Corps ready for mosquitoes as season arrives

Norfolk District Public Affairs Office
Published May 1, 2018

NORFOLK, Va. -- With the arrival of warmer weather to the Hampton Roads area mosquito season is officially kicking off.

The Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is actively preparing to keep the mosquitoes at bay at its Craney Island Dredged Material Management Area in Portsmouth, Virginia.  

District personnel at Craney Island are performing onsite monitoring by observing larvae in the water, as well as coordinating with the city of Portsmouth to keep tabs on the city's trap counts.

"For the past fifteen years, the Norfolk District has had a strong partnership with the city of Portsmouth, working closely with city leadership and staff to target and significantly reduce the mosquito population in all phases of the insect's lifecycle," said Keith Lockwood, Norfolk District operations branch chief.

Prior to the 2018 season beginning, the Norfolk District awarded two contracts for mosquito control. When needed, contractors will mobilize to perform aerial based mosquito treatments over federal property through the end of November.

Treatment scheduling will be based off of site evaluations, local mosquito levels, and weather patterns.

Information on the timing of treatments are available through the Norfolk District's Mosquito Website at http://www.nao.usace.army.mil/CraneyIslandMosquitoes, the district's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NAOonFB and Twitter account at http://twitter.com/norfolkdistrict.

The information is also obtainable at the city of Portsmouth's Mosquito Hotline (757-393-8666), which provides continuous updates on all aerial mosquito spraying in the area.

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