ERADICATION
The eradication side of mosquito control is known as adulticide, which is the good old-time method of killing flying mosquitoes with spray. Despite their best efforts, the CCMC knows they cannot prevent all larvae from maturing. So they proactively spray where there are complaints of high mosquito
populations, including areas
populated by humans. I was somewhat shocked when we flew right over a Walmart shopping center while spraying adulticide, but if the goal is to keep people from being bitten, then you often must spray where the people are. However, it’s not a surprise air raid—except for the mosquitoes. Prior to any scheduled adulticide spray mission, the CCMC publishes a community notification 24 hours in advance. This gives those who may be impacted negatively by the spray application (for example, beekeepers) time to prepare.
Helicopters are the preferred method of active adulticide spraying in order to penetrate heavy tree canopy and be more surgically precise. The operation is usually done at dusk when mosquitos are most active. A spray system, which was custom designed by CCMC staff, is installed on the helicopter and the solution is loaded at the hangar base prior to flight. Once on location, an Ag-Nav Guia GPS precision guidance/tracking system is used to:
• Provide the pilots with swath and lane guidance.
• Guard against flying overlapping lanes.
• Apply the minimum amount of adulticide needed (the minimum label rate).
The spray system operates at 1,000 pounds per square inch and pushes the adulticide out of the system through externally impinged PJ20 misting nozzles
with .020-inch orifices. This unique design gives CCMC precisely sized droplets for mosquito control, while at the same time reducing the impact to non-target organisms. The pilots typically fly at 100 to 110 knots airspeed at 200 to 300 feet, using 1,000-foot lanes when spraying.
Mosquito control missions make up approximately 90 percent of the flying the unit does. It can be demanding and “at risk” work that often occurs in low altitude environments that put aircraft very near obstacles like towers, antennas, and even some structures. Doing it at (or even after) dusk adds additional complexity to the job. Training and high levels of situational awareness are extremely important for safe operations.
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