WATCH


the Lee County Team Fight Mosquitoes in the H125


Left: Hillsborough County encompasses over 1,000 square miles of terrain and water, including the city of Tampa, that is patrolled and treated using a single Bell 206B.


Below: Lee County has the largest fleet of aircraft in the state, with both King Air and DC-3 fixed-wing assets in addition to its six Airbus H125 helicopters.


The Best Off ense … The fi rst step in controlling mosquitoes is reducing their opportunities to multiply. That includes commonsense eff orts to keep objects like unused


buckets, discarded tires, or even bird feeders from providing mosquitoes a place to lay their eggs. But even if every human-created reservoir were emptied, Florida—frequently rained on, rimmed by salt marshes, and run through with springs and slow-moving rivers (hello, Everglades!)—has countless natural habitats in which mosquitoes can always breed. Mosquitoes, however, are not always in need of control. It is important


to determine which species are present and in what numbers. Remember, not all species feed on humans (or dogs and horses). There’s no need to eradicate nonpest mosquitoes, as these insects are part of the food chain for fi sh, birds, amphibians, and other insects. They are also pollinators.


LEE COUNTY MOSQUITO CONTROL DISTRICT


FOUNDED 1958


FIRST HELICOPTER Bell 47 in 1968


CURRENT HELICOPTERS Airbus H125 (six)


TREATMENT AREA 785 mi2


/2,033 km2


EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR David Hoel, PhD


CHIEF PILOT Thurburn Botterill


SEPTEMBER 2021 ROTOR 51


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