Summer mosquito season fast approaching; join the battle

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL, AFB Fla --  They buzz overhead at MacDill, diving down and swooping across the landscape knap-of-the-earth in search of a target to strike. No, they are not Air Force planes on a training mission, they are mosquitoes and they can be just as deadly. 

The summer mosquito invasion is fast approaching and once again the base is ramping up for the battle against the annoying and sometimes disease-carrying pest. 

MacDill is a natural paradise for the little vampires, which lay their eggs in swampy wetlands, puddles and creeks in the backwaters and tide pools common toward the undeveloped south end of the base. They can carry a variety of diseases dangerous to humans, including West Nile Virus and encephalitis, as well as cause heartworms in dogs. 

The good news is despite the unusually bad mosquito season at MacDill last year, there were no cases of mosquito-born disease reported in humans or animals. Health officials on base would like to duplicate that in 2007, and hopefully reduce the nuisance the buzzing little monsters cause. For more information on mosquitoes and the danger of bites, call the 6th Aerospace Medicine Squadron Public Health Flight at 827-9601. 

The 2007 campaign will be a team effort between the Public Health Flight and the 6th Civil Engineer Squadron Pest Management Office. The 6 AMDS Public Health Flight surveys and determines which species and the numbers to be controlled, while the 6 CES exterminators are responsible for the search and destroy missions. 

One of the primary ways the bugs will be combated is by controlling their breeding grounds, or waters in this case. Standing, stagnant water is sprayed to kill larvae before it hatches and Hillsborough County trucks and aircraft will participate in spraying campaigns designed to take the sting out of the base mosquito population. 

But it can't be done without the help of everyone who lives or works on base, says Staff Sgt. Timothy McLendon, of the 6th Medical Group. He advises everyone to follow six steps to help ensure mosquitoes do not breed out of control: 

1. Check your yard and dispose of tires or empty containers that can collect rain water. 

2.Change the water in birdbaths, flower vases and pet dishes frequently. 

3. Clean out roof gutters to prevent them from holding water/debris. 

4. Keep children's wading pools empty when not in use. 

6.Keep drainage ditches clean of dead and decaying vegetation. 

These steps help reduce the size of the mosquito population, but there is no way to eliminate them all, so there are some words of advice about preventing bites and the disease that can result from them: 

7.Make sure window and door screens do not contain holes and fit securely in place. 

8. Use insect repellents and wear long-sleeved and long-legged clothing when outdoors where the number of biting insects is high. 

9. Keep in mind that mosquitoes bite more during the hours of dawn and dusk. Plan outdoor activities and events to avoid these periods.