Mosquitoes don’t have a prayer with the C-130 sprayer

An Air Force Reserve aircrew flying a C-130 Hercules assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, sprays a mosquito egg sanitation spray on June 6, 2013, on Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. The “spray” crew is the only one of its kind in the Air Force, assisting multiple bases year-round with their specific area of expertise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Zachiah Roberson)

Mosquitoes don’t have a prayer with the C-130 sprayer

An Air Force Reserve aircrew flying a C-130 Hercules assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, sprays a mosquito egg sanitation spray on June 6, 2013, on Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. The spray crew is the only one of its kind in the Air Force, assisting multiple bases year-round with their specific area of expertise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Xavier Navarro)

C-130: The Bird mosquitoes fear the most

A C-130 Hercules assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, fuels-up for another anti-mosquito egg spray mission on June 6, 2013, on Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. The Hercules aircraft can dispense approximately 300 gallons a minute through its 12-nozzle system. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Zachiah Roberson)

Mosquitoes don’t have a prayer with the C-130 sprayer

An Air Force Reserve aircrew flying a C-130 Hercules assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, sprays a mosquito egg sanitation spray on June 6, 2013, on Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. The spray crew is the only one of its kind in the Air Force, assisting multiple bases year-round with their specific area of expertise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Zachiah Roberson)

Mission 'Bug off' takes off

An Air Force Reserve aircrew flying a C-130 Hercules assigned to the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, takes off to begin its anti-mosquito egg spray mission on June 6, 2013, on Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. To allow the mosquito egg spray to effectively be dispersed, it is dumped through a pressurized set of nozzles located on both sides of the rear end of the aircraft.. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Zachiah Roberson)

Reserve C-130s battle North Dakota mosquitos

Published June 10, 2013
By Eric M. White
910AW/PA

GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. -- Air Force Reserve Command C-130s completed aerial spray missions here and over Williston, N.D., May 28 - June 7.

Roaring overhead at more than 200 mph, 100 feet above watery areas, specially equipped C-130s from the 910th Airlift Wing, Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, delivered mosquito-killing larvicide over 8,024 acres in and around the Williston Army Corps of Engineers property and Grand Forks AFB.

"We had a very successful mission," said Maj. Joe George, 757th Airlift Squadron pilot and mission commander. "North Dakota had a very wet season and created perfect conditions for a lot of mosquitoes. The people were very happy to see us."

The Williston region has long had mosquito problems because the Missouri River often floods low-lying areas in the spring. Grand Forks AFB is prone to standing water that multiplies mosquito populations. The purpose of the aerial spray missions was to lower the number of mosquito bite-related irritations and infections, minimize the threat of West Nile Virus and offering real-world training to Airmen and other parties conducting the mission.

Citizen Airmen at Youngstown, home to the Department of Defense's only fixed-wing aerial spray capability, deployed on the mission to train aircrew, pest management personnel and maintenance members in control of nuisance and disease-carrying mosquitoes.

The highly technical missions required coordination between aircrew flying the C-130s and pest management personnel on the ground and with civilian air traffic to de-conflict airspace. Maj. Kirk Mundal, an entomologist with the 757th AS, provided ground support and conducted pest population monitoring before and after the mission to measure effectiveness.