Drone being used for mosquito control in Georgetown
Georgetown S.C. (WCBD) – The Georgetown Mosquito Control Division is working to create a more effective and efficient way to decrease pests in the area. With the help of new traps, a safer mosquito spray, and a drone, the division says it’s seeing promising results.
The drone being used by the Georgetown council will help spray for the summer pests, as well as survey mosquito-heavy areas. Georgetown Mosquito Control technician, Zack Parsons said the drone can go where trucks and people can’t.
“With the drone, we’ve decided that it’s a lot easier and more efficient to get into these hard-to-reach areas on foot, to put out the larvicide which is key to the mosquito control program,” said Parsons.
The drone is not the only new addition to Mosquito Control in Georgetown. An environmentally friendly spray, increased spray truck staff, and new traps that only target female mosquitoes (the ones that bite) have also been added. Georgetown resident, Deb Smith, said as someone who lives close to a marsh, she has seen how bad mosquitoes can get.
“It can be so bad that you can step into the grass and look down and they’re all over your ankles before you can even take 2 or 3 steps,” said Smith
That’s why Georgetown County says they are cracking down on mosquito control while doing so in an environmentally friendly way. The new pest spray being used is made of natural ingredients and lasts up to 2 weeks after being sprayed. Parsons says this way other bugs are not affected.
“This one is less harmful to beneficial insects. Your bees, your butterflies, your dragonflies, the other one just acted as it touched stuff it had the effect, this doesn’t have an effect on the beneficial insects,” said Parsons.
Smith said she was glad to hear about the new efforts, as this was something she worried about.
“I’m so happy to hear that because I always feel guilty when I see the truck come by and I think ‘Oh I hope it’s not killing the dragonflies,'” said Smith.
For more information on where the Georgetown County Mosquito Control Division is spraying you can visit their county website.
