There will be low-altitude buzzing.
One or two Beechcraft King Air turboprop planes will start spraying mosquitoes across most of Flagler County at very low altitude–just 300 feet–starting Nov. 2, to reduce the multiplying population of mosquitoes in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The spraying is paid for with state emergency funds and the planes are contracted through the state rather than through the East Flagler Mosquito Control District.
The spraying–or bombing, if you prefer–will likely begin the evening of Saturday and go from dusk to dawn. It’ll continue each night until dawn on Wednesday, November 6. The planes will make considerable noise. “There may actually be several plane in the area,” Maerk Positano, the district’s director, said. “They may star with one plane and have two spraying at one time, but usually not more than two.”
Pesticides for mosquito control are applied at “ultra-low volume” with rates of less than an ounce per acre. The pesticides are the same used by the local district. Positano estimates the value of the pesticides to be used by the state in the half million dollar range. Mosquitoes are most active at night, when pollinators and other beneficial insects are less active and therefore avoid exposure. The active ingredients break down quickly and do not have any residual effects, officials say. Nevertheless, beekeepers will be notified by the UF|IFAS Flagler Extension Office.
Flagler County Emergency Management works with the mosquito district and the Florida Department of Health to determine if broader spraying was needed, Lord said, relying on the district’s traps, which measure the mosquito population at numerous sites in the county. “We then make an official request like we do for any kind of hurricane emergency request to the state,” Lord said. “We were actually one of the first counties to request it.”
The state asks a few questions, such as what areas to avoid–organic farms, for example–then works with the local mosquito district to develop the messaging before launching the planes.
The state conducted similar spraying in Flagler following hurricanes Irma, Nicole and Ian. Larger unpopulated natural areas will be excluded from spraying.
The mosquito spraying schedule is contingent on the weather and availability of the state’s contracted planes upon completion of existing missions, as well as other unforeseen delays.
The East Flagler district sprayed by helicopter and truck last week, getting mosquito populations down to a reasonable level. “The planes will come in and finish it off,” he said, especially in areas where the district could not go.
PB says
When I was a kid my father use to put Chlordane around the outside of our house in Miami. Banned in 1988 probably because it makes some of our body parts fall off. Invented in 1948 and deemed safe all those years. Makes you wonder about the chemical being used for this project. I guess at 72 I will never find out! Actually it must be safe. Out leaders would not lie would they?
This is not cool says
This is bullshit. I did not ask for a plane to fly overhead and dump chemicals on my house. This is not acceptable at all. I’m actually quite furious about this.
blondee says
One ounce per acre?? Someone explain this.
djwhite says
The plane shown in the photo is NOT a Beechcraft King Air!
Ronny says
We were told agent orange was safe in Southeast Asia and the World Trade Center dust in the air was safe to breathe we all know both were total bull shit
TR says
Calm down, Go back and read the third paragraph. You have nothing to be afraid of. The trucks that drive around at night spray the same stuff according to the article and it also breaks down quickly. Besides by the time you go outside the spraying will be done and it will have already broken down. They are also not going to spray over your house or anyone else’s every night. Maybe one night during the 4 nights that they will spray. So would you rather they not spray and then you get bit by a mosquito and end up dying from what they are carrying? yea I didn’t think so. It’s all good and needs to be done. otherwise everyone minus well never leave their homes. Which we know will not happen unless you’re extremely paranoid and afraid.
Marlee says
Looked up spraying by air:
What chemical is used in aerial mosquito spraying?
The pesticide used during aerial applications is called Anvil 10+10, an EPA-registered product extensively tested and used in both ground-level and aerial spraying in the U.S. to control mosquitoes. Anvil 10+10 contains two active ingredients: Sumithrin and Piperonyl butoxide (PBO).Aug 29, 2024
The Sour Kraut says
The low altitude buzzing we hear now are all the mosquitoes. I for one am glad for the spraying. I want to be able to go outside and not get attacked. I guess those that stay in their houses all the time don’t care how many mosquitoes are outside.
YankeeExPat says
Or alternately you could contract Dengue fever from the mosquitoes ?
DaleL says
When I was a kid, adult mosquito control consisted of a cloud of kerosene laced with DDT. Ultra low volume application of insecticide is a huge improvement. It is also important to remember that some species of mosquitoes are more than just annoying. They can and do transmit diseases to humans and pets.
I welcome responsible mosquito control.
Randy Bentwick says
Then move to somewhere without mosquitoes.
Joseph Barand says
Who owns these people, was there multiple bids, is the chemicals being used to control people or mosquitoes. I don’t trust DeSantis because of his failed history of protecting public health. I think he is poisoning the public excuse of orders from Trump.
What Else Is New says
I am outraged Flagler County chose to create an unsafe environment for humans and animals by spraying dangerous chemicals over the entire community. There are alternatives to spraying chemicals. While I respect UF’s IFAS, sometimes when offering dangerous chemicals to deal with an insect problem is not the answer.
Mark says
Oh no, chem trails and conspiracy theories about to fill this page.
STOP this!! says
I am immunocompromised from cancer. I know the chemicals there are spraying are not safe for me or anyone. If this is done I am suing this county or whoever is endangering my life. This is ridiculous!
Mike says
“This is not cool” you would be the first to complain that nothing was being done when you get Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika illnesses. With rates of less than an ounce per acre ( 43,560 sq ft ) of pesticides being sprayed…the footprint of your 2,500 sq ft house has miniscule exposure…a lot less than when you fertilize your lawn spray for weeds of insects yourself.
John Bertolacci says
They have been using helicopter for years.
It is the mosquitoes control board job to control the bugs.
wow says
I remember a couple years ago walking along S. Flagler Ave and there was a helicopter flying very low overhead. Took me a bit, but figured out it was dropping chemicals over the swampy area to battle mosquitos. Kind of creepy since I was breathing at the same time.
Lynne says
It would be nice if the same funds were being spent on putting in better drainage, something Flagler county is lacking. Mosquitoes do not breed in salt water.
Willy Boy says
But wait! Where are the comments from Ray Stevens and Celia P? They are the experts on noise abatement caused by aircraft. Surely, there must be some obscure FAA regulations to prohibit low flying aircraft at night they could dig up or fabricate.
DaleL says
Repeatedly writing “dangerous chemicals” does not make the insecticide dangerous. Claiming there are alternatives, without writing what the alternatives are, does not magically create alternatives.
Anvil is a common pyrethroid insecticide product used in mosquito control. Wikipedia: “A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins, which are produced by the flowers of pyrethrums (Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium and C. coccineum). Pyrethroids are used as commercial and household insecticides.[1]”
Mosquitoes, which have the potential to transmit serious diseases to humans and pets, create an unsafe environment.
DaleL says
Aedes sollicitans, According to Wikipedia: It is commonly called the saltmarsh mosquito. It breeds in saltwater. It is native to Florida and primarily found in coastal areas (Flagler County). It is a vector for Eastern equine encephalitis, Venezuelan equine encephalitis and dog heartworm.
Better drainage is always a good goal. However, the drainage needed to stop most mosquito breeding is difficult to obtain.
Full disclosure, for much of my working career in Ohio, my managerial duties included our city health department’s mosquito and tick control program.
Whathehck? says
Don’t go out for a couple of nights between dusk and dawn starting tonight and there will be no need to sue.
RobdaSlob says
It is (was) a military U-21 Ute – which was effectively a Beech 65-A90-1, aka King Air.
Ms Bug lover says
Tell me Please, Does this stuff kill the honey bees, Monarch’s or their larva, or any other type of beneficial flying or crawling insects etc .I grow milkweed and I hate using pesticides, but I understand the need to eradicate pesky mosquito’s !
DaleL says
Aerial ULV equipment puts out ULV (ultra low volume) droplets of 30 microns in diameter. Each droplet is just 1/1,000 of an inch across. One ounce of fluid is about 30 cc which is about 3 cm cubed. 3 cm is a little more than one inch. Thus one ounce will result in more than 1,000 x 1,000 x 1,000 droplets. Aka, more than a billion droplets from just one ounce of insecticide. There are 6.27 million square inches in an acre. So on average, there are about 160 droplets per square inch.
Mosquitoes have a relatively large surface area (long legs, wings, skinny body) to a very small mass. Thus if even one droplet impacts a mosquito, it has enough insecticide to kill the mosquito. Larger insects, such as moths, should not be killed if the dosage and droplet size are correct.
The insecticide is oil based. It adheres to the waxy cuticle of insects and will also adhere to the oily skin of vertebrates (humans). However, it will not adhere to the moist surfaces of person’s respiratory track or eyes. The calculated LD50 dermal exposure for Anvil 10 + 10 is 2,000 mg/kg. That is 0.07 ounces to 2.2 pounds. That would be 3.5 ounces for a 110 pound person. At the one ounce per acre application rate, an exposed, standing in the open, nude person, who weighs 110 pounds, would be exposed to less than 1/4,000 of the dose which could theoretically put them at risk of death. That assumes that the entire insecticide amount is absorbed almost instantly and not gradually degraded as it is absorbed.
This is the explanation as to why one ounce of insecticide per acre can kill mosquitoes and not people.
djwhite says
I know. I’m a retired Army pilot. I flew U-21’s, among other things. We knew them as Queen Airs, although I know Beechcraft marketed them as King Airs. Probably this was to distinguish them from the C-12, Beechcraft King Air, which is larger and quite distinguishable with its “T” tail.
Irwin M. Fletcher says
Should be no worse than the noise from the student pilots pounding the skies all day and night over town spewing leaded gas particles all over our homes, schools, and businesses. At least the spraying is only for a few days.
DaleL says
The board of the East Flagler Mosquito Control District is elected. There are a couple of the board members on the ballot this election. https://flaglermosquito.gov/
DaleL says
Milkweed is a toxic plant. Monarch butterfly larva have the ability to eat it, but almost nothing else can. The toxicity of milkweed is far greater than that of a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide.
“When swallowed, symptoms of milkweed toxicity usually appear within a few hours. Initial symptoms consist of stomach upset, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, weakness, lethargy, and confusion. Severe toxicity includes seizures, heart rhythm changes, and severe slowing of the heart rate. Milkweed is potentially poisonous to humans as well as animals. After grazing on milkweed in a field, sheep can develop difficulty walking, seizures, and death.”
https://www.poison.org/articles/milkweed-can-cause-serious-poisoning-204
Kevin E. says
Ah! No wonder my left eye was bleeding during the night! Why didn’t I get this news/warning BEFORE it happened!? I never heard about this until today, Nov. 8th, 2024. Blood and yellow fluid were seen on my pillow when I woke up and I also experienced red, irritated eyes. The oil like substance on my face was probably from the damn spraying! My nose is breaking out and bleeding a bit on the outside (bridge) with TONS of body oil… very unusual even for me. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE JUST USE/DISTRIBUTE FREE (residents receive them at no charge in the mail) LIGHT BUG ZAPPERS TO ALL FLAGLER COUNTY RESIDENTS FOR MOSQUITO CONTROL! DO NOT USE CHEMICAL SPRAY EXCEPT DURING THE SUMMER (I seen a mosquito spray truck spraying in January a few yrs. ago, shame on you!)!!!