Robins entomology shop team keeps critters, big and small, in their place

  • Published
  • By Jenny Gordon
  • Robins Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga --  Pest control at Robins means more than simply spraying for ants, roaches and other creatures that crawl in areas that inconvenience us.

However, with heavy rainfall that has saturated Middle Georgia the last several weeks, controlling the mosquito population on base has kept the 78th Civil Engineer Group Entomology Shop's three employees pretty busy.

Mansur Cooper, shop foreman, explained that he has seen an increase in work orders to spray for ants but has also kept on top of controlling mosquitos that like to come out during early evening hours for a meal.

While spraying chemicals is a last line of defense in the department's pest management methods, he stressed education for customers as well, including sanitation inside and outside of buildings.

"It only takes a small amount of water, even a capful, for mosquitoes to have a breeding area," said Mansur, who has worked at Robins the last 13 years.

Mosquitoes develop through four stages: from eggs to larva to pupa and finally to adults.

They can go from eggs to adults in as little as three to four weeks, and may live from two weeks to two months.

Employees can do their part at home too by eliminating areas that collect water, such as buckets, small pools, bird baths, old tires and toys where mosquitoes can quickly reproduce.

Pest control works alongside public health after it's determined where to spray in areas where mosquito counts have exceeded a threshold. The team then moves forward using its portable, ultra-low volume fogger.

In cases where stagnant water can be difficult to eliminate, small, donut-shaped briquets, which contain an environmentally-safe bacterium called 'Bti,' are placed in strategic areas where mosquitoes lay eggs.

The shop also helps control other types of pests, which John Rourke, pest controller, clarified means more than just insects.

"Pests are described as being anywhere 'they're not supposed to be," he said.

That goes for not only insects, but also alligators, hogs, coyotes, bears, foxes and other wild animals, as well as birds that can pose a threat to human safety. At Robins this is taken very seriously as wildlife presence on the flight line can pose a direct threat to aircraft landing and taking off.

One method the shop uses is one of two bird scare canons, which are basically noisemakers that frighten birds away from the path of aircraft.

In a nutshell, pest management uses these preventative and corrective measures to keep pests from becoming a significant problem.

The biggest takeaway is for everyone to pay attention to their surroundings, keep your work areas clean and call CE customer service before something becomes an even bigger problem.

"We have a service we can provide," concluded Cooper. "But the key is to try and help us by informing us. We're not the bad guys. We try to cooperate with our customers as best as we can."