Mosquito Mêlée

  • Published
  • 5th Civil Engineer Squadron Pest Management
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The 5th Civil Engineer Squadron pest management shop is responsible for mosquito control on base. Housing occupants and building custodians can assist these efforts by helping to eliminate standing water near their homes and base facilities. Mosquitoes may be breeding, literally, in our backyard. Keep an eye out on the following areas in base housing.

· Birdbaths (Keep them clean and change the water at least twice a week)
· Cans, jars and other containers
· Leaf-filled drains
· Plastic wading pools, kid's toys
· Saucers under potted plants
· Watering cans, buckets, wheelbarrows
· Sump pump drains--if a collection of water is noticed, please call

While eliminating these and similar breeding sites is important to reduce mosquito numbers in the immediate vicinity, most mosquitoes breed in swampy or low-lying areas on or off base. The primary means the Pest Management shop uses to control these mosquitoes are below.

Treatment of Breeding Sites:
There is a lot of standing water on base that can't be eliminated. Several products are used to treat these areas, including Bti (a biological agent) and methoprene (an insect growth regulator). All products are harmless to people, domestic animals and other aquatic organisms--including mosquito predators. The base entomology shop uses both state-of-the-art technologies (including Global Positioning Systems (GPS), handheld computers and mapping programs) combined with the C-130 aircraft and good old-fashioned sloshing through the mud to locate, map and treat virtually all major breeding sites on base.

Area-wide Treatment of Adult Mosquitoes:
This involves the "fogging truck" many people are familiar with and, when available, the C-130 aircraft. Although this is the least effective means of mosquito control, it is often necessary due to the large numbers of adult mosquitoes that migrate in from off-base. Fogging is not done on a regular schedule, but only as-needed when adult mosquito numbers make it necessary.

Even with our best efforts, mosquitoes will not be completely eliminated from Minot Air Force Base. It is still necessary to take common-sense actions to keep mosquitoes from overwhelming us during the warmer months. Keep window and door screens in good repair, avoid being outside during peak activity periods (generally dusk and dawn), and use insect repellent when needed.

For more information, contact the Pest Management Shop at 723-2393.