In some parts of the country (mainly in the hot and humid regions), the relationship between humans and the friendly insects known as mosquitoes can be quite controversial. These tiny, cute pests not only swarm on humans to suck their blood and leave ugly spots all over the skin, but are also known to carry a number of viruses that kill many people on a daily basis. Now, some local authorities are deploying drones to combat the mosquito menace.
Broward County, Florida, recently began using one of the automated devices to “control mosquitoes in hard-to-reach areas,” according to a health department report. South Florida Sun-Sentinel Broward County officials announced Wednesday that they regularly spray insecticides on mosquito breeding grounds to kill larvae that can eventually develop into dangerous disease. Until recently, that required sending teams into Florida’s swamps where Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (also known as the “yellow fever mosquito”) lay their eggs. Now, Broward County officials can fly drones to do the job without the need for human suffering, The Sentinel reported.
Previously, workers could spend days wading through mud and wielding machetes to make their way through thick trees to explore a single area that was inaccessible by truck.
“Those poor people have to go there,” lamented Ann Thong, chief of the Highway and Bridge Maintenance Division, part of the Broward County Department of Public Works. Oversees the mosquito control department.
Currently, drones are heading to areas where mosquito species lay their eggs.
Using drones to kill mosquitoes is not an unprecedented trend: In 2013, the state of Florida experimented with using drones to kill mosquitoes. Find a puddle Places where mosquitoes may breed in large numbers.
But these drones are taking the fight to pests head on, and similar efforts are being seen in other U.S. counties. In California, orange Santa Clara County, etc. They recently started using similar tactics with drones.Before drones were used, local governments tended to rely on larger aircraft like planes and helicopters to drop pesticides on pests, reports the Associated Press. reported.
