responded to calls about snakes in Airman dormitories to raccoons in the rafters of buildings.
The biggest mission for the pest pros is preventing disease vectors from populating on Langley.
"Disease vectors are essentially creatures that have the possibility to carry diseases on to humans," said Mitchell Burchan, a 633rd CES pest control technician.
Common vectors are mosquitoes and ticks, said Will. To monitor these animals, especially mosquitoes, the shop uses a large array of equipment, from microscopes and test tubes to insect traps.
Will and Burchan offered the following fun facts about the area's wildlife:
· There are no poisonous snakes native to this region of Virginia; however, three types of venomous snakes live in the local area, including Northern Copperhead, Eastern Cottonmouth and Timber Rattlesnakes. Also, corn snakes, northern water snakes and black rat snakes are common and getting bitten hurts regardless of their non-poisonous anatomy
· There are more than 50 species of mosquitoes native to Langley AFB. All are checked for diseases such as West Nile
· Mosquitoes lay their eggs the water
· No deadly viruses have been found in any of the vectors to date on Langley AFB
· Mosquitoes are attracted to light, carbon dioxide and human sweat. One of the traps releases a synthetic smell of sweat to catch the tiger mosquito
· One light/CO2 trap catches approximately 500 to 1,500 mosquitoes nightly during the height of the season, which runs from April to October
So in the future, if that pet snake gets loose or critters invade your workplace, don't hesitate to call the 633rd CES customer service center and ask for the brave souls at the entomology shop.