[ad_1]
A drone flies over a quiet swamp in Southern California and unleashes a rain of bacterial spores that kill the caterpillars. Its goal: to increase the number of mosquitoes that can transmit diseases to humans.
The drone is the latest technology deployed by the Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District to attack the development of mosquitoes in swamps, large ponds, and parks.
Mosquitoes grow into larvae from eggs laid in the water, making the spread of biting insects a major concern after an unusually rainy California winter.
“There are a little more mosquitoes because of the rain,” said John Savage, who recently operated the drone at the San Joaquin Marsh Preserve near the University of California, Irvine. “You can see here almost every swampy puddle full of water.”
An area of more than 800 square miles (2,070 square kilometers) south of Los Angeles reports that the traps capture three times as many mosquitoes as the average over a 15-year period.
“I would call it a spike,” said Kiet Nguyen, a vector ecologist in the area.
Common methods of applying anti-mosquito treatments include the use of knapsack sprayers, trucks, planes and helicopters. The drone allows for more precise treatments and avoids the need to tread on sensitive territory, according to District.
“We’re always looking at developments in technology – what can lead to (getting) the job done more efficiently, more useful to the team and less invasive,” said Nguyen.
Nguyen said the drone flies higher than all the nesting birds and allows access to places that cannot be reached by a person with a backpack sprayer or trucks.
Nguyen said the drone is capable of processing 1 acre (0.4 hectares) of land in less than two minutes, a task that takes more than an hour’s hiking by a worker carrying a backpack.
When Savage finished his last morning flight, he didn’t bother the nearby egret as he foraged through the tall grasses for food.
Savage said, “We’ve done studies where we’ve watched birds, and usually the birds come back right after the drone passes by. So if anything, it’s better for the environment.”
Anti-mosquito treatment is not harmful to other wildlife.
“Mosquito larvae are filter feeders, so they feed on bacteria,” Savage said. It gets into their gut and is a growth regulator. So basically – if you watch ‘Alien’ – it explodes in their stomachs.”
Depending on the region, drone operators must have a remote pilot license from the Federal Aviation Administration as well as a technical drone vector control license from the California Department of Pesticides.
Orange County, which acquired the drone several years ago, doesn’t use it in neighborhoods. Similarly, Santa Clara County Vector Control is using a drone to control mosquito larvae in non-residential areas along the San Francisco Bay.
Mosquito-borne diseases have long been recognized as a public health threat, and the concern is growing.
The European Union’s disease prevention body warned this month that warming caused by climate change increases the risk of viral diseases carried by mosquitoes. And this week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported five cases of malaria spread by mosquitoes in Florida and Texas, marking the first localized spread in 20 years.
In California, West Nile virus is the most common and dangerous mosquito-borne disease, accounting for more than 7,500 human cases and more than 300 deaths since 2003, according to the state’s Department of Public Health.
So far this year, Orange County’s West Nile has yet to be caught, but Nguyen hasn’t come close to declaring victory over Pest.
“It’s more of a fight,” he said. You won’t win the war against mosquitoes, but you can gain some ground. And with the advancement of technology, we are making progress.”
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – News agency)
[ad_2]
