Mosquito control on base and personal responsibility

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Sarah Breer
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The humidity is rising along with the heat as summertime sets in. One of the season's most annoying pests comes along with the change - mosquitoes.

Around MacDill Air Force Base and through Hillsborough County many control mechanisms have been put in place to help cut down on the number of mosquitoes.
Seventy-seven mosquito traps throughout Hillsborough County, developed by the Centers for Disease Control, use carbon dioxide emitted from slowly evaporating dry ice as an attractant. Once a mosquito gets close to the trap, it is sucked in by a fan.

Also used in the area are 14 flocks of Sentinel Chickens. One coop is maintained on MacDill. The chickens have blood drawn about twice a week, which is sent to a laboratory for testing. If the chickens come back positive for carrying any mosquito borne virus, then the blood is retested for confirmation. The results are reported immediately.

By reporting the results, residents can be made aware early that disease-carrying mosquitoes are present. Knowledge of their presence also triggers an immediate ramping up of mosquito control activities in neighborhoods and surrounding areas.

Mosquitoes leave an annoying, itchy bite, but they also spread diseases like West Nile Encephalitis, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, or Saint Louis Encephalitis.

There are several other ways that mosquitoes can be controlled, and Hillsborough County and MacDill choose to fog. On base, fogging for mosquitoes employs a truck which sprays insecticide into the air. It drifts over large areas and kills mosquitoes.
Trucks are on base near sunrise and sunset to spray. When wind speeds are more than 10 mph the chemicals are not sprayed, because the chemical would not have the desired effect.

How can Team MacDill help keep the mosquito population down?

Mosquitoes need water for their eggs to survive and hatch. Changing standing water in items such as bird baths, water dishes, unattended swimming pools and buckets two times a week can help minimize where mosquitoes can lay their eggs.
In small ponds or other sources in which the water cannot be changed or drained, a fish called Gambusia can be used to reduce the mosquito population. These small, non-descript fish eat mosquitoes.

If a large population of mosquitoes is encountered, please contact pest management. For base housing and Hillsborough County, call 813-635-5400 or contact them online at http://www.fl-hilsborough-county.civicplus.com/forms.aspx?FID=72. Anywhere else on base should call ENSYNC/ASTI Pest Management at 813-828-2991.