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Pest Management: Reducing disease, saving money

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Terrica Y. Jones
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

The idea of stray animals, rodents, and insects give some people the heebie-jeebies (scare) and the idea of any of those creatures near your room, in your room, or near your food may make some anxious about their sleeping arrangements and where they eat.

Pest management provides service members with protection against wildlife and keeps aircraft engines damage free at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.

“Our job is to keep people safe by keeping the disease vectors down,” said Tech. Sgt. Daniel Bullock, 379th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron pest management noncommissioned officer in charge.

Service members are to be aware of the wild dogs at AUAB. “The feral dogs can get pretty aggressive and can carry diseases such as rabies,” said Bullock.

“Rabies is a preventable viral disease of mammals that infects the nervous system and is transmitted through a bite or saliva of a rabid animal,” said Senior Airman Brelan Sierson, 379th Expeditionary Medical Operations Squadron public health technician. “Symptoms include fever, headache and general weakness.”

“If you are bit or scratched by an animal, it’s considered a medical emergency –immediately report to a medical treatment facility,” Sierson added.

Even though feral cats can also carry rabies, they have environmental benefits. “Cats help control the mice, and they aren’t normally aggressive,” said Senior Airman Jonathan McDonald, 379th ECES pest management technician.

Pest management also controls the bird population on base and sometimes receives assistance from wing safety. The combine efforts of both pest management and wing safety prevents damage to aircraft and saves money.

“Keeping the pigeon population down helps prevent damage to aircraft engines,” said Bullock.

 “The number of damaging bird strikes and the repair costs of damage done by those strikes varies from year to year,” said Capt. Robert Lantz, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing flight safety officer.

In 2014 and 2015, a total of 238 pigeons and doves were removed by wing safety; two KC-135 Stratotankers’ were damaged by bird strikes last year causing $8,430 in damage, Lantz added.

“In 2015 pigeons and doves caused 35 percent of the bird strikes at AUAB,” said Master Sgt. Jason Lewis, 379th AEW flight safety non-commissioned officer in charge.

 Pest management and public health gives some wildlife advice to all personnel at AUAB.

“Adopting, caring for, or feeding wild animals as pets or using them as mascots is prohibited in order to help prevent exposure of personnel to illness,” said Sierson.

“Stay away from wild animals and if they are causing a disturbance, call civil engineering customer service,” said McDonald. “If they are not causing a disturbance, stay away from them and remember don’t feed them.”