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Vector Mosquito Control reports 22,000 acres treated and discusses trapping, staffing and upcoming flights
Summary
A Vector Mosquito Control representative told the committee they treated roughly 22,000 acres by truck, logged about 610 spray miles, executed several aerial applications, and will return in September with a seasonal wrap-up. Staff and committee members discussed trap-data discrepancies and staffing challenges.
A representative from Vector Mosquito Control briefed the committee on seasonal mosquito-abatement activity, reporting truck-based treatments and multiple aerial flights while answering committee questions about surveillance data and staffing.
The presenter said the operation recorded about 610 spray miles from July 1–17 and that trucks treated approximately 22,000 acres ("This is by on the trucks now, not the aircraft"), with 36 service requests for adulticide covering ballparks and special events. He reported that four aerial applications occurred in July, giving a total of six aerial applications to date, and said the next scheduled flight is planned for July 29–30. The presenter also said crews inspected nine sites and found larvae at four, and that they distributed 26 pounds of larvicide. "We treated 22,000 acres," the presenter said, and added that heat has stressed mosquitoes and life traps have been down recently.
The Chair raised an apparent inconsistency in the surveillance numbers: raw mosquitoes collected reportedly fell from 1,772 to 476 year over year, while the average mosquitoes per trap rose from 4.86 to 14.87; the presenter said this could be a reporting/tabulation error and agreed to check the figures. A committee member asked about staffing; the presenter said pilots are available but truck drivers have been difficult to retain and that daytime staff are used to cover night shifts when necessary. The presenter told members he expects to return in September with a final wrap-up report.
