268 - Introducing drone larviciding to North Carolina: Brunswick County goes airborne

Brunswick County has the largest mosquito control program in North Carolina. The county-run program covers approximately 850 square miles, comprised of large agricultural areas, hardwood swamps, and approximately 50 linear miles of Atlantic shoreline and Cape Fear River tidal habitat. The program also is responsible for managing mosquitoes on multiple Corps of Engineers dredge spoil islands near populated areas. These spoils cover approximately 1834 acres of larval production and adult harborage habitat. Spoil areas fluctuate based on dredging cycle and community need. To keep up with the heavy larviciding demands, Brunswick County took the lead in the state to incorporate drone larviciding in their program. This presentation covers their “boots on the ground” innovations, practical methods, certification processes, and the challenges of introducing drone larvidicding in a state that previously was limited to agricultural and post-hurricane aerial mosquito treatments.