Unit keeps pesty visitors at bay

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Andrew Gates
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
ALI BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  One unit here still strives to keep the sky over a portion of Iraq a no fly zone.

They also eliminate rats, loose animals and vectors, insects that can transmit diseases to animals and humans.
 
The unit, the 407th Civil Engineer Squadron’s entomology flight provides professional pest control to ensure the Airmen at Ali Base have a healthy environment in which to live and work, said Master Sgt. Steve Crews.
 
“If we leave the pests unchecked, we could have an increase in disease-carrying vectors which would make working or participating in recreational activities outside pretty unbearable,” he said. “It would be very difficult for people to work with insects buzzing around their faces all day.” 

To keep the pests down, the two-person entomology team uses three methods: ultra-low volume, or ULV, fogging; fly and rodent baiting; and live animal trapping.

The ULV fogger produces a fine mist of pesticide from the back of a moving vehicle. Sergeant Crews uses it for primarily for mosquito and fly control. He primarily takes care of Air Force assets, but assists with other vector control teams as needed. 

“Typically, my day starts by picking up the light traps set in the living area the night before,” he said. “I place those collection bags into the freezer to kill the insects so we can count them later. We monitor the number of sand flies and mosquitoes we capture to determine how much pesticide we may need to put down. Next, I check the live animal traps to see if anything has been caught.” 

He normally puts down between seven to 10 traps each night across the base. The live animal traps are baited with meats from the dining facility and normally catch cats, dogs, foxes and jackals.

Since the cats and dogs have the highest chance of rabies and there is no way to diagnose rabies without examining the brain, he said cats and dogs are turned over to the base veterinary tech to be euthanized. 

“As a dog owner myself, I don’t like to have to put these animals down,” Sergeant Crews said. “We can’t take a chance on someone getting bitten by a dog or a cat that turned out to be rabid. Rabies is 100 percent fatal to humans if it isn’t detected and treated. 

Besides vector control, Sergeant Crews services the fly and rodent bait stations around Ali Base and replaces the bait as necessary. Additionally, he sprays the dumpsters around the living area with a pesticide to aid in controlling flies. 

This is somewhat of an unusual mission for the Guardsman from the 183rd Fighter Wing in Springfield, Ill. 

“At my home station, pest control is contracted out,” he said. “But this is a great opportunity to be able to travel around, and I am able to take a lot of pride in a job done well. I get to work with equipment that I would never see at home. I am honored and proud to keep Ali Base a no fly zone.”