Bannock County using drone to combat mosquitoes

Bannock County Noxious Weed and Mosquito Abatement just released its new drone to help keep the mosquitoes under control.

“We use it for not only taking care of noxious weeds, but we also use it in our mosquito control program to help control larvae growing in our marshes,” said David Herter, the department supervisor.

The drone can spray liquid or grain chemicals, depending on what the circumstance calls for.

“We use a natural bacteria that’s very safe to the water, and it does control the larvae of the mosquitoes,” Herter said.

The team is excited about the advancements the drone offers. In fact, they’ve taken it on almost 100 flights to spray the area.

“It’s very stable, very dependable, has a great mapping software that comes with it, which also helps us use less product,” Herter said.

The drone helps the team spray exactly where they need to, rather than spraying on foot or in a vehicle, where there’s often overlap. Plus, it takes way less time. Herter says areas that used to take days to cover now only take hours or even minutes with the drone.

“We are heading into the warm summer season, and we’d really like to tell people to make sure you protect yourself,” Herter said.

Some things you can do to keep the bugs at bay are:

Empty your birdbaths and outdoor water dishes every few days Wear long pants and long sleeved shirts Use approved products that contain DEET “If you see any problems or have any, please contact us. That’s what we’re here to do is to take care of the mosquito problems for you,” Herter said.

The county is continuing to test for West Nile virus. Officials say there haven’t been any cases of the virus in Bannock County, but there has been a case in Twin Falls and three in the Canyon County area.

Typically, West Nile virus shows up after the Fourth of July, so it’s possible there will be outbreaks in Bannock County this summer.