An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Entomology controls insect population

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Lindsey Maurice
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The creature quickly spots its target. Towering at 6 feet 2 inches, the giant shadow the man casts makes for plenty of shade from the hot sun. Off it darts, reaching speeds of up to 10 mph, its 10 hairy legs alternating across the hot pavement.

The man looks back to see his stalker. With his heart racing, he ups his speed, but outrunning this creature is impossible. He quickly scans the desert landscape for the nearest shaded area to ditch the creature in tow. The plan works and the man continues his run alone, the creature, meanwhile; enjoying its shady retreat.

Educating Airmen on ways to avoid critters such as the camel spider, is just one of the many duties Tech. Sgt. Gina Porter, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron pest management NCO in charge, deals with on a daily basis at an air base in Southwest Asia.

"Entomology (another term for pest management) is the study of bugs and insects, but we encompass a lot more than just that," said Sergeant Porter, deployed from the 131st Bomber Wing, Missouri Air National Guard. "We mainly take care of your disease vectors - roaches, mice and mosquitoes - anything that can really hurt the general population, but we also have a lot of other creatures to be mindful of here such as feral dogs and cats, foxes, scorpions, lizards and snakes. We're here to protect the health of the men and women stationed here."

The biggest issue Sergeant Porter and her co-worker Tech. Sgt. Leslie Brown, deployed from the 137th Air Refueling Wing, Will Rogers Air National Guard Base, Okla., have been dealing with lately is combating the fly population here.

"The fly situation is the largest on our scope right now," said Sergeant Porter. "Sergeant Brown and I have been going around daily to various locations on base trying to eliminate or at least drastically reduce the fly population."

The 24-year military veteran added that while the pest management team is doing what it can to reduce the fly population, a portion of the responsibility falls on everyone stationed here.

"Sanitation plays a major factor," she said. "It's imperative that people pick up after themselves and throw their trash away in the designated bins. You can't have a week's worth of food trash strewn across your room and wonder why you have so many flies buzzing around."

Another insect high on the entomology team's radar is the mosquito. With mosquito season quickly approaching, the duo is working hard to prevent the population from becoming problematic this summer.

"We're being proactive right now, putting out mosquito dunks (a pesticide in the form of a cube that is placed in areas where water accumulates) across the base in potential problem areas," she said. As mosquitoes lay their eggs on the surface of fresh or stagnant water, Sergeant Porter advises people to be aware of areas around their work centers or dorms where water might pool and to dump any water accumulation.

Sergeant Porter, a Foristell, Mo., native, said another important aspect of pest management is keeping an eye on the larger and more deadly creatures on base, such as feral dogs and cats, scorpions and snakes.

"If nothing else, people need to remember to keep their distance and not to feed any of the wildlife, whether it's a dog, fox, cat or even a bird or mouse," she said. "These animals could be carrying any number of diseases that you definitely don't want."

The Sergeant also warned people to keep their distance from the white poison boxes located throughout the base.

"They are there for a reason - to help reduce the fly population," she said. "With that said, they are not to be tampered with. Please don't touch them or throw your trash or cigarette butts inside of them. It sounds like it would be commonsense, but this has happened in the recent past."

With the summer months approaching, people are also warned to be on the lookout and keep their distance from scorpions and snakes. While not all of these creatures are venomous, The Death Stalker scorpion and False Cobra can cause serious, if not deadly harm if threatened.

"The main points to drive home is to keep your distance from all wildlife, practice good sanitation and call us immediately if an issue arises - that's what we're here for," said Sergeant Porter.

For more information or for assistance, call the 386th ECES Entomology office at 442-7461.